The Ford Maverick Is A Bronco Sport-Based Pickup That Isn't Needlessly Huge

Pick-up trucks in America are getting almost grotesquely big. And that’s not just us Brits saying so as outsiders who don’t live with the different scale of things across the pond - you’ll find plenty of US motoring journalists decrying the supersizing of even supposed ‘smaller’ trucks. They take up an obscene amount of room, have a voracious appetite for fuel, and their worryingly lofty front-ends are a pedestrian safety disaster.

Ford makes its fair share of gigantic pick-ups, but the Blue Oval is at least making up for this with its new offering, the Maverick. Next to an F-250 Super Duty it’s nearly 1.3 metres shorter and 270mm inches lower, and it’s even noticeably smaller than the Ranger. Compared to that, it’s 280mm shorter and 61mm lower.

We are still talking about something that’s comfortably longer than a BMW 5-series, but in American pick-up terms, the Bronco Sport-related Maverick is a petite, adorable little thing. A smaller size means less fat to carry around, and sure enough, the lightest one is a very reasonably 1615kg.

It’s still plenty practical, with a 4.6-foot load bed that can carry up to 680kg of clobber. This expands to six feet with the tailgate open, which can also be fixed diagonally if you’re loading something which is only slightly longer than the bed. Back there, you’ll also find 12 anchor points, two 12-volt, 20-amp power sockets and a further pair of 110-volt outlets.

That lightest Maverick we mentioned earlier is the front-wheel drive 2.0-litre Ecoboost model (all-wheel drive is optional), good for 247bhp and 277lb ft of torque. The entry-level version meanwhile is a 2.5-litre hybrid, which powers the front wheels via a CVT. Both of these can haul just over 900kg, although the 2.0-litre can manage twice that with the 4K (4000lb) tow package.

The hybrid manages a combined MPG figure of 37mpg, which works out at around 44mpg when measured with the bigger gallon measurements we use over here. Decent innings, and enough for a range of about 500 miles.

If you’re not sold yet, perhaps the price might sway you. The base ‘XL’ model starts at $19,995, and that’s despite having a decent amount of gear including an eight-inch infotainment system, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto and the ‘Co-Pilot360’ bundle of driving assistance features.

Although the Maverick’s dimensions would make it reasonably well suited to narrower roads, it doesn’t look like Ford will bring it to Europe. In the US, it’ll go on sales this autumn, with the reservation process open now.