Test: Ford’s 2023 Maverick Is A Pint-Sized Champ

Ford has managed, with its peanut-sized Maverick, to make a pickup truck best described with a phrase usually reserved for kitties and puppies – “adorable.” Starting at $22,595 for the 2023 model, it’s cheap in the best sense of the word – “Spare all expense!” seemed the motto. But it works. I loved the guy over its week’s test and so did others, in parking lots and at red lights. Here’s why.

Body

It’s small, almost comically so. Never has a truck been so able to slalom, squeeze past and wedge in and out of traffic as this as squirt. It’s offered in three trims this year – the base XL, XLT and my tester, the Lariat. Opt for XLT and you’ll get 17-inch aluminum wheels, cruise control, a power lock for the tailgate, power exterior mirrors and other goodies designed to dress you up.

An FX4 package available for all-wheel-drive XLT and Lariat trucks adds more off-road capability, rugged all-terrain tires and suspension tuning, additional underbody protection, and off-road-focused drive modes like Mud/Rut and Sand, as well as the addition of Hill Descent Control™.

Available for the first model year only, too, is the Maverick First Edition package, built off the Lariat trim level and including unique graphics on the hood and lower doors, a high-gloss black-painted roof, soft tonneau cover, body-color door handles, high-gloss black skull caps, and gloss black-painted and machined 18-inch wheels for hybrid or unique 17-inch aluminum wheels for the gas model. It comes in Carbonized Gray, Area 51 and Rapid Red, unique to First Edition.

Pickup bed

Its bed is tiny but a bed is a bed and you’ll haul as needed, just not as much as other, bigger trucks. It’s also deceptively versatile back there. A FLEXBED™ system delivers a multi-position tailgate, slots to use lumber to subdivide the bed, 12 available anchor points, two 12-volt 20-amp prewired sources at the back enabling DIY electrical solutions, plus two available 110-volt outlets for powering a laptop or tailgate party.

One can create segmented storage, bike racks, and other DIY solutions by sliding 2x4s or 2x6s into slots stamped into the side of the bed.There are two tie-downs, four D-rings and built-in threaded holes in the sides to bolt in new creations.

Inside

Press materials describe the interior as stylish and spacious. The same can be said of a Motel 6 depending on your point of view. There’s a reasonable amount of room up front for the big and tall, but not in the backseat – short folks, your animals or your children fit just fine, bigger humans, not so much. The cloth seats are comfortable.

Some winning innovations include door armrests with a split design to allow a one-liter water bottle to sit upright in a bin rather than rolling around on the seats. Door pockets are relatively huge and have lots of vertical clearance to store a tablet or notebooks. There’s also a spacious storage bin under the rear seats that fits a fully inflated volleyball, laptop bags, roller blades, tools and other gear.

Engine

My test Maverick arrived with a 4 cyl 2.L Ecoboost engine mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission. As you would expect, it provided no roar nor explosion of velocity, but that’s not what this truck is about and you’ll get used to it. Mileage is somewhere around a healthy 35 MPG city/highway combined, so there’s the payoff.

The ride/drive

It drives like an economy car – you won’t feel to wear your Caterpillars or heavy gloves. It was pleasant, efficient and the vehicle did whatever what it was asked of in a timely way. Others have reported “zip” but I never felt any, but it didn’t bother me and maybe my idea of “zip” isn’t someone else’s. The suspension is stiff, in order to assist with heavy payloads, and that means the ride is rough over busted-up roads. I personally like to be banged around in a truck except if I’ve just left Dunkin’ Donuts or my driving partner is trying to put on eyeliner in the mirror. So the rough ride worked for me.

Things get interesting when you explore the Maverick’s 1,500 pounds of payload capacity. The standard hybrid provides 2,000 pounds of towing to haul, say, your personal watercraft to the lake and the optional 2.0-liter EcoBoost® gas engine can tow up to 4,000 pounds, enough to bring a typical 23-foot camper on a weekend getaway. And there we have one perfect reason to buy the Maverick – if you have something to tow but don’t want to spend a bundle, here you go.

Tech

Maverick offers a standard 8-inch touch screen with Apple CarPlay® and Android Auto® compatibility, standard FordPass™ Connect with embedded modem and Ford Co-Pilot360™ technologies like Automatic Emergency Braking and Automatic High Beam Headlamps – all for a starting MSRP of $19,995. The sound is as good as my ’82 Datsun 210, the heat worked and the Nav system was slow like all auto nav systems – but did its job.

Safety

Ford Co-Pilot360™ technology includes standard Pre-Collision Assist with Automatic Emergency Braking and Automatic High Beam Headlamps.

Available options include Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop & Go, Blind Spot Information System with Cross-Traffic Alert, Lane Centering and Evasive Steering Assist.

Conclusion? The Maverick’s smallness is an asset, not a liability. Its mission is to save gas, not squander it. It’s a super-hot truck with sales through the roof, and deservedly so. Bravo, Ford.