Ford Bronco Sport or Maverick In Cactus Gray- Who Wore It Better?

We compare the Ford Bronco Sport and Maverick in Cactus Gray side by side and ask, “Who wore it better?”

One of the secrets to the success of the Ford Maverick pickup and Bronco Sport SUV has been colors. Paint is rarely considered an essential item by shoppers, but cool colors do matter. Both the Bronco Sport and Maverick are available in some new types of colors, not just tints.

We happened upon a Maverick pickup in Cactus Gray while driving our own Bronco Sport in the same color. We felt it was a perfect “Who wore it better” type of image matchup. So we snapped the picture, and then we posted it up in the Maverick and Bronco Sport Facebook clubs and asked members, “Who wore it better?”

It should not come as a surprise that the Bronco Sport club members thought the model looked best in Cactus Gray, and the Maverick pickup owners club felt that their vehicle looked best in the paint. In fact, we had no dissenters in either post. 100% of the folks liked the look of their own vehicle choice better.

Breaking down the image, starting with the Maverick, which is a base trim in the image, we find some areas of likes and dislikes. First up, how can you say no to steelies? Those basic rims just work on the Maverick. The steel color works well with the Gray of the paint. The owner of the Maverick in the image also added some aftermarket window treatments in black that help the look as well. If we have any criticism of the Maverick, it is that it looks a little plain up top. And the front lower fascia looks a bit bland. Again, this is a base trim, so we cannot argue with the choices Ford made to get that vehicle close to $25K.

The Bronco Sport seems to have more going on. The black section above the windshield helps to give some contrast to the paint. The front fascia also adds more black, which then makes the paint contrast in a good way. The rims of the Bronco Sport Badlands are beautiful. Almost too fancy for an off-road-oriented model and trim. The wheel openings have a black trim, and the rocker panels also have a black element on the Bronco Sport, adding visual impact in a way the Maverick does not. Last but not least, we are not sure everyone would agree, but the yellow Badlands trim triangle is a good look, in our opinion. 

These two vehicles also work well in blue tones. Azure Gray Metallic Tri-Coat is nice on the Maverick, and Area 51 works on the Bronco Sport. Although, we must say, we see it too often. It is at risk of being overdone. 

Both the Maverick and Bronco Sport are great-looking vehicles in their given segments. Which wears the paint better most likely depends on which model you like best. Our vote is Bronco Sport!

Image of Bronco Sport with Maverick by John Goreham.

John Goreham is an experienced New England Motor Press Association member and expert vehicle tester. John completed an engineering program with a focus on electric vehicles, followed by two decades of work in high-tech, biopharma, and the automotive supply chain before becoming a news contributor. In addition to his eleven years of work at Torque News, John has published thousands of articles and reviews at American news outlets. He is known for offering unfiltered opinions on vehicle topics. You can follow John on Twitter, and connect with him at Linkedin.