2024 Ford Maverick Review: Affordable EcoBoost Pickup Offers More Than Just Great MPG

Trucks and SUVs are the bread and respective butter for American automakers. Around 2018 and 2019, the Big Three of Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler killed their sedan offerings in favor of what the market appeared to want: tall vehicles you can carry a lot of people, cargo, dogs, and more in. Trucks and SUVs fit that bill.

Enter the Ford Maverick (recently updated for 2025). It's positively a truck in that it has a pickup bed, and yes it's also sort of a crossover in that it's compact, relatively high off the ground, and of unibody construction. It's more or less a Ford Escape that got a haircut, at least mechanically-speaking. 

As for taxonomy, it's important to note that the Ford Maverick is not a mini-truck, like the popular models from Mazda, Toyota, and Ford in the 1970s and 1980s, and nor is it a compact truck like the Ford Ranger, Chevy Colorado/S10, or Dodge Dakota, despite having a similar function. In fact, it's more closely related to the Honda Ridgeline and Hyundai Santa Cruz: the bones of an SUV, and the skin of a truck.

If that sounds confusing, don't worry. After testing a 2024 Ford Maverick Lariat AWD for a week, in the sake of editorial transparency and honesty, I couldn't be more excited to drive it and it was genuinely one of my favorite vehicles I've ever tested.

One of the primary selling points for when the Maverick was released back in 2021 was the inclusion of a hybrid drivetrain — in fact, until the 2024 model year, the hybrid was standard — making it essentially the only hybrid pickup available to buy. The Maverick I had was not equipped with such an option (which is $1,500), but instead a non-electrified 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder that made a fairly stout 250 horsepower and 277 pound-feet of torque.

According to Ford, the hybrid version can net the driver an estimated 40 miles per gallon; the gas-only version I drove achieved 29 miles per gallon with a good mixture of city and highway driving. For comparison, the Ford Ranger, Ford's other "small" truck gets an estimated 22 miles per gallon. The F-150 achieves only 20 miles per gallon with its base engine. While the Maverick only makes decent power, then, it has the fuel economy fight down to a science.

In southern Pennsylvania, where I live, you can't walk 10 feet without bumping into a pickup. While most are obviously F-150s and Chevy Silverados, there are a surprising number of Mavericks puttering around. Small contracting businesses seem to love the little Ford, and nearly every Maverick I saw (and I saw A LOT of them) were clad in a local plumbing, electrical, or general contracting company's livery. The marketing people at Ford have seemingly found the exact audience for the Maverick when it comes to professionals.

Alex Hevesy/SlashGear

I, however, am not a plumber or electrician: I fulfill the much less important task of writing about cars on the internet. How did the Maverick help in my day to day life? Well, it actually helped a lot.

The bed, while only 54.4 inches in length, was perfect for carrying a bike around, hauling cases of water, or moving small pieces of furniture. Unless it's your job, you probably don't really need a full eight-foot bed, and most people don't need to tote around 4x8 sheets of plywood or sheetrock every day. A little over four-feet is fine for light work and incredibly convenient for day to day tasks. Even if you aren't that active, the Maverick's bed is a little like a fire extinguisher: you might go your entire life without using it, but when you need it, you need it right now. Where the little Ford shines is in reducing the compromises involved in always having that bed on-hand.

As for the cabin, this Maverick Lariat trim leans toward the luxurious side with eight-way power seats and a Bang & Olufsen sound system. The Maverick's driving position is more akin to that of a tractor or a bus than its Ford Escape brethren, though that's not meant to be a slight. You sit high up and comfortable; to borrow some marketing lingo, it's more "commanding" than a lot of crossovers. That said, you don't feel like you're sailing an aircraft carrier as can be the case with other modern, larger trucks. 

The interior is a little small compared to some crossovers, but four adults were able to comfortably sit inside with little to no hassle or discomfort. In short, in truck terms it's a fairly cramped cabin, but then again this is a fairly small truck.

Driving the Maverick wasn't much to write home about, either. It was relatively quick with 250 horsepower on tap, but not memorably so. It's not a tire burner. Still, body roll was minimal and you don't really have to be too careful when going through corners or driving in a "spirited" manner, as you would with a bigger truck. It's still a crossover at heart, meaning that its front-wheel drive biased drivetrain is fairly predicable. It's not at all exciting and the exhaust note is downright agricultural in tone, but Ford is not advertising this to be a sport truck like the F-150 Raptor, so I won't judge it too harshly because it can't wake the dead by revving the engine. 

One of the Maverick's primary selling points is its dirt-cheap starting price. The base 2024 model will set you back $23,920. That's it. You don't get all-wheel drive — or very many bells and whistles at all — but you do get a truck that can achieve around 30 miles per gallon, and in a time when trucks can easily eclipse $70,000, just under $24,000 is the bargain of the century. A Toyota Camry starts at $28,400, and that doesn't have a pickup bed unless you decide to get creative with a reciprocating saw.

The Maverick Lariat I drove wasn't the base model by far, yet still comes in at a pretty reasonable MSRP. The Lariat started at $34,855, with the extra cash adding all-wheel drive, the aforementioned power seats, plus a host of driver assistance features like adaptive cruise control and perimeter alarms. It also had dual-zone climate control, USB ports everywhere, and all the LED lights you could ever want. 

Optional extras included the 4K towing package, which for $745 boosts the towing capacity to 4,000 pounds. The floor liners totaled $135. All told, the 2024 Ford Maverick Lariat AWD clocked in at $35,735 with all its options, making it just a few thousand dollars more than the $32,720 base model two-wheel drive Ford Ranger.

Even with the 2025 model set to rise to $26,295 (plus destination), the base Maverick might be one of the best deals on four wheels at the moment. If you just need a commuter that's very occasionally fun, I can't think of a better bargain than the Maverick. The Lariat trim might be a little unnecessary and it's almost too expensive to justify, but Ford deserves at least a little credit for packing its small pickup with a little bit of bling. 2025 will also address the original complaint that you had to choose AWD or hybrid: finally, you'll be able to have both.

Overall, I adored the Maverick. It's efficient enough to drive endlessly without worrying about fuel. It's capable enough to serve you in most capacities without ever having to darken the doorway of a truck rental place, and, for the most part, it's inexpensive enough that you don't need a second mortgage to finance it. It's not a blast to drive, but it's uncomplicated. 

I've driven a number of sports cars and performance machines over the years, and while they're fun for a while, they can be a pain to live with. And yet, in the weeks since I've driven the Maverick, I haven't stopped thinking about it, to the point where I'm seriously considering buying one. "The heart of the wise makes his speech judicious" says an old proverb, and the Maverick is the dictionary definition of judicious: sensible without being boring, and exciting without being ostentatious.