First Drive: 2022 Ford Maverick Is a Throwback to the Era of Small, Simple Pickup Trucks
Our testers find the truck’s utilitarian feel to be a refreshing change
Update: Since this first drive was originally published in February, 2022, we finished testing the Ford Maverick.
See the complete Ford Maverick road test.
The arrival of the Ford Maverick comes at a time when many buyers are interested in smaller, more affordable pickup trucks that deliver utility and practicality without the compromises that come with a mid- or full-sized truck, such as a stiff ride, ponderous handling, and gas-guzzling fuel economy.
The Maverick and the new Hyundai Santa Cruz are the first two examples of this new breed of truck that are on sale. Like the Honda Ridgeline they use a unibody, or car-based, platform rather than one that consists of a vehicle body attached to a separate frame, the design that underpins full-sized pickups, such as the Chevrolet Silverado and Ford F-150 and midsized trucks such as the Jeep Gladiator, Nissan Frontier, and Toyota Tacoma.
Car-based pickups are basically longer versions of small SUVs (the Maverick shares a lot of components with the Ford Escape and Bronco Sport) that have an open bed instead of a closed-in cargo area. Because of this design, the Maverick is quieter, and rides and handles better, and is more comfortable to drive than a body-on-frame truck.
The Maverick’s car-based design comes with a few drawbacks. It can’t match the towing, cargo-hauling, or off-road capabilities of Ford’s more burly F-150. But buyers who don’t need the big payload and towing capacities of the F-150, or even the midsized Ranger, will still be able to handle runs to the dump, towing a recreational vehicle, or carrying equipment for a small business.
