Ford’s hybrid Maverick truck is a cheaper alternative to the F-150 Lightning
So it's not the all-electric Ford F-150 Lightning, but Ford's newest truck still has an electric boost.
The Ford Maverick was revealed Tuesday as a compact hybrid truck. It'll get a combined 500 miles of range on a single tank of gas thanks to its hybrid engine. While city driving, that equates to about 40 miles per gallon. It doesn't have a plug-in battery, so it recharges while braking or when coasting downhill, just like the quintessential hybrid, the Toyota Prius.
However, this is a five-seater truck that can haul 1,500 pounds in the bed, or tow 2,000 pounds (that bumps up to 4,000 pounds with a bigger engine and all-wheel drive) behind it. It also has a cheaper starting price than the hybrid Prius: $19,995. The Prius starts at about $25,000.
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The Maverick is a lot smaller than the electric Lightning; it's just under 200 inches long and only 68.4 inches tall. The Lightning, which has an electric motor, is more than 230 inches long and stands more than 75 inches tall.
As Ford execs kept repeating during a media presentation ahead of the reveal, the Maverick is "a truck for people who never knew they needed a truck."
Inside, there's an embedded modem for WiFi hotspots and both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are available on the eight-inch touchscreen. There's wireless charging for smartphones in the center divide.
The storage space in the car is purposeful, with room for a large water bottle in the door. Underneath the backseats is even more storage, and the seats can fold to fit a bicycle inside the main compartment.
With a lower, more accessible bed and tight turning radius, the Maverick can blend into a more urban driving scene. But there are five different modes depending on where you're driving and what you're doing: normal, tow/haul, slippery, eco, and sport.
Behind the cabin there's the customizable truck bed that's 4.5 feet long (that's a foot shorter than the F-150). It goes to six feet with the tail down. As one exec noted, you can fit a lot of mulch in the back for your gardening needs. The nooks and slots let you use the space as you want—for bicycles, surf boards, or slats of wood for a construction project.
The bed also has an outlet to plug in electronics and tools, and 10 tie-downs for strapping in equipment and creating storage space. A second plug is in the backseat.
So while most of the tech (and most advanced safety features, like braking assistance) comes standard, some of the more premium trims include extra storage on the side of the truck, bigger wheels, and bed lighting. There's standard, XL, XLT, and Lariat, and Ford's offering a limited first edition version with decals that say "First Edition" and a black painted moonroof.
Ford didn't share prices for its higher-end versions at the debut. But the hybrid truck and its budget starting price will be available this fall.
UPDATE: Oct. 21, 2021, 3:01 a.m. PT Ford released the official range for the Maverick hybrid pickup truck. It will get 42 miles per gallon while city driving, and with the hybrid battery, it'll have a 500-mile range.
Ford is calling the Maverick the most fuel-efficient hybrid pickup. It's expected to arrive in January.
Sasha is a news writer at Mashable's San Francisco office. She's an SF native who went to UC Davis and later received her master's from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. She's been reporting out of her hometown over the years at Bay City News (news wire), SFGate (the San Francisco Chronicle website), and even made it out of California to write for the Chicago Tribune. She's been described as a bookworm and a gym rat.
