A person who declined to be named sent us a photo of Ford’s new Maverick pickup truck, along with the statement that “an acquaintance of an acquaintance who works there took the photo”. Whether that’s an extra level of security to keep them from being fired, or Ford himself leaking the photo in a guerrilla marketing campaign, we may never know. In any case, this claims to be a Ford assembly line at the Hermosillo plant in Sonora, Mexico with a lone still camouflaged compact pick-up that rolls to its freedom and the open road. The photo too found its way to mavericktruckclub.com forum.
This truck will be based on the same platform as the Bronco Sport, which has already proven itself to be a pretty decent machine. The Maverick will get a unique truck-only grille and front styling treatment, although it is clear that without doors there is not yet an indication of what the final truck will look like. There is clearly a bit of Bronco Sport design mixed in with a bit of the bigger Ranger truck design. Looks neat I guess.
It will be interesting to see how Ford can market and sell a front-wheel drive pickup truck. It’s probably the right size for most truck owners, but it won’t be able to jot down the large tow and tow numbers that seem important in the truck market today. Some spy photos from Autoblog seem to show Maverick pickup mules running around with a turned-bar rear axle and no rear differential at all. A low-spec entry-level FWD pickup could be interesting, but I think the majority will come with four-wheel drive and firmer rear suspension for a little extra utility.
This is probably the first pickup truck that appeals to me in twenty years or more. Much more likely to reach reasonable fuel economy half way through, it will drive much more comfortably than a ladder frame truck and it will be easier to climb in and easier to load things into the bed without the huge height. The trucks are too big, and last but not least.