Maverick

Make
Ford
Segment
Sports Car

Trucks have long been a major source of income for the big three Detroit automakers and the competition remains fierce. Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis all vie for the top sales spot but it's the Blue Oval and its F-Series that continue to dominate. Earlier this month, the all-electric Ford F-150 Lightning premiered to significant fanfare and publicity. GM and Stellantis were forced to watch from the sidelines until their respective battery-electric trucks are ready. And it looks like they'll do so again very soon, only a very different type of Ford truck is coming.

According to Ford Authority, the 2022 Ford Maverick compact pickup truck is set to debut sometime in the first half of June. Ford has not confirmed the accuracy of the report. A June reveal makes sense as previous reports indicated the Maverick will enter production in July.

The Maverick does not share the mid-size Ranger's body-on-frame platform but rather the same architecture underpinning the Bronco Sport and Escape. It's also quite a bit smaller than the Ranger and will be sold solely in four-door SuperCrew body style. Front-wheel-drive is standard and all-wheel drive is optional.

What'll be under the hood remains a mystery but sources have strongly hinted both the 1.5-liter EcoBoost inline-three and 2.0-liter EcoBoost inline-four will be optional. A naturally aspirated four-cylinder could serve as the base offering to help keep the price down. A hybrid variant is also planned and should be available at launch. Despite its independent rear suspension, an off-road-focused version is planned but we doubt it'll have the Raptor moniker.

Instead, it might be called Timberline but this remains pure speculation. Based on existing spy shots, the Maverick will feature Ford's new truck design language such as the single horizontal bar stretching across the front grille by connecting the headlights. Ford has high expectations for the Maverick mainly because neither GM nor Stellantis competes in this specific truck segment.

Instead, Maverick customers could cross-shop the likes of the recently-revealed Hyundai Santa Cruz and, perhaps, the Honda Ridgeline. Both trucks also utilize an independent rear suspension though the Honda only begins at around $30,000. The Maverick should begin at less than $20k. Assuming the Maverick will indeed debut within the next couple of weeks, Ford could release a teaser any day now.