2022 Ford Maverick: Is This Pickup A Honda Civic And Used-car Rival

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Among us professional car reviewers, it's standard practice to lump new vehicles into classes composed of similar models in order to help consumers make sense of everything. We group similarly minded, similarly priced family sedans together, and we do the same with SUVs, minivans, sports cars, full-size pickups and luxury sedans, too. Every once in a while, though, while still helpful, this type of classification process doesn't really serve to put a vehicle's attributes in proper context, let alone help figure out who that vehicle is likely to be purchased by. That may just be the case with the new compact pickup, because it's so jarringly different.
Ford's new compact unibody pickup truck carries a rock-bottom manufacturer suggested retail price of  ($19,995 plus $1,495 delivery), and it features a standard hybrid powertrain. That's right, America's least-expensive full hybrid is actually also America's least-expensive pickup. Said another way, that means the front-wheel-drive Maverick is priced like a rule-breaker, and with an estimated 40 mpg in city driving, it's an absolute curve-wrecker when it comes to pickup-truck efficiency metrics, too. 

This little trucklet might just upend the pickup business -- at least on the more affordable end of the market.

Ford

Unibody pickups have traditionally been a very tough sell in the US, and today, zonabola the only other trucks on the market that aren't traditional body-on-frame construction that are even vaguely similar to the 2022 Maverick are the and the larger . Neither model features an electrified powertrain, and neither line up all that cleanly in terms of size, capability and mission. We already know that the AWD-only Honda Ridgeline is much costlier and more powerful, starting at $37,665 ($36,490 plus $1,175 delivery), and while it hasn't been priced yet, the -based Santa Cruz is likely to be thousands more, too. You can see how these trucklets match up and judge for yourself -- this isn't F-150 versus versus , these are all very different vehicles.

I'm here to offer an alternative way to look at this truck. I think the 2022 Ford Maverick will actually end up frequently cross-shopped against econoboxes like the and by customers who never thought they'd be interested in a pickup truck in the first place. After all, the Maverick will actually be less expensive and more efficient to run in the city than either of those popular compacts. Additionally, lower-end, FWD Mavericks will likely also be cross-shopped by people -- especially young folks and first-time buyers -- who might otherwise look to the used-vehicle market for a traditional passenger car that's new enough to still be under warranty.



















More than most new-car shoppers, entry-level vehicle buyers arguably tend to be much more pragmatic than consumers in other segments -- often because their limited finances and credit status mandate such practical, focused decision-making. Rather than inherently limit themselves to a particular vehicle type, these shoppers disproportionately look at factors like monthly payment, fuel efficiency and where they can get loan approval as key factors to getting a spot on their shopping lists.
















I can relate.

Back when I was in college, the above scenario described me to a "t" as a fixed-budget buyer hunting for my first new vehicle. The peace-of-mind promised by an affordable, new vehicle under warranty via low-interest, fixed monthly payment was preferable to buying a used car with a higher interest rate and the increased likelihood of variable monthly costs due to unscheduled repairs. Like many first-time new-car shoppers, I also found it easier to get financed on a new-vehicle loan than a used one, and I didn't have the cash to buy a decent used car outright anyhow.

While budding-car-enthusiast me wanted something entertaining like a  or a , my budget and an acute lack of credit dictated that I was consigned to shop leases on bargain-basement appliances such as the and . I found that I could only afford base models with standard features like an AM/FM stereo cassette and a map pocket. I'm not even sure the Neon offered dual side mirrors, and I don't believe air conditioning was included with either model.