“And when Alexander Jim Farley saw the breadth of his domain, he wept, for there were no more worlds to conquer.” It’s a quote by Hans Gruber in 1988’s Die Hard, but on this fine day, July 31, 2024, we’re going to borrow it to describe Ford, purveyor of the brilliant outside-the-box conveyance known as the Ford Maverick unibody hybrid pickup truck, which now — for the first time ever — gets all-wheel drive.
Ford has finally done what everyone has been asking since the company rolled out the modern iteration of the Maverick: It is offering the hybrid model with optional AWD and, for good measure, the “4K Tow Package,” which doubles the truck’s max towing capacity to, as the name suggests, 4,000 pounds.
A New Edge To Headlights
On Friday, July 26, I headed down to the Detroit neighborhood of Corktown to get up close and personal with the 2025 Ford Maverick. I’ve been to the Detroit Auto Show a few times and the 2023 LA Auto Show, but it’s still pretty mindblowing to go from infiltrator to contributor, especially for a refresh of a vehicle that has been such a large part of my life over the last few years.
During Ford’s presentation, the covers were pulled off three 2025 Mavericks models: a Desert Sand Tremor (which is now a package above Lariat), an Azure Gray XLT FX4, and an Eruption Green Lariat Hybrid.
The first thing anyone will notice about the 2025 Maverick is its distinctive headlights. If the original Maverick set the tone for what would follow with the Ranger, this refresh is more akin to the F-150 King Ranch or Lightning. Exterior Designer Joshua Blundo told me the new look was aimed at keeping the truck modern, and bringing it more inline aesthetically with the F-Series. He also iterated that customer feedback played a major factor in the refresh.
The negative space is, to an extent, also about saving space. The upper half of the first-generation Maverick’s headlights on the XL and XLT were fake: it was just silver plastic. Check it out:
Only on the Lariat trim did those become additional daytime running lights. High-end trims for the 2025 (shown before the old model directly above) will also come with an LED projector unit. The standard lights are shown below.
Making Distinct Faces
The grille and air dam are also distinctive across the different trims and packages, another trait the Maverick now shares with the F-150. Ford tells me the XL and XLT share the same basic look, with a new grate design on the grille. The Lariat adds reflective accents to the grille (see below), while the Tremor, which is now the top trim instead of a package, has a more open grille and a slanted air dam.
I also noticed little camera “bumps” on the Tremor and Lariat. They’re for the new-to-Maverick 360 camera system, which I found myself wishing for on my ’23 Maverick when dealing with cramped parking situations or narrow campsites. I’m sure I’m not the only Maverick driver who came from a small vehicle and would appreciate the assistance trying to navigate around the notably different sight lines.
Big Screens, Fewer Knobs
Looking inside, the Maverick gets a new 8-inch digital instrument cluster and a 13-inch touchscreen running Sync 4.
Those are now standard on all models, along with wireless Apple Carplay and Android Auto. Enterprising Maverick owners had already been swapping their clusters with analog needles out with digital ones from the Ford Escape. This upgrade will save 2025 owners the hassle.
The new screen is also a massive leap over the outgoing 8-inch touchscreen and its “cubby buddy” port:
2022-24 Lariat models were equipped with Sync 3, while XL and XLT owners had to make do with the “Connected Touch Radio” infotainment system OS. But on the new truck’s bigger screen, almost all the physical HVAC and audio controls have now been integrated into the touch screen.
I’ll withhold judgment until I hopefully get the chance to take out the 2025 model for a road test, but I will say I really like the physical controls on my 2023 XLT Maverick. There is also a lot of compelling evidence that drivers like buttons for important features, and they’re safer.
Other minor interior changes include the accent color for the XLT interior shifting from orange to Grabber Blue, with orange reserved for the Tremor. That’s kind of a shame because the orange accents nicely complement the Navy Pier plastic throughout the cab. The start button, aka “Intelligent Access with Push-button Start (incl. Approach Detection),” is now standard on the XLT per the 2025 order guide.
One more tech upgrade of note: The 2025 Maverick will have a “5G LTE Modem,” which will support OTA updates ( this would save me a lot of time with all the recalls I have to bring mine in for), real-time traffic data, and hotspot functionality. The communications reps said it’s a three-month free trial, and the OTA update functionality would still work without a data plan.
New Glorious Hybrid Guts
Prospective Maverick Hybrid owners now have a chance at the whole enchilada. Horsepower and torque remain unchanged at 191 ponies and 155-foot pounds, respectively, but the options will take you and your gear places. The 4k Tow Package, previously only available on the Ecoboost Maverick, is now an option if buyers also check the box for the new-for-2025 all-wheel drive.
The equipment package is aptly named, as it allows the truck to tow up to 4,000 pounds. Efficiency only takes a slight hit, going from 42 mpg city on FWD hybrids to 40 mpg city on AWD hybrids.
When I asked if any major changes had to be made to accommodate AWD (which was already in the outgoing Maverick, except only on EcoBoost cars), Kirk Leonard, the Maverick Vehicle Integration Supervisor, said that overall, it was the same basic architecture. He says the eCVT transmission (which uses planetary gears and not the much enthusiastically maligned belt-driven CVTs in Hondas, Nissans, etc.) has been “beefed up,” going from the HF45 to the HF55. So far, the only vehicle I’ve found that uses that specific transmission is the 2024 Lincoln Nautilus.
Leonard clarified that “it’s just a power pack, drive shaft to the rear, except that it’s a transverse engine, so not your typical [setup].” As for the change with the tow package, he spotlighted the radiator fan, seven-pin trailer plug, and brake controller. I have not yet been able to confirm if the eCVT gets a transmission cooler or if the final drive ratio is altered on the hybrid 4k Tow Package like it is on the Ecoboost.Â
Making Towing Easier For Newcomers
As what Ford says is a “mid-sized” truck (even if I think it’s a small truck and is worth celebrating as such) is becoming an even more capable vehicle, the Blue Oval is now making more F-150 technology available for the 2025 model year with Pro Trailer Backup Assist and Pro Trailer Hitch Assist.
Our Mercedes Streeter wrote about the tech last year and seemed pretty happy with it.
Once Pro Trailer Hitch Assist knows where everything is, you tell the system that your trailer’s coupler is vertically higher than the ball. Then, push and hold the button and the system will get to work. Ford says that the systems control algorithms will maneuver the truck into position directly under the tongue. It handles everything including steering, braking, and throttle. You don’t have to align the truck; all you do is sit there, hold the button, and monitor the progress from the big screen.
As for the backup system, it moves the control off the steering wheel and to a small knob near the touch screen.
Ford’s Pro Trailer Backup Assist targeted the difficulties some have with backing up a trailer. As you may know, when you reverse with a trailer, your inputs with the steering wheel result in an opposite action. Crank that wheel to the right, the trailer begins going left. Crank it left and it’ll go right. Keeping the trailer straight in reverse requires what’s essentially a combination of that. Well, Pro Trailer Backup Assist gives you a knob. Turn the knob in the direction that you want the consist to go and it’ll go there.
James Gilpin, Maverick Brand Manager, described it as perfect for people who only tow a few times a year and might not have the practice that someone who uses a Super Duty at the job site might have. Considering 80% of Maverick owners are “new to truck,” according to Ford, this could be extremely helpful for first-time truck owners… like me. I truly suck at backing up, especially single-axle trailers that go every which way but the right one.
The Price Is… Right?
All these new features sound great, right? So, what will it cost to get a refreshed 2025 Maverick? Per Ford, the starting MSRP is $26,295, plus $1,595 for destination and delivery. The base option engine is back to being a hybrid, which is the right move and goes back to what made the trucklet so appealing at launch.
When announced in June 2021, the 2022 Ford Maverick started at $19,995. Adjusted for inflation, that comes out to $23,121, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Is the 2025 Maverick worth the extra $3,174 over the inflation-adjusted launch price? It does come with a much nicer touchscreen and redesigned headlights, and it keeps the ever-important hybrid engine. Overall, the platform is more capable than ever before, and it has me thinking about possibly trading in my XLT for an AWD Hybrid in Eruption Green, which, tragically, is a one-year-only color.
I would also really like to get behind the wheel and push a hybrid with 4k towing through its paces to see how it holds up to the “Built Ford Tough” moniker. But as Gilpin argued during the presentation, this is the “lowest starting MSRP for any pickup in America,” and it’s shocking no other rival has sought to move back into the small truck space with a vehicle that perfectly serves as a family hauler and sub-$30K daily driver. And now, one could argue, the “almost perfect truck” is better than ever.
If you’re interested in buying one, the order bank opens up on Thursday, August 1, with deliveries expected in late 2024.
biggest reason I’m annoyed at my maverick: every time I start it up it takes a minute to index the usb with mp3s. I’d had cars that didn’t have to do that for 15+ years. Super frustrating. Also annoying I can’t make starting in eco drive mode or turn off the engine start/stop mode by default. I want to drive like a granny, but have AC full blast at stop signs.
I believe the Maverick can be flashed with FORscan to stay in a certain type of drive mode, but I agree, it shouldn’t take some light hacking to have default drive modes.
As for the USB stick, I had no idea that it was still supported on modern cars. Does it work with only MP3 files, or will other audio formats work? What format does the USB drive need to be?
Pretty much no formatting. Sometimes dump all the filed under “Music” but not even always that. Subdirectories don’t matter. I know mp3s work on my wife’s Pilot, my old Canyon, and rental cars. They seem to really care about id3 tags, so really old Napster-era mp3s are trouble.