Ford created a surprise hit with the 2021 Maverick. This compact pickup, built on the architecture common with the Escape and Bronco Sport crossover SUVs, it offered the option of a fuel-efficient, no-nonsense truck. Now, Ford has introduced updates for the 2025 model year that make the Maverick even more appealing.
First up: Customers will finally be able to order the Maverick with a fuel-efficient hybrid engine and all-wheel drive. Ford previously confined the hybrid powertrain to front-wheel drive models. That maximized fuel efficiency while providing excellent EPA estimates 42 miles per gallon in the city, 33 on the highway and 37 combined. However, that decision confined the model’s appeal: Buyers who wanted all-weather driving capability or needed to tow more than the hybrid’s 1,500 pounds had to step up to the 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder, rated fuel economy of 22 mpg city, 29 mpg highway and 25 mpg combined with four-wheel drive.
“Hybrid all-wheel drive was by far the most popular choice among customers,” Dawn McKenzie, Ford Truck communications manager, told WIRED in an email. McKenzie explained that at launch, the hybrid model was confined to front-wheel drive to maximize affordability — Ford promised base price $19,995 when the Maverick was introduced for the 2022 model year, although the cheapest Maverick for 2024 starts at $23,920with the hybrid engine currently being a $1,500 option. Ford sold over 94,000 Mavericks in 2023, more than half of them will be hybrids.
PHOTO: FORD PRESS
The 2025 Ford Maverick comes in a kaleidoscope of flavors. The base Maverick is a front-wheel-drive hybrid that gets up to 42 mpg. Adding optional all-wheel drive is expected to drop fuel economy slightly, to a still respectable 40 mpg in the city. (Official EPA ratings haven’t been released yet.) An optional towing package, now available on hybrid Mavericks, lets you tow trailers weighing up to 4,000 pounds. If the hybrid’s 191 horsepower and 155 ft-lbs of torque aren’t enough, the 238-horsepower, 275-ft-lbs nonhybrid EcoBoost turbocharged four-cylinder engine is still available on all models.
Hybrid Pick Ups
Hybrid pickups are having a moment. Ford has introduced F-150 PowerBoost Hybrid for the 2021 model year. Toyota has introduced optional hybrid drive system to the full-size Tundra pickup for 2022, and later in the year Ram will add plug-in hybrid for its light-duty truck. (General Motors does not currently offer a hybrid version of the Chevrolet Silverado or GMC Sierra, rumors indicate (The carmaker is trying to bring a plug-in hybrid version to market.)
There are several factors at play. All-electric, full-size trucks are significantly more costly than their combustion-engine counterparts. The 2024 F-150 Lightning it begins for nearly $63,000, compared to $37,000 for the gas-powered model; the base model Chevy Silverado EV starts at around $75,000.Rivian R1T starts at $70,000and Tesla’s promised $60,000 Cybertruck it has just been canceledwhich means it can’t be purchased now for much less than $100,000.