The One the Maverick At all times Wanted

Pros:

-Incredibly versatile
-Practical and environment friendly
-Fun to drive

Cons:

-Limited hybrid readouts
-Price retains creeping up
-Not everybody loves the post-refresh entrance finish

Since it burst onto the scene in 2021, the Ford Maverick has gotten just about the whole lot proper, executing its mission—be low-cost, cheerful, and helpful—with none of the drained posturing that dominates the pickup truck area. It’s merely , trustworthy truck, one so good out of the gate that it completed a single vote shy of claiming our 2022 Truck of the Year award—after which it gained the entire rattling factor for 2026.

An intensive and substantive refresh powered this 12 months’s TOTY win, together with lastly making AWD accessible with its frugal hybrid powertrain. The addition isn’t only a tweak—it’s a basic correction that lastly makes the Maverick lineup really feel complete. (In reality, the Maverick may need been a two-time Truck of the Year winner had this model been accessible from the bounce.)

Same Power, Better Reality

The AWD hybrid’s mixed 191 horsepower is the very same as produced by front-drive hybrid Mavericks. Yet the truck drives with a noticeable distinction from the primary time you step on the fuel with gusto. Our major observations throughout common driving is that it’s extra steady and feels faster general than the front-drive mannequin.

All-wheel drive permits the hybrid system to extra successfully deploy its minimal quantity of would possibly, particularly when merging after a cloverleaf, accelerating over unfastened surfaces, or pulling away from a cease on slippery pavement. Our testing backs up that impression on a closed course, too, even when the stopwatch doesn’t reveal a large delta. The Maverick AWD Hybrid runs from 0 to 60 mph in 7.0 seconds, 0.7 faster than the front-drive hybrid we examined for 2 years.

Like each Maverick we’ve pushed, this model is a better-handling truck than it has any proper to be. Its steering is mild however correct, physique motions are nicely managed, and the general expertise stays extra carlike than truckish. You don’t want the (additionally new) Lobo trim to have enjoyable driving a Maverick (though we suggest at the very least test-driving that one as a result of it’s a blast). Switch into Sport mode and switch off traction management, and the hybrid AWD Maverick will even let you’ve some enjoyable on grime—we had a blast sliding it by way of dusty curves. In common driving, this straightforward controllability interprets to sure-footed confidence in every kind of climate and on varied surfaces.

We additionally spent half a day off-roading the AWD Maverick Hybrid, and also you is perhaps shocked by what it could do. With momentum and persistence, it should climb and scramble over terrain that may strand bigger and theoretically extra succesful vehicles. The Maverick’s off-road efficiency is restricted by floor clearance, tire alternative, and cooling, not will.

The AWD Maverick Hybrid even tows nicely, and now you can double its tugging capability to 4,000 kilos with the 4K Tow package deal. We didn’t tow that a lot weight, however we did pull 1,500 kilos’ value of jet skis, and the truck drove as in the event that they weren’t even there. Tow/Haul mode is programmed nicely, igniting the engine everytime you transfer away from a cease (the hybrid will typically begin and cruise in electric-only mode) and growing regenerative braking if you carry off the fuel. I’ve personally towed in bigger vehicles that didn’t tow this nicely even at half or much less of their capability.

Interior and Tech: Better, Still Honest

Ford properly resisted the urge to fuss an excessive amount of with the Maverick’s inside for the current replace, which stays a masterclass in practicality and visible curiosity regardless of an abundance of low-cost supplies. A brand new, bigger infotainment display screen replaces what was a largely ineffective cubbyhole and modernizes the cabin with out impacting the Maverick’s intelligent allure. The carved soapstone-look trim stays, and the numerous textures nonetheless do a superb job masking the truck’s reasonably priced roots.

Nearly 5 years in, it’s nonetheless one of many smartest interiors on the market—not as a result of it’s fancy, however as a result of it’s considerate. We nonetheless love the storage underneath the rear seat, the door cutouts that maintain giant water bottles, and the splashes of colour all through. That stated, there are some misses. You can’t get adaptive cruise management until you spring for the top-shelf variations, and we’d actually wish to have extra perception into the hybrid powertrain’s power circulation and efficiency knowledge. These are nitpicks, not dealbreakers.

The Verdict

The Ford Maverick AWD Hybrid doesn’t alter what the Maverick is—it completes it. From each day commuting and snowy driveways to towing small toys and dirt-road detours, that is the do-everything configuration the lineup has been lacking, and it nonetheless returns wonderful gas economic system at 40/34/37 mpg metropolis/freeway/mixed. The Maverick was already one of many smartest vehicles you would purchase. Now it’s additionally some of the versatile.