The refreshed 2025 Ford Maverick debuted last year, ushering in a host of changes for the popular compact pickup. Those include a new front end design, coupled with a larger infotainment screen, the return of the hybrid powertrain as the standard choice, and the addition of a hybrid all-wheel drive option for the very first time, to name just a few. As Ford Authority reported last August, the 2025 Ford Maverick Hybrid is utilizing a new transmission, too – the HF55, which replaces the old HF45. Now, we’re learning more about that new gearbox, as well as some other new features present in the 2025 Ford Maverick Hybrid.
In a recent interview with Wired, Abby Grajek, Ford Maverick vehicle integration engineer, explained that the automaker opted to stick with a more traditional mechanical system when it designed the very first all-wheel drive version of the hybrid pickup. That system uses the combined power of the gas engine and electric motor and then splits it between two drive units, one up front, and one at the rear, rather than just adding an e-motor on the rear axle, as some other automakers do.
As for the HF55 transaxle, it was needed for a very specific reason – the 2025 Ford Maverick Hybrid AWD pickup had to provide the same 4,000-pound towing capacity as the EcoBoost model (when equipped with the 4K Tow Package) – significantly more than the outgoing model was capable of, which requires additional cooling capacity, to boot “We weren’t confident the previous system would do [everything] necessary” to provide the proper towing capacity and performance,” said Grajek.
Thus, the HF55 transaxle offers a bevy of upgrades compared to the HF45, without taking up any additional space. The drive motor also delivers more power than before, and thanks to its improved cooling performance, Ford notes that the new Maverick Hybrid also runs cooler, overall, without any changes to the powertrain – it even uses the same standard radiator, rather than the upgraded unit present in EcoBoost models.
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I just traded my 2022 mav with the 4000 lb towing package for a 2025 hybrid with the 4000 lb package. It tows my 3800lb boat,motor an trailer at least as well as the 2022 and gets better gas mileage wile doing it.