Experienced by Adrian McQueen
Photography by Adrenaline Lifestyles
The 2024 Ford Maverick is built for work and for fun. It is stylish, efficient and ready for work. We were able to take the Ford Maverick Lariat for a week and really get some good seat time with it. This is definitely an attention grabber and ignites the conversation on how this truck measures up in tough Ford line up including the Ranger, F-150 and the Raptor.
The Ford Maverick is a four-door, compact pickup truck manufactured and marketed by Ford Motor Company. It was unveiled on June 8, 2021, as Ford’s smallest truck, slotted below the mid-size Ford Ranger.
Upon first look you notice the body-colored front bumper with black rub strip/fascia accent, a black rear step bumper, and black side windows and rear window trim. The 2024 Ford Maverick Lariat has a regular box style with a spray-in bed liner, a steel spare wheel, and a full-size spare tire stored underbody. The Mavericks Flexbed features a load length of 4.5 feet with pre-stamped slots in the bed sides. There is also a built-in 12-volt electrical circuit. The Lariat trim that we reviewed includes galvanized steel/aluminum panels, a grille with a metal-look bar, tailgate rear cargo access, integrated storage, and cargo lamp with a high mount stop light. Our Maverick came in an Atlas Blue Metallic hue.
The interior is spacious and nice with the dual bucket seats, featuring ActiveX -trimmed seating, heated front seats, an eight-way power-adjustable driver’s seat with power lumbar support, and a six-way adjustable manual passenger seat. The Maverick seats up to five people and has a soft vinyl-wrapped heated steering wheel. Some additional features that I liked were the rear armrest with cup holders, rear under-seat storage bins, ambient lighting, power door locks, and power windows. The Maverick’s cabin design is plain but the controls are easy to identify and use. This cab style offers a lot of leg room along with wide door openings to get in and out easily.
The Maverick is equipped with an 8-inch LCD touchscreen with Sync 3, an 8-speaker B&O premium audio system, Bluetooth, and a 6.5-inch instrument cluster screen. Other tech includes Sirius Satellite Radio, dual rear USB ports, a wireless charging pad and dual-zone automatic temperature control.
The Maverick is equipped with a Wi-Fi hotspot that can connect up to 10 devices. The Lariat includes an 8-inch touchscreen, SiriusXM, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto smartphone integration, navigation and an 8-speaker Bang & Olufsen audio system was definitely a nice added touch to the ride.
The 2024 Ford Maverick Lariat has a 2.0L EcoBoost turbocharged four-cylinder engine producing 250 horsepower and 277 lb-ft of torque, paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission. The Lariat trim delivers performance and value. It is efficient and smooth, with excellent ride quality. The Maverick is perfect for darting around the city, where the F-150 or Raptor could be a bit large. The Lariat trim offers a variety of features and options, including available all-wheel drive and a 4K tow package. The 4K tow package provides a higher capacity radiator, trailer brake controller, trailer hitch receiver, transmission oil cooler, upgraded cooling fan, and upgraded drive ratio. The gas mileage in the Maverick clocks in at 22 mpg in the city, 29 on the highway and 25 mpg combined. The Maverick handled well in the city and on rural roads. It is great for commuting and small work jobs.
Safety is a must with Ford. In crash testing conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the 2024 Ford Maverick earned four out of a possible five stars overall. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety did not name the Maverick a Top Safety Pick. The Maverick comes equipped with safety systems such as Standard forward-collision warning and automated emergency braking, Available blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert and Available adaptive cruise control
The Ford Maverick has a competitive warranty. The Limited warranty covers 3 years or 36,000 miles, the Powertrain warranty covers 5 years or 60,000 miles but there is no complimentary scheduled maintenance. There is also an 8-year/100,000-mile warranty specifically for hybrid-specific parts, like the battery and electric motor that are covered for a longer period and mileage than the standard powertrain.
In its’ class, the Maverick goes up against trucks such as the Hyundai Santa Cruz and the Honda Ridgeline. Overall, the Maverick is a fun truck that should easily be at the top of any consumers list that requires a truck to handle small jobs and get good gas mileage. Please enjoy the photo gallery.
