Although it might have front-wheel drive and unibody, it is still a truck.
Although it’s been almost two weeks since the Ford Maverick launched, there is still quite a lot of talk about Ford’s small pickup. We can see the mixed emotions in the chatter from our window into consumer world. It looks just like a Ford pickup truck, but with clever features in its 4.5-foot platform, it can also be used as a truck. Traditionalists say it isn’t a truck because of its unibody construction, standard front-wheel drive and other features.
Ford must be aware of this. It’s also possible that Ford was aware of this and prepared for it. Ford Maverick and Ranger marketing manager Trevor Scott shared details about the Maverick’s creation with Muscle Cars. It was treated like any other Ford pickup by engineers.
He said that there is very similar testing and construction of both the truck bed as well as the gate.
Towing and payload are two areas where you might notice a significant difference. Ford sent the Maverick, despite it being smaller, to the same places that its larger pickups. It was still capable of towing heavy loads. Although the limits were lower due to the Maverick’s smaller size and less power they still performed the same. Although we don’t know how hard Ford drove the Maverick, the vehicle’s cargo capacity is 1,500 pounds and the maximum tow rating with the towing package is 4,000 pounds. It’s safe to assume that tests went beyond these metrics.
Although Ford may have used the same truck design for development, the Maverick is not aimed at the truck market. Ford wants to attract buyers who may otherwise be interested in a small SUV, hatchback or small SUV. This is why Ford was eager to talk about the Honda Civic when discussing fuel economy. Ford claims that the Maverick’s standard 2.5-liter four-cylinder hybrid engine achieves 40 mpg when driving in the city. The Maverick’s base price, which is approximately $21,000 after destination, also compares well to the Civic.
It will be interesting to see how buyers react to the Maverick when they reach dealerships in 2021.