2025 Ford Maverick Lobo Overview

The trendy pickup truck market now not caters strictly to prototypical jobsite and rural patrons. As an alternative, pickups more and more function luxurious commuters for city clients, too. However that development naturally results in vehicles rising an increasing number of costly — to not point out bigger and bigger, bodily. Till, that’s, Ford completely flipped the script by reviving the previous pony automotive nameplate, Maverick, as an reasonably priced unibody pickup truck in 2022.

That first mannequin yr, the Maverick’s MSRP began under $20,000. Pricing extraordinary for nearly many years matched a easy exterior and inside design that caught to bare-bones utilitarian options. The mixture of hybrid gasoline economic system in a unibody as straightforward to drive as a automotive, with only a tiny mattress for infrequent truck stuff, all bucked the tendencies of an business dominated by information concerning the high-powered Ford F-150 Raptor and Ram TRX on the farthest, most cartoonish finish of the spectrum.

Ford initially offered the Maverick as both a front-wheel-drive hybrid or with all-wheel-drive and a gasoline-only engine. Then, a extremely anticipated AWD hybrid joined the lineup. After which, additionally for 2025, the Maverick’s Lobo package deal performs into the street-sport sport.

However, possibly there’s a purpose different producers deserted this section after the Toyota Tacoma X-Runner and Dodge SRT-10 (possibly even the Chevy SSR).

To study whether or not the Lobo provides sufficient lowrider fashion and sporty dynamics to justify a critical worth hike, I drove the sporty Maverick round Los Angeles as my day by day driver for a full week. I even hauled my dust bike out to the desert, regardless of the city-slicker nature of this distinctive pickup truck.

In brief: The Lobo’s street-truck fashion serves as a logical basis for Ford to amp up a unibody short-bed pickup. However the pricing basically runs counter to the Maverick’s whole ethos — which may previously be summed up as “the cheaper the higher” in one of the simplest ways doable. As an alternative, a Lobo greater than doubles the truck’s unique base worth, with out including efficiency and even together with hybrid gasoline economic system. That Lobo badge buys a rear LSD, darked-out grille and trim items, and leather-based inside trappings. And but, as excessive as the worth jumps, the Lobo additionally doesn’t journey practically as little as anticipated.

2025 Ford Maverick Lobo Overview

Within the spirit of full disclosure, I have to reveal that my common day by day driver considerably mimics the Maverick’s foremost promoting factors. It’s a 1991 Mitsubishi Mighty Max, a legit minitruck with simply lengthy sufficient of a mattress to haul my bikes and little or no in the best way of luxurious facilities.

The Mighty Max rides low, which makes loading motos straightforward, and the underpowered 4G64 engine requires plenty of engagement with the five-speed guide to maintain up with visitors — all of which makes this truck a ton of enjoyable!

I’ve been a giant fan of the Maverick for most of the similar causes for the reason that truck debuted for 2022. The Maverick appeared to cater to a extra practical truck purchaser than so many overpowered, outsized American pickups. No frills, simply 4 doorways and a “large enough” mattress, plus CarPlay and comfy seats.

The unibody building works simply high quality in the event you’re not hauling critical payloads or towing. Plus, it retains the burden low, in a contented cycle that leads to much less beefy driveline parts required, in addition to suspension that may straddle a simple line between consolation and dynamics.

All of this additionally saves cash, or no less than used to earlier than the Maverick crept up in worth. Now with a beginning sticker of $28,145 for mannequin yr 2025.

Many of the professionals of the Maverick normally additionally apply to the Lobo. Revisions embrace a suspension drop of half an inch up entrance and 1.12 inches on the rear. And it’s purported to be sporty, so Ford solely gives the internal-combustion AWD powertrain.

The Lobo additionally swaps in a seven-speed computerized versus the eight-speed in all different Maverick variants, although. And a dual-clutch limited-slip rear differential (theoretically) additional enhances the street-sport cred.

Type Factors Solely Go So Far

The one possibility that my Maverick arrived with was a set of 19-inch black wheels. In any other case, every part comes commonplace. Meaning Activex trimmed seats, cruise management, paddle shifters for the gearbox, black grilles, LED headlights, body-colored bumpers and door handles, and a black roof.

The fashion counts as subjective, however I respect the boxy profile with a touch of smoothness across the edges. Inside, at 6’1″ with lengthy limbs, I match simply high quality within the entrance seats. A low middle console helps. However in actuality, as with most midsize crew cabs, the backseats serve finest for safe storage slightly than hauling passengers.

A few of my gripes about different Mavericks additionally carry over, primary being that no one likes a rotary gear selector knob. A bodily lever on the middle console, or possibly even a column shifter, positively matches higher in a pickup truck — if solely so I may shift into gear by really feel, with out having to look down.

Talking of trying down, the Maverick’s touchscreen additionally appears to tilt downward. However in any other case, the inside simply feels proper in all the proper locations. The door pulls, sprint trim, and steering wheel all maintain life unfettered with extra. The truth that the Maverick designers accepted budgetary restraints solely provides to the appeal.

However this creates an issue for the Lobo, which isn’t actually on a price range anymore, at $42,445 as examined. Does the efficiency match the pricing?

Nicely, the two.0L EcoBoost inline-four positively feels peppy. And I all the time get pleasure from taking part in with paddle shifters. So sure, the little truck can rip round — little doubt, thanks largely to a curb weight of simply 3,890 kilos.

It even often sounds good, principally at any time when I dipped into throttle at low revs and introduced on some turbo whine. However at no level does the two.0L ever strategy something just like the deep rumble or wellsprings of energy out there from a Bronco Raptor’s twin-turbo V6 or an F-150’s V8.

Metropolis Slicker Can Deal with Truck Stuff … Barely

The dealing with considerably matches that Lobo spirit, toeing a high quality line between going decrease and tauter with out changing into uncomfortable. This let me simply throw the Lobo into corners, however I can’t name the suspension refined by any means. And even when the Goodyear Wrangler Territory HT tires will slide with traction management off in Lobo mode, the engine can’t put down sufficient energy to actually peel out.

Given the Maverick’s lack of insulation (once more, no luxurious right here) and, specifically, the Lobo’s street-sport inspiration, I would argue that true road tires and even summers make extra sense.

However I wished to attempt some truck stuff, and nearly maxed out the Maverick’s mattress with my dust bike. The Kawasaki KX 250 positively didn’t match diagonally — not even shut. And even with the tailgate down, the tire virtually hung off the again. A minimum of the mattress has sturdy tie-down factors.

And it’s good to see onboard energy, plus a tow hitch, although the Lobo’s payload ranking is simply 1,000 kilos and the tow ranking is simply 2,000 kilos.

Nonetheless, hauling the bike and a ramp, with all my gear within the backseat, I by no means strained the Lobo. Extra wind noise positively crept in, although, at freeway speeds. Not a lot that the Lobo’s sound system couldn’t drown out any whistling, although the audio system rely too closely on bass slightly than excessive constancy all through the cabin.

I cued up CarPlay rapidly and simply each time, as befitting a day by day driver. Although after an exhausting day on the motocross observe, I’d have additionally cherished Blue Cruise for the drive residence.

A couple of extra options or luxurious touches would go a great distance towards justifying that sticker shock. In distinction, the F-150 Lobo will get an analogous fashion remedy, but additionally a V8 engine slightly than an EcoBoost — and even it may nonetheless journey a lot decrease, too!

2025 Maverick Lobo Overview: Conclusions

Although it’s undeniably a pleasant little truck, nice and simple to dwell with, the Lobo winds up as type of a complicated proposition. Every part nice concerning the Lobo usually applies to each different Ford Maverick. So actually, how a lot can a fast suspension and rear differential swap, plus some completely different colours, really value?

A lot of what I discovered the Lobo missing could be solved by the aftermarket. This truck deserves extra energy, extra exhaust word, and even decrease suspension. Let’s chop these springs and slam this factor, Ford! And why not a Ford Efficiency tune to open up that EcoBoost?

However now we’re speaking about spending more cash. And that’s simply onerous to justify given the entire level of the Maverick within the first place. This useful little metropolis runabout truck, particularly with the gasoline financial savings and utility of an AWD hybrid, makes essentially the most sense at bargain-basement pricing.

That utility is why I cherished the Maverick initially. And why my girlfriend would possibly legitimately purchase one to exchange her Toyota Corolla Cross lease. But when I wished a sporty little pickup newer than my Mighty Max, I’d begin with the AWD hybrid Maverick XLT after which slam it myself — and I’d nonetheless save a stable sum of money versus the Lobo, all issues thought-about.