2025 Ford Maverick Lobo ｜ First Drive

We may not get all of the small trucks that other markets all around the world get but we do get the Hyundai Santa Cruz and the Ford Maverick and people love this thing. It's been an instant hit for them because of how low they priced it at launch and the fact that its standard powertrain was a super efficient hybrid with over 40 miles per gallon in the city and for 2025 the hybrid gets some added appeal as does the rest of the lineup but it's not quite the bargain it once was. Under the hood of the Maverick this year you will find the same two engine choices you had last year including the awesome base 2.5 liter hybrid system making 191 horsepower through a CVT or of course the 2 liter turbocharged 4-cylinder EcoBoost engine which now makes 238 horsepower through an 8-speed automatic unless you get the Lobo trim which gets a 7-speed automatic borrowed from the European Ford Focus ST. The big news this year of course is the addition of hybrid with all-wheel drive capability so if you want both you can get that now. The only problem is you can't get the 42 miles per gallon in the city with the hybrid and that sporty Lobo trim. Even though the all-wheel drive hybrid is also new for this year we're going to focus mainly on the Lobo right now. We did drive the hybrid earlier and if you've driven the hybrid Maverick you'll know it is a really smooth and peppy powertrain around town but it's not going to be nearly as quick as the Lobo here with all the sporty intentions and all the upgrades that it gets and honestly this thing is kind of like a pocket rocket. It will accelerate pretty quickly out of any turn and the transmission is really responsive and the 7-speed is actually almost dual clutch like in how responsive it is so again this is the sporty option and that transmission fits it quite nicely. Handling wise you'll see in a little bit how the autocross goes but out on these winding roads like this the Maverick stays very planted. I have no real complaints about the amount of body roll we're experiencing out here. The brakes also feel very solid they don't have any sort of lack of bite or any vagueness or anything like that so really no complaints there. I will note though that there is a bit of road noise coming from these wheels. We are on the smoothest pavement right now but that is the main thing I'm hearing it's just a lot of the imperfections on the road are coming right through the wheels and the tires into the cabin here. It's certainly not crazy loud in here but if you want a quieter experience definitely get the hybrid. Because this also has the torque vectoring dual clutch rear axle on the all-wheel drive system this will definitely help with the dynamic driving that you'll do out here in places like this where the winding roads really never end and you want to push a little bit harder. And I will say also this interior though it does have some lower quality materials what you're looking at and the way they've designed everything it's actually very visually pleasing especially with the dashboard over here there's some geometric sort of shapes going on in the molding of the plastic some interesting tones and accents the blue accents here in the air vents it all looks very pleasing though I do wish they had offered a brighter interior color other than just black like this with the yellow stitching uh maybe a red or a white something sporty that's not this dark but of course we also have a sunroof on this model which is nice this is not a full review of the car so we haven't had enough time to really do a fuel economy test but when we were in the hybrid earlier we were getting around San Diego close to 40 miles per gallon without even trying so of course that's the one you want to get if you want that kind of fuel economy which really again is the selling point of the Maverick you can get that kind of fuel economy in a truck that is still capable with a decent amount of payload and up to 4,000 pounds of towing if you equip it with a proper package but this one right here I've had it in sport mode a lot today we have multiple drive modes but the sport mode is where I've left it in most of the time because we're on these fun roads uh fuel economy is looking more like 21 22 so definitely about half of what you'll get in the hybrid but this is the sporty fun one this is the fast one so that makes sense and the other drive mode we do get in this car is the lobo drive mode they do say that that's meant for closed courses off of main public roads like this but you're probably fine there's no actual geo-fencing keeping you from turning the feature on on a main road like this one other sound you will hear in this cabin is the turbocharger of the engine is pretty pronounced it's actually quite loud it's a little bit louder than I think my old Hyundai Veloster N and that was a hot hatch this is trying to kind of be the modern hot hatch with a bed in the back you know this replaced the Ford Focus here in the U.S. so it kind of makes sense that we're getting those kinds of noises in here especially here in the sportiest trim of all. So now Ford has me wearing some racing gear because they're going to let me do some autocrossing here in the Lobo to test out the rear torque vectoring axle of the all-wheel drive system and of course this does have some grippier tires and sportier intentions so let's see how it does. I totally meant to talk through what I experienced while ripping the Lobo around this course but it was honestly so fun that I couldn't even speak. The combination of the EcoBoost engine and the seven-speed automatic makes this feel like you're driving a long hot hatch. The transmission shifts at all of the appropriate times without much if any hesitation allowing the engine to push you out of the curves more confidently the harder you press on the gas. That's aided even further by the twin-clutch rear axle which pushes torque to the appropriate wheels in a similar fashion to Honda's IVTM4 all-wheel drive system. Body roll is shockingly well controlled thanks to the sportier suspension tuning and the lower ride height. Want to drift? Putting it in the Lobo drive mode makes that possible while also improving cornering performance grip and stability all to minimize understeer. Like the transmission the dual piston front brakes are borrowed from the European Focus ST and they really help with the added stopping needs during spirited driving like this. You might never actually autocross your Maverick but by golly would it do well if the circumstances ever arose. Well that was super fun it's also really hot in here so I'm sweating my butt off I gotta get out. Back to the more truck focused elements of the Maverick experience a four and a half foot bed that can be extended via Ford accessories is still here and comes with a few little features like sliding cargo tie down points, optional LED lighting, a storage cubby, and a 110 volt outlet. Payload capacity ranges from 1,045 pounds in the Lobo to 1,500 pounds for the front wheel drive versions of either engine which is superior to some larger trucks. The standard towing capacity remains 2,000 pounds with the option of the 4k tow package that doubles that number and adds extra cooling for the engines and transmission as well as the trailer brake controller. Elements of this package come standard on Lobo and Tremor trims but it is optional on four-wheel drive XL, XLT, and Lariat trims. New for this year is the availability of the Pro Trailer Hitch Assist and Pro Trailer Backup Assist features that aid in setting up trailers with your Maverick. You can save trailer profiles in the infotainment system and get step-by-step instructions all while taking advantage of additional camera views. The Maverick definitely feels like a small truck when you climb into the back seat with barely any knee room behind my ideal driving position it's a tight squeeze for anyone with longer legs. Headroom is excellent thanks to the traditional cabin shape though. The middle seat doesn't get any better but when is it ever. You'll also find seat bottoms that flip up to reveal a sizable amount of extra secret cargo space which is a nice touch that maximizes the functionality of this little guy. Comfort improves up front however on the Lobo I did find a pressure point in my middle back due to the design of the seat. Heated seats are available up here on all trims but the base XL though cooled seats are not on the options list. The standard size moonroof above your head doesn't impede into headroom and is optional on every trim but the XL so if you want the fanciest Maverick but no vitamin D you can do that. Picking up the latest Maverick will cost you a good bit more than it did last year. You'll need to pony up at least $29,285 including destination for the base Maverick XL with the hybrid powertrain and front-wheel drive. That basically gets you a stripped down work truck but thankfully if you like big screens the new 13.2 inch touchscreen running SYNC 4 comes standard as well as the safety features seen on your screen. Upgrading to the 2 liter EcoBoost turbo four-cylinder is free of charge though Ford forces you to get all-wheel drive with that engine for a $575 fee. Lobo and Tremor trims are EcoBoost with advanced four-wheel drive only. I know I've been calling that all-wheel drive this entire video but according to Ford it is a four-wheel drive system. Want that feisty Lobo? It's actually not the top of the line Maverick falling behind the Lariat and Tremor in the price hierarchy. Starting at $37,545 including destination I think it successfully fills a niche in the truck segment that we haven't seen in a long time in the U.S. outside of the Toyota Tacoma TRD pre-runner kind of. While it may not start at $20,000 anymore the Ford Maverick is still the cheapest pickup truck you can buy in America and now it has more appeal for those who want to get the efficiency of the hybrid with all-wheel drive traction and those who might want a sporty little street truck. All in all this is still pretty much all the truck most people will ever really need.