Base price in Canada for the 2022 Maverick is $26,900, $19,995 in the US.
The Maverick is a serious disruptor in the non-full-size pickup segments.
If Ford can build them fast enough, there’s no telling how many they could actually sell.

For a brief moment late last year, the wife and I considered adding a new 2022 Ford Maverick to our small family fleet of vehicles. We both enjoy projects, be they house renovations or playing with life-sized cars. Ultimately, we got something else as three reasons kept one from parking itself in our driveway.

2022 Ford Maverick XL AWD | Photo: Olivier Delorme

Snug rear quarters for kids

The first reason has to do with the cabin. Our current family situation includes two small kids, including a toddler, which still require massive seats. Even with my upright and close driving position, neither child would fit behind the driver’s seat. Otherwise, and for four adults or two parents and a pair of teenagers, the setup is nearly perfect.

Upfront, space and storage spots abound. It’s clear, considering the number of cubby holes, that Ford had the active person or do-it-yourselfer in mind when they designed the dashboard, console, and door cards. Every detail in relation to utility is dumbed-down to its most basic use – the lack of fluff is refreshing. Truly, as a tool to store stuff, the Maverick’s cabin is up to the task. As well, there’s more storage accessible beneath the rear bench.

Capability and flexibility

Now, on the subject of tasks, the small truck’s bed is far more useful than its dimensions suggest. The Flexbed is “only” 4.5 feet deep but was conceived to provide the user with countless options. The numerous built-in slots can be used to hold homemade dividers to customize the space for a bike rack or any other type of storage needs.

The adjustable tailgate enables the bed to transport four or five 4×8 sheets of Gyproc or plywood. As we only do small-ish renos at home, we never more than four to six sheets of whatever as well as 2x4s, 4x4x8s, and so on. Thanks to the 2022 Ford Maverick’s standard 1,500-lb payload capacity, it would always provide enough capacity for our needs. What’s more, accessing the bed from the outside is easy peasy even for an adult my size. Retrieving most things from it can be done without climbing into it.

We want an AWD hybrid

The second reason why it did not make the cut was powertrain options. The tested Maverick XL was powered by the turbocharged EcoBoost 2.0-litre 4-cylinder engine. With 250 horsepower and 277 lb.-ft. of torque, more torque than the Honda Ridgeline’s V6 by the way, the small Ford truck gets out of its own way with brisk efficiency. And with the included AWD system, it’s also very much at home, in Canada, in winter thanks to the added traction.

The problem arises from the fact that the standard hybrid model, with the 191-horsepower 2.5-litre engine and the CVT, is not yet available with AWD. We do not tow so its 2,000-lb limit would not be an issue for us. Perhaps the addition of a second axle would further limit the hybrid’s capabilities but not necessarily its efficiency. The current Ford Escape Hybrid, with AWD, is rated at a combined 5.9L/100km, or 0.1L/100km more than the FWD version. In contrast, the Maverick is rated at 6.3L.

The 2022 Ford Maverick also happens to be a very pleasant driver. The ride quality is quite nice with dampers that provide plenty of travel and forgiveness over rougher surfaces. The tested XL was fitted with the standard 17-inch steel wheels meaning the tires have generously-sized sidewalls, which certainly help. Steering is heavy and the brakes are easily up to the task.

Good luck getting one

The last reason is well, it was and remains unobtanium. Delivery delays vary but waiting on a hybrid version would see me grow a year older, or more, and my birthday was only a few weeks ago.

About styling, I will admit that I would have grown tired of the comically oversized front headlights and large flat front fascia. I get that the Maverick needs to look the part, but I think the designers went a little too far. I predict an adjustment in two to three years’ time.

Not playing by the rules

The 2022 Ford Maverick is cheap though pricing has crept up in Canada since I drive the vehicle late last spring. Even so, it shows that Ford is serious about sticking it to the competition by offering so much versatility and capability for this kind of money.

The segment is getting crowded but no other “truck” can match this Maverick’s value proposition. It truly is refusing to adhere to the segment’s policies.