The first Maverick sold by Ford Motor Company was a car released in 1970. It had both a coupe and, later, sedan option, built atop the Falcon chassis (the same that was at the heart of the early Ford Mustang). It lasted until 1977 in the USA market. In the 1980s, Ford reused the Maverick name for a compact SUV only sold overseas. The European Maverick was actually a Nissan Patrol Y60. Later, the Ford Escape (aka Mazda Tribute) was rebranded as the Maverick for Europe. In 2022, Ford used the brand name yet again, this time for a compact pickup truck, extending its popular truck line into the compact segment. Today it fits below the Ford Ranger, with a unibody design shared with the Escape and Bronco Sport.
My son has a much-loved Toyota Tacoma, a more expensive mid-size pickup truck that competes with the Maverick, so when Ford invited me to spend a week driving a 2025 Ford Maverick Lobo AWD, I assented, very curious to compare the two. To define terms, the Lobo ("Wolf" in Spanish) trim level is new for 2025 and is aimed at street performance rather than off-road driving. It lowers the truck, swaps in rather unique wheels, adds performance driving - including paddle shifters! - and a revised suspension, along with lots of nice interior accents and upgrades. The vehicle dropped off was in Velocity Blue with a Black Onyx interior:
The base price of the least expensive 2025 Ford Maverick is under $30,000, but that truck looks a bit different from the Lobo trim level, needless to say. The most obvious difference is the wheels, and to be candid, I wasn't a huge fan of these upgraded wheels. The Lobo also has what Ford describes as a "unique front fascia," and I do think that the front looks cool, even if it appears that the front headlights are partially covered by the unit.
I found the Maverick a smart-looking truck and a great size for suburbanites who occasionally need to haul a load but don't need to upgrade to an F-150 or larger truck. Like so many "crew cab" trucks, it might have four doors, but the rear legroom is not exactly generous without moving the front seats far forward:
This'll do in a pinch, but if you have a tall driver or front passenger, the rear passengers are definitely going to be trying to contort to ensure they fit properly in the vehicle. Think of it like economy class on a short-hop plane flight; you can manage, but you won't be comfortable. For younger passengers, however, this might be enough to make it to grandma's house as needed.
Swinging to the interior front of the truck, the dash layout was surprisingly modern and accessible:
Notice in particular the 13.2-inch "productivity" screen, as Ford calls it. Me? I'd call it the infotainment screen. It does include wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, common across almost all modern vehicles. The blue accent touches are part of the Lobo trim kit, adding a bit of pizzazz to the door handle and climate control vents. Interestingly, the climate controls just above the center console are reminiscent of an old-school AM radio, though on closer examination, it's clearly a different function entirely:
You can also see the available power ports: 12V, USB-A, and USB-C. There's a wireless Qi charger just below all of this that worked like a champ with my iPhone, even over rough terrain or on zippy turns. Not to be left out, the trailer controls were simple to use. The Maverick Lobo AWD is rated with a decent 4,000-pound towing capacity.
Here's another view of the Lobo trim level driver's door handle:
The angled silver inset panel was very subtle, but those fingerprints were annoying; the main panels seem to be somewhat of a fingerprint magnet, which might cause some owners to keep a web wipe handy so it retains a pristine appearance.
Drivers hoping for a classic stick gearshift will be disappointed by the knob, but in practice, it was perfectly functional, and with its 7-gear automatic transmission, how often do you change gears anyway? Don't forget that this model includes paddle shifters in case you want to dream of a performance supercar while driving!
Note: The standard Maverick has an 8-speed automatic, but the Lobo edition utilizes something called a Quick Shift Transmission for a higher performance driving experience.
You can see the paddle shifters just peeking out from behind the crossbar in the above photo. It is a busy interface here, with lots of functions to ensure that the driver can keep their hands on the steering wheel. Expect a little bit of time to orient yourself, but I found it all easy enough after a few minutes of glancing at the controls.
The main gauge display was futuristic, as you can see. I liked it! And yes, while its fuel efficiency wasn't great, it does have a big 16.5-gallon tank that offers quite a bit of range. I averaged about 25.7mpg with mostly suburban and highway driving, with EPA numbers of 21/30 and a combined of 24mpg. Is that 151 miles to empty accurate? Probably not because at 1/4 tank that would imply a range of over 600 miles. Perhaps with more miles, the fuel monitoring system better calibrates and has more accurate range estimates?
It is a pickup truck, and the back bed was pretty typical of its entry-level class: 54.4 inches long and 53.3 inches wide (ignoring the wheel wells). This adds up to 33.3 cubic feet of cargo volume and a payload max of just over 1,000 pounds. It's a FLEXBED so it includes handy tie-downs, slots for boards, and more.
Overall, I really liked the Lobo edition of the Maverick and found that it compared quite favorably to my son's more expensive Toyota Tacoma TRD model, with a peppier drive and more modern dash design. The additions for the street-savvy Lobo trim level gave it some nice personality (well, other than the wheels, which I might swap out for something else, personally). If you're in the market for an entry into the world of pickup trucks, Ford's got a winner with the Maverick, and it's one you should definitely check out.
2025 Ford Maverick Lobo AWD with 2.0L EcoBoost engine and 7-speed automatic. BASE PRICE: $40,750. Options included in the vehicle driven: None. Everything's included in the Lobo package. AS DRIVEN: $42,345.00.
Disclaimer: Ford loaned me the Maverick for a week of driving in return for this candid write-up and review. This was originally published on PlanetDave.com with the title 2025 Ford Maverick Lobo AWD is a Stylish Truck! and is reprinted with permission.
