2022 Ford Maverick Hybrid Review: How To Make Friends and Influence People

The 2022 Ford Maverick is what happens when a manufacturer plays to its strengths.

For decades, American automakers couldn’t catch a break in the compact car segment. The Japanese brands, and more recently the Koreans, cracked the code, achieving success both commercial and critical. Ford found some of the latter with the last Focus and Fiesta, but it wasn’t enough. Both disappeared from the lineup by the beginning of this decade.

Now Ford has flipped the script. The maker of America’s best-selling vehicle since the ’70s has given up the fruitless pursuit of compact car success. Instead, the Blue Oval has done what it does best: build a pickup. The Maverick is the smallest of its kind, but with the standard hybrid drivetrain, it’s one of the best vehicles you can buy for around $30,000 ($36,000 CAD). The Maverick is fun, friendly, and affordable and in high demand, which is something rarely said about compact cars.

The Maverick debuted last summer, before going on sale in October 2021. The friendly-faced trucklet rides on top of the same C2 platform as the Bronco Sport and Escape. That means it sits alongside the larger Hyundai Santa Cruz and Honda Ridgeline as a unibody pickup. What that sacrifices in outright towing capability, it makes up for with better on-road manners.

Every Mav comes in the SuperCab four-door configuration, with a 4.5-foot bed out back. While this is sure to irritate those that want the longest bed on the smallest pickup, it allows the Maverick to offer Civic-rivalling rear passenger space. So if you want it to take on the role of family transport, it’ll do it. My guess? That’s a far more likely use case scenario.

This specific truck comes with the Maverick’s ace in its sleeve, the hybrid drivetrain. Standard-fit, this setup is also found under the hood of the Escape Hybrid. Here it makes a combined 191 horsepower and 155 pound-feet of torque, funnelled through the front wheels only via an electronic continuously variable transmission (e-CVT). AWD is available, but it requires a switch to the EcoBoost motor, one we tested in January. Curiously, Ford offers the Escape Hybrid with AWD, but not this.

Unlike the last Maverick we tested, this XLT hybrid tester foregoes leather for a simpler, two-toned cloth interior. It still has the same excellent ingress and egress, the easy sort of slide to the right that skips over the rope and stepladders needed for today’s overgrown full-sized pickups. The seats themselves are … fine. The bottom cushion is quite flat and narrow, one of the first signs this isn’t a typical truck. More perch-like than other seats, these ones are. There’s good lower back support, however, and decent bolstering. The orange contrast stitching mirrors the flashes of the color throughout the interior. It’s a fun look in keeping with the Maverick’s personality.

Dark blue plastic dominates the simple dashboard design, with a speckled insert offering up needed contrast. Exposed bolts on the door handles give it simple, workmanlike feel. The “floating” nature of the handles also allows for water bottles to slide into the door cubbies. Ford has carved out plenty of useful space in here actually, with exception to the tiny nook beside the infotainment screen. Maybe it’s for cassette tapes?

Without the available moonroof, the Maverick has loads of headroom, including 39.6 inches (1,006 millimeters) of the stuff in the back row. Hybrid models sacrifice a single inch of legroom, but we’re still talking 35.9 inches (912 mm) of room, good for even slightly gangly adults. The rear bench also folds up to reveal a small storage cubby, though the hybrid’s battery does eat into some of the available space.

The Ford Integrated Tether System, or FITS for short, allows owners to choose from a variety of accessories to slot onto the back of the center console. Not satisfied with the options? Ford has released the 3D printing blueprints, so you can make your own.

Ford employs its older Sync 3 infotainment screen in the Maverick. Its unpretentious layout suits the Maverick, and pairing with either Apple or Android phones is simple. You’ll want to do that, as the native system doesn’t have much capability. Wired phone mirroring is the only way to go, which is fine, since Ford won’t offer a wireless charging pad anywhere in the Maverick lineup anyway.

There are no complaints about the instrument panel. Analog gauges are easy to read, and the small black-and-white screen keeps pertinent drive info front and center. You miss out on the Lariat’s fancy-pants screen, sure, but owners are already figuring out how to drop that into models like this.

The Maverick’s straightforward tech suite reminds you how much extra most modern cars’ are. Single-zone climate control works well, with smart temperature regulation throughout the cabin. The radio does its job, and in typical Ford fashion, gets loud quick. It doesn’t feel lacking: it feels fit for its role as no-nonsense transport.

Folks in wintry climes will want to pony up for the luxury package. This adds heated front seats and a leather-wrapped, heated steering wheel. Both are very effective. The lux package also throws in other goodies, like heated, body-colored side mirrors, a 400w/110v inverter, and trailer hitch.

The Maverick isn’t the first truck to go the electrified route, but it is the first to so clearly prioritize fuel efficiency. With gas prices where they are, combined fuel economy of 37 mpg (6.3 L/100 km) sounds really good right now. At the end of the week this tester barely did worse (36 mpg / 6.5 L/100 km), and we saw a single-use best of 53 mpg (4.4 L/100 km) in the city. Theoretically, the Maverick should be good for anywhere from 450 to 500 miles on a tank.

That’s not to say the Mav is a fuel-miser and little else. The Escape underpinnings work well here, giving the Maverick a smooth ride and measured body roll. Long stretches of uneven surfaces can cause the Maverick’s rear suspension to pogo, however. There’s a decent amount of wind and road noise, but nothing that can overwhelm in-cabin chats. It’s less than most other trucks, too. Throttle response is good, with enough go-power to get rolling on electrons, and then have the gas engine wake up further down the road. It’s a bit of a racket when that happens, but no worse than the smaller-capacity gas-only compact cars running CVTs.

While it never feels quick, the Maverick avoids feeling sluggish on short on-ramps. The electric power steering is of course light, but it’s direct and consistent, so the Mav is easy to drive. It’s easy to park too, since its boxy shape makes for clean sight lines. It might’ve lacked AWD, but the hybrid never once faltered on slippery snow.

Ford’s decision to make the hybrid engine standard means you could get a truck that performs identically to this one for just $21,490 ($27,995 CAD) including destination, in theory. Good luck, though: Ford closed the order books late last year, and won’t re-open them again until this summer, for 2023 models. You might find a basic Maverick XL on a dealer lot, but many have slapped them with “market adjustments.”

I’d recommend moving up to the mid-level XLT, anyway. Starting from $23,855 ($31,645 CAD), the XLT comes with added niceties, specifically alloy wheels and that smart, high-contrast interior. More important than that, the middle trim opens up access to the Luxury Package ($2,500 / $3,150 CAD), which adds a power-adjustable, heated driver’s seat, heated leather-wrapped steering wheel, drop-in bedliner, full-size spare, 400w/100v inverter, led box lighting, a trailer hitch, heated mirrors, and more. This tester also adds in the Ford Co-Pilot360 driver assists ($650 / $650 CAD), a manual sliding rear window, floor mats, and deep Alto Blue Metallic paint, for a final tally of $27,340 ($36,515 CAD).

This 2022 Ford Maverick Hybrid review provided a week-long feel of vindication. Not just for re-confirming that the baby pickup deserved our 2022 Truck of the Year title. It was also my personal pick for the best new vehicle you can buy for used car money. This Maverick Hybrid was specced almost exactly how I had pitched it in that challenge, and it proved itself as a great everyday ride with practicality, good driving manners, and a whole ton of value.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: the 2022 Ford Maverick makes more sense the lower its price is. The EcoBoost we tested earlier this year was a breath of fresh air from a size and practicality perspective, but its drivetrain played things safe. This hybrid model is better still, offering up the fuel economy of a compact car with the usefulness of a pickup. It doesn’t punish you if you aren’t doing truck things, either. Ford has produced its best affordable car in generations, and all it took was not making it a car at all.

FAQs

How much is does a 2022 Ford Maverick cost?

The MSRP of the 2022 Ford Maverick was $21,490 ($27,995 CAD), including destination. We say “was” because Ford has halted orders for the truck until summer of 2022, for MY2023 offerings. So you’ll need to find one on a dealer lot.

When can you buy the 2022 Ford Maverick?

Mavericks started appearing on dealer lots last October; hunt around and you should still find them there before 2023s arrive in autumn.

How much can the 2022 Ford Maverick tow?

The hybrid is capable of towing 2,000 lb; the 2.0-liter can double that number when properly equipped.