Letter From Europe 2026 Ford Maverick

Letter From Europe
By Andrew Frankl
European Bureau Chief

Auto Central (Winter), February 24, 2026; For the first time ever in leafy Belvedere, California we had a crash outside our window . It was a huge bang. Turned out that a neighbor took a glance at the City of San Francisco to his left and drove his Range Rover straight into the back of a pick-up truck.

Boom! His Range Rover is history, the trucks belonging to some lovely people working nearby took it with grace. Many Kens and Karens would have been ballistic but these were ladies and gentleman.

I am mentioning this because it happened at exactly the same time as when I had the Ford Maverick for tests.

Letting other people-however nice-to test press cars is a big no-no so the best I could do was taking them for a spin.

They loved it and are seriously considering down-sizing. I can fully understand it because the back is plenty big enough for the bits and pieces they need to carry on working .

Getting a Maverick would enable them to join an ever growing group of people in the construction industry. At the last count 100 thousand Mavericks were sold in the United States in 2025 and the momentum is continuing into 2026.

Let be honest-being a humble journalist bashing away at my desktop computer, the Maverick is really not for me.

Having said that I had a very nice time driving it in and around Marin County.

There is a great deal of construction going on in Tiburon and the little truck got lots of admiring glances from the lads having their lunches.

Inexpensive it isn’t.

Yes, if you are very good at haggling and it is the end of the month when car salesmen are anxious to fill their quotas you might get a deal but...From what I have seen even second hand ones are in the 30s .

The base model, at just under 30 thou is pretty bare and of course dealers will be anxious to sell you a more fancy one, such as the all singing dancing version at 43 thousand dollars. In fact that is exactly how much this test Maverick costs.

Admittedly ii was fully equipped and was a joy to drive. Easy to park, easy to drive with a firm ride which I loved.

Four comfortable seats, a bit of a squeeze for five but doable. Fuel consumption is between 23-35 miles per gallon, the warranty is 3 years or 36 thousand miles.

Dislikes-the infotainment system is pretty simple, the radio is exceedingly modest and some of the instruments are hard to read.

This is one bit of the Maverick that could do with an overhaul. Especially at 40 thousand dollars.

Apart from that it is a very fine product, fills a gap in the market and will continue to do so for years to come.

Ford Maverick Data
Compiled By Alex Intelli

      Max towing (available)
      4,000 lb (with available 4K Tow Package)
    

      Standard towing
      2,000 lb
    

      Max payload (available)
      Up to 1,500 lb
    

      Hybrid city MPG (EPA est.)
      Up to 42 mpg city (headline figure)
    

Powertrains

2.5L Full Hybrid (Standard)
- Drivetrain: FWD standard
- AWD: Available
2.0L EcoBoost (Available / Standard on select models)
- Horsepower: 250 hp
- Torque: 280 lb-ft
- Availability: Available on XL/XLT/Lariat; standard on Lobo and Tremor (per Ford model positioning)

Capability

Towing: 2,000 lb standard; up to 4,000 lb with available 4K Tow Package
Payload: Up to 1,500 lb (varies by engine/drivetrain)

Payload by engine/drivetrain (example: XLT page figures)

2.5L Hybrid FWD: 1,500 lb
2.5L Hybrid AWD: 1,400 lb
2.0L EcoBoost FWD: 1,500 lb
2.0L EcoBoost AWD: 1,500 lb

Fuel Economy (Hybrid)

EPA estimate (headline): up to 42 mpg city (hybrid)
Common published combined estimates: ~38 mpg combined (FWD) / ~37 mpg combined (AWD) cited by reviewers

Note: MPG varies by drivetrain, options, and trim.

Trims & Notable Packages

Core trims: XL, XLT, Lariat
Off-road oriented: Tremor (model variant)
Street/performance oriented: Maverick Lobo (model variant)
Capability option: 4K Tow Package (enables max towing figure)

Bed & Utility

Bed concept: 4.5-foot FlexBed-style design with configurable tie-downs/slots (by Maverick positioning)
Use cases: DIY-friendly organization, bikes/gear, weekend projects

If you want exact bed length/width/volume numbers, add a “Bed Dimensions” table here once you confirm the official figure set you prefer to cite.