Ford Upgrades the Amazing Maverick Pickup for 2025Ford Upgrades the Amazing Maverick Pickup for 2025

Ford boosts the Maverick’s appeal by adding much-desired features and capabilities.

Dan Carney, Senior Editor

August 1, 2024

3 Min Read
2025 Ford Maverick Lobo
2025 Ford Maverick LoboDan Carney

At a Glance

  • New all-wheel-drive hybrid available
  • Standard 13.2-inch infotainment display
  • Lobo street truck edition offers on-road handling performance

The Ford Maverick was an unqualified hit when it debuted in 2022, with demand far outstripping Ford’s ability to build the mid-sized pickup truck. As good as it was, there were a few glaring holes in the product line and for 2025 Ford is plugging those holes.

That means that the 40-mpg (city) hybrid electric powertrain is now available with all-wheel-drive as an option in addition to the standard front-drive. “That is the number one thing customers have been asking for,” reported vehicle integration supervisor Kirk Leonard.

Engineers have also upgraded the continuously variable transmission for the hybrid electric drivetrain to make it more robust. This contributes to the availability of an optional tow package for the all-wheel-drive hybrid models that doubles the base towing capacity of 2,000 lbs. to 4,000 lbs. Bed payload remains 1,500 lbs.

Power ratings for the base 2.5-liter hybrid-electric drivetrain are 191 horsepower and 155 lb.-ft. of torque. Estimated city fuel economy for the front-drive hybrid is 42 mpg. The optional 2.0-liter EcoBoost turbo is rated at 238 hp. and 277 lb.- ft.

Other important technical changes are on the electronics side, with customers getting more of the gadgets they want. That means a bigger 13.2-inch infotainment display is now standard on all trim levels, so everyone gets the good system. And they get wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, making it easier to use smartphone media and navigation.

Related:The 2022 Ford Maverick Compact Pickup is Your DIY Swiss Army Knife

A standard 360-degree camera makes it easier to park the Maverick, and Pro Trailer Hitch Assist and Pro Trailer Backup Assist are new standard features on the Lariat and Tremor trims. These tools have been popular on Ford’s full-size pickups, but they are actually even more helpful for Maverick customers, said Maverick brand manager James Gilpin.

 “These are great for Maverick customers because, while they are towing, they aren’t towing as often as someone in a Super Duty,” he pointed out. That means that they won’t be as practiced and proficient at the art of hitching and backing a trailer as the full-size pickup drivers might be.

Important safety technology is now standard on all Mavericks for 2025, including standard pre-collision assist with automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assist, a rear-view camera, and automatic LED high-beam headlights. Lariat and Tremor trim levels get new adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go, automatic lane centering, and speed sign recognition.

Maverick shoppers get a spicier option for 2025, as Ford introduces the Lobo, a so-called “street truck” that is inspired by the SEMA concept truck of 2022. It borrows its name from a 1981 concept truck.

Related:Retrospective: 1981 Ford Montana Lobo Concept Truck

The Lobo is lowered half an inch in the front and 1.12 inches in the rear and enjoys revalved dampers, a faster-ratio steering rack borrowed from the Ford Kuga (the European version of the Escape SUV, which is built on the same platform as the Maverick) with stiffer mounts from the Mach-E.

2025_Ford_Maverick_Lobo_interior.jpg

Lobo also gets two-piston front brake calipers lifted from the Euro-market second-generation Focus ST in place of the standard single-piston calipers. The Focus ST has high-performance brake pads, which are less suitable for a Maverick driver, so Ford has installed pads with a little less aggressive friction coefficient and which correspondingly last longer and create less brake dust. Customers looking for maximum braking performance can easily swap in the Focus ST pads if they prefer.

The Lobo also gets the larger radiator from the 4,000-lb. tow package and a transmission cooler for thermal management during spirited driving. The key ingredient is an intelligent rear differential that provides torque vectoring to help turn the Maverick in aggressive driving, such as during an autocross or a drift competition.

Related:Ford's New In-House Maverick Hybrid E-Motor Is 20 Percent Lighter

Ford says that the company sold 94,000 Mavericks in 2023 and has already sold 77,000 barely more than halfway through this year. The 2025 model year Maverick will reach dealers by the end of 2024. The base price is $27,890 including destination. That remains the least-expensive mid-size pickup in the U.S., though that marks a substantial 25 percent increase over the original price in 2022.

About the Author

Dan Carney

Senior Editor, Design News

Dan’s coverage of the auto industry over three decades has taken him to the racetracks, automotive engineering centers, vehicle simulators, wind tunnels, and crash-test labs of the world.

A member of the North American Car, Truck, and Utility of the Year jury, Dan also contributes car reviews to Popular Science magazine, serves on the International Engine of the Year jury, and has judged the collegiate Formula SAE competition.

Dan is a winner of the International Motor Press Association's Ken Purdy Award for automotive writing, as well as the National Motorsports Press Association's award for magazine writing and the Washington Automotive Press Association's Golden Quill award.

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He has held a Sports Car Club of America racing license since 1991, is an SCCA National race winner, two-time SCCA Runoffs competitor in Formula F, and an Old Dominion Region Driver of the Year award winner. Co-drove a Ford Focus 1.0-liter EcoBoost to 16 Federation Internationale de l’Automobile-accredited world speed records over distances from just under 1km to over 4,104km at the CERAM test circuit in Mortefontaine, France.

He was also a longtime contributor to the Society of Automotive Engineers' Automotive Engineering International magazine.

He specializes in analyzing technical developments, particularly in the areas of motorsports, efficiency, and safety.

He has been published in The New York Times, NBC News, Motor Trend, Popular Mechanics, The Washington Post, Hagerty, AutoTrader.com, Maxim, RaceCar Engineering, AutoWeek, Virginia Living, and others.

Dan has authored books on the Honda S2000 and Dodge Viper sports cars and contributed automotive content to the consumer finance book, Fight For Your Money.

He is a member and past president of the Washington Automotive Press Association and is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers

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