Compact Ford Maverick Pickup Turns Lackluster January Bright

When Ford first announced there would be a new pickup in their lineup, few people noticed. After all, the Blue Oval was the truck meister out there as its F-150 pickup series has led the market for the last 46 years. It seemed natural that the automaker would introduce a new truck to add to its many models.

The Initial Announcement

There was a difference, though, in this announcement. Suddenly, the name Maverick was being bandied about by Ford reps. When the Maverick name appeared two years ago, there were views of the new pickup. It was known that it would be a compact model at a much more reasonable price.

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As the new information spread, it became clear also that the Maverick would be an interesting lineup.  The hybrid version is front-drive and uses a. Ultimately, we learned that there would be two major models: a full hybrid powertrain and an internal combustion version (ICE). The hybrid version is driven by a 2.5-liter four that powers a 191-horsepower hybrid powerplant. An electrically continuously variable transmission drives the hybrid. It is a super popular model.

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The second Maverick model is much more standard. It is driven by a standard 2.0-liter turbocharged engine mated to a standard eight-speed automatic transmission that cranks out 250 horsepower. The eight-speed and its EcoBoost 2.0-liter turbo motor turn out 277 pounds-feet of torque.

All-Wheel-Drive Model Maverick

Interestingly, the non-hybrid version of the Maverick also offers all-wheel drive.

For last month, whether it was the snowy weather over much of the country or the cold, Ford’s F-150 line sales were not explosive. Indeed, sales were up a mild four percent. Ultimate January sales were 152,617. Sales of the top-of-the-line full-sized pickup were only 48,702.

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Meantime, sales of the tremendously popular Maverick were up 98 percent to more than 12,000 Mavericks.

Normal Sales Patterns Upset

As Car and Driver notes: “Full-sized pick-ups have been America’s top-selling vehicle category for years. The Chevy Silverado and RAM often follow the F-series in unit sales. Smaller pickups are an afterthought,” This isn’t the case today, as customers want the Maverick. You knew there would be demand when reservations were first opened for the compact pickup, and there were more than 100,000 reservations in a short time. These $100 reservations were quickly turned into real orders that the Blue Oval is still working through. Here’s the reason why. As C&D notes: “The Maverick has a base price much lower than the F-150. The Maverick’s is $21,815, while the F-150 is $34,585. Each has a hybrid model. Hybrid sales have risen across much of the industry, as EV sales have disappointed as 24/7 Wall Street notes.

As 24/7 Wall Street notes:

Maverick’s Reviews Are Great

“The Maverick has gotten extraordinary reviews from auto research firms and industry publications. Car and Driver gave it a rare 10 out of 10 rating. Its editors wrote, “’ Overall, the Maverick is a compelling small pickup truck with exceptional practicality baked in. We'll no doubt see more compact pickup trucks entering the market in coming years, but right now, the Maverick exists in a class of two, competing only against the more expensive Hyundai Santa Cruz.’” 

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24/7 Wall Street continued that:

“Each major car company tends to follow the success of others, whether in the pick-up category or hybrids. Chevy, Ford’s primary competitor, has a mid-sized Colorado pick-up. However, if it wants to chase Maverick's success, it must introduce a compact pick-up product. The same will be true, almost certainly, for the RAM brand. Wait a year or two, and Maverick will have several rivals. A doubling of sales is too attractive.’

Marc Stern has been an automotive writer since 1971. His automotive articles have appeared in venues including Popular Mechanics, Mechanix Illustrated, AutoWeek, SuperStock, Trailer Life, Old Cars Weekly, and Special Interest Autos. You can follow Marc on Twitter or Facebook.