5 Ways The 2022 Ford Maverick Challenges The Compact Truck Market

Buying a new truck is big business – nay, trucks are huge business. It’s a massive market themed around compacts, light duty, and heavy duty trucks that suit a wide variety of different consumer needs. However, there is a new model on the block that is about to challenge how customers shop for their next truck. That truck is the 2022 Ford Maverick. This new Ford takes a decidedly different approach to how it targets truck shoppers and why it could be the next big thing everyone will be looking to grab. In fact, you won’t have to do much digging around because Kings Ford is the only Cincinnati Ford Maverick dealer you need to visit to find this incredible model.

The 2022 Ford Maverick’s announcement was probably shocking to many people, but it makes sense given that Ford didn’t want to take the same route that some other automakers are taking with their trucks. There is already an option for a high-end, high-performance pickup, just the same as there is already an option for light-duty trailering, off-road adventures, and heavy-duty hauling. So Ford opted to target a brand new compact truck at a market segment that seemed to be getting the shaft when it comes to those looking for an affordable truck with modular features.

#5: Fuel Economy

Buying certain kinds of high-performance trucks usually doesn’t result in a vehicle with great fuel economy. Unless you’re buying a recent generation of the F-Series, most of your fuel economy needs will be found with higher efficiency from other smaller vehicles. Sure, you can settle for a mid-20s EPA range from a compact or light-duty pickup, but what if you want more?

The highlight of the 2022 Ford Maverick is that it’s a brand new truck that has some of the best fuel economy available in its class. It targets an impressive 40 miles per gallon in the city! How impressive is that? How impressive is that? It has a combined fuel economy of 37 miles per gallon, which is still quite impressive for a compact truck. Actually, it’s impressive regardless of the vehicle class. Those are the kind of figures you would expect from a subcompact sedan or a hybrid hatchback. In some ways, the comparisons aren’t far off because the 2022 Ford Maverick is running a hybrid powertrain.

Unlike some other hybrids out there, though, it’s not a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. Instead, the Ford Maverick still runs on fuel but has an accompanying battery pack to work concurrently with the 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine. This gives the hybrid Maverick an estimated range of 500 miles on a single, full tank of gas. You’ll be hard-pressed to find another brand new pickup that delivers that kind of mileage at an acceptable entry-level price point.

#4: Versatile Storage Space

Buying a pickup usually has its pros and cons. If you want something that doesn’t break the bank, then you usually have to settle for a base trim. For an entry-level pick-up, something under the $25,000 range in the light-duty sector will net you only the barest of trucks or something with well over 100,000 miles on it. In the midsize or compact sector, you’re still looking at a base trim with hardly any features, especially when it comes to storage.

All of that is to say that for storage space, you’re going to be stuck between a rock and hard place because if you want decent passenger volume and cargo capacity you’re going to need to go with a regular or crew cab configuration. But then you run into the problem where you end up paying more for the vehicle. And this is where the 2022 Maverick challenges the status quo by providing some of the best versatile cabin space within its class. You have access to all sorts of storage both in the front and back of the cab.

This is part of Ford’s design philosophy for the 2022 Maverick, where the focus has been on giving drivers and passengers options in how they customize and utilize the interior space of the Maverick. The doors, for instance, have lots of storage space for tall bottles or drinks. Lots of vertical openings and removable components make the Maverick perfect for those who need a truck that offers room both to move about and to store items inside the cab. For instance, one neat feature is the removable cup holders on the back of the front seats to make more room for a (small) third passenger in the rear.

#3: Modular FlexBed

Keeping with the theme of versatile storage space, the 2022 Maverick features a really cool modular rear bed, known as the FlexBed. It was specifically designed for those who needed a flexible rear bed for a wide number of different tasks. This is a huge departure from the fixed rear beds you might be used to from most other pickup trucks that have their designated storage areas, outlets, and multi-functional tailgates. The FlexBed is specifically designed to be modified, altered, and upgraded with aftermarket tune-ups, installations, and accessories.

The FlexBed contains everything from two 12-volt wires to LED bed lights, as well as a multi-functional tailgate with easy-to-adjust angled settings depending on what you plan to carry. If you needed a compact pickup that was specifically designed for hauling up to 1,500 pounds worth of materials, you would likely have to target a work truck trim. But then you run the risk of being shortchanged in other features, especially when it comes to passenger volume or keeping it under budget. That’s not a problem for the Maverick.

With the modular FlexBed, you can outfit the truck to suit your work, travel, hauling, or cargo needs; it’s fully featured right out of the gate. What’s more is that Ford already has DIY videos and guides canvassing a number of different ways to implement storage, security features, shelving, and more for the FlexBed, using makeshift supplies. The added bonus of being able to wire electronics and even aftermarket bed lighting through a rear panel in the bed just makes it that much more enticing as an affordable alternative to buying a less functional truck for a higher price.

#2: 3D Printed/ DIY Upgrades

This is a huge game-changer right here. One of the core concepts of the 2022 Maverick was to enable and encourage the use of do-it-yourself upgrades and 3D printed accessories. This is a cool concept that taps into the tech-savvy generation of today’s young drivers, many of whom want to personalize the vehicle for their needs. This is one of the reasons the interior cabin of the Maverick is somewhat stylistically generic.

This isn’t to say that you don’t get the latest and greatest features with the Maverick because you do. That includes everything from an 8-inch touchscreen with FordPass connectivity to standard integration of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. But the real treat with the Maverick is that you can alter the cabin with all sorts of other alterations and upgrades that have been specifically designed for CAD users to bring their creations to life through adaptable 3D printed kits, specifically made for the Maverick.
The 3D printed concept isn’t just limited to the cabin space, though.

Ford’s engineers have employed this tactic for use with the bed as well, which fits in nicely with the FlexBed capabilities. The idea is that the truck can be used for a wide range of different tasks and utilities, from being a tailgate party hub to a camping power station to a power source for music equipment. Heck, it can also be used for air compressors, construction tools, floodlights, and more. Instead of buying an expensive new truck to suit a specific need, you can literally adapt the Maverick to whatever you need it to do, and this is a huge boon over why this might end up being a truck of choice for many starter drivers or those who need something economical and utilitarian.

#1: Price Point

This is the real clincher here. You just can’t beat the entry price point of the 2022 Ford Maverick. Across the four trims (which includes the XL, XLT, Lariat, and the First Edition), the Maverick’s XL trim has a starting price point of just $19,995. Crazy, right? Of course, it is. That’s the kind of price tag you would expect from a decade-old truck with over 50,000 miles on it. Yet, it’s the price tag for a brand new, straight-off-the-line 2022 Ford Maverick.

This is such a game-changer because there’s no reason not to go with a Ford Maverick if you’re looking to buy a compact truck. Why would you even consider buying anything else? Especially if the price is the biggest deciding factor. You may as well go with a Maverick. Sure, an argument could be made about performance, power, towing capacity, or off-road capabilities, but if affordability and versatile functionality are at the top of the priority list, it just makes sense to buy a new 2022 Maverick instead.

In some ways, targeting consumers looking to buy an affordable new truck is a brilliant move by Ford. An undeniably attractive price point coupled with all of the modular design aspects could give the Maverick very long legs in the sales department and could easily keep people signing on the dotted line at our own Kings Ford, your local Cincinnati Ford Maverick dealer, for this new hybrid. It’s also hard to argue going with another truck as an entry-level vehicle when you have an affordable, fully-featured compact in the form of the 2022 Maverick that fulfills so many roles at such a low starting price.