The 10 best features on the 2022 Ford Maverick

Any list of best features for the Ford Maverick has to start with its standard powertrain. With gas prices soaring and a global push towards electrification, the standard full-hybrid engine in the Maverick makes it the only pickup in America to come standard with hybrid power. The engine under the hood of the little pickup is an Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder delivering 191 horsepower and 155 pound-foot of torque combined with the electric motor. The standard hybrid engine is only available with a continuously variable transmission driving the front wheels.

Many people may be unfamiliar with an Atkinson-cycle engine. It differs from the standard internal combustion engine by utilizing an expansion stroke that is longer than the compression stroke allowing the engine to provide improved thermal efficiency compared to a regular piston engine. Ford also points out that the hybrid powertrain utilizes an electric traction motor designed and manufactured in-house specifically to be lightweight and powerful.

Maverick buyers who want more power and towing capability can choose the optional 2.0-liter EcoBoost producing 250 horsepower and 277 pound-foot of torque. This engine is paired with an eight-speed automatic and comes standard with front-wheel drive but can also be had with all-wheel drive. In many cold-weather states, people see all-wheel drive as a requirement.

It may be hard to believe that a small pickup capable of 42 MPG in the city is also capable of towing and hauling just about anything the average homeowner would need. The little Maverick has a 4.5-foot bed in all trims and can carry 1500 pounds payload. It's hard to visualize exactly what 1500 pounds of payload looks like, but that would equate to about 37 40-pound bags of mulch.

If you're doing a DIY construction project in the backyard, the Maverick could also hold a similar amount of plywood or other large items. Ford also says there's enough volume in the bed to carry a standard ATV for those who enjoy power sports. Certainly, we've all known the anxiety that comes with needing to purchase a large item, such as a TV or furniture, and wondering how exactly you will get it home. The Maverick might be a fuel-sipping vehicle, but it has the capability the haul most of what any homeowner would want.

All versions of the Maverick can tow 2000 pounds, which is enough to pull a pair of personal watercraft or a pop-up camper, among other things. For those who want more towing capability, the 2.0-liter EcoBoost version can be equipped with an optional 4K Tow Package doubling that tow rating to 4000 pounds. Ford says that's enough for an average 21-foot boat or an even larger camper.

Another of the very cool features of the Maverick is the design of the interior. Even on base models, the interior is well-designed, attractive, and while being minimalist, it's not basic. In our 2022 Ford Maverick review, Chris Davies called the truck honest, and that's a very good description. It doesn't pretend to be anything it's not and delivers more than you would expect in a vehicle starting at under $20,000.

While the entry-level version doesn't deliver some of the interesting colors of more expensive models, even the basic version has the same interior features. One of the things we particularly liked about the interior is that Ford doesn't pretend the materials it's using are anything other than what they are. That means no plastic textured to look like leather. Ditching that texturing also makes the vehicle interior easier to keep clean. Considering the pricing and capability, the Maverick is destined to be an affordable work truck for many owners.

To keep the price low, Ford didn't go out of its way to hide screws, instead making them part of the design with an industrial look, and it pulled it off very well. We also particularly liked that Ford has eschewed the trend towards touchscreen controls for everything. Instead, the Maverick has big knobs and buttons for the HVAC system that can be adjusted while wearing gloves, which those working from the truck will be doing. Chunky physical controls are also very easy to manipulate and utilize without taking your eyes off the road. The doors are also designed with slots that accommodate one-liter water bottles, which end up tossed on the seat or the floor in most vehicles.

One of the more interesting features is a smartphone stand fitted into the center console giving your smartphone a place to be secured in the vehicle while driving. In some models, wireless charging is also available. It's a bit strange to have wireless charging as a feature without having wireless Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. That leads to a strange situation of being unable to share your content wirelessly to the infotainment screen but being able to charge without plugging in a wire. With the vehicle that Ford expects to appeal to younger buyers, spending slightly more money and integrating wireless CarPlay and Android Auto on versions equipped with the wireless charging capability would have certainly made sense.

While the Maverick is an affordable and efficient vehicle, it's still packed with safety and driver assistance technology. Some of that technology is standard, and there's a much broader range available optionally. The Ford Co-Pilot360 technology that comes standard includes Pre-Collision Assist with Automatic Emergency Braking and automatic high-beam headlamps. Automatic High Beam headlamps are a particularly important feature as high beams enable much better vision at night, but most drivers don't use them.

Automatic high beam headlamps switch themselves on automatically without any driver interaction when the vehicle senses it's safe to do so. Just as importantly, the high beam headlamps will turn themselves off to prevent blinding an oncoming driver. In addition, Ford offers other options for the Maverick, including Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop & Go, Blind Spot Information System with Cross-Traffic Alert, and Lane Centering and Evasive Steering Assist.

The adaptive cruise control system can maintain distance from the vehicle in front. If traffic comes to a stop, the vehicle can stop completely without the driver turning off cruise control. When traffic begins moving again, it will follow the vehicle in front at the preset distance no matter the speed. That means in heavy traffic, the driver essentially has less to do and should be less likely to be involved in a rear-end collision.

No list of best features would be complete without talking about pricing for the Maverick. The pickup has a starting MSRP of $19,995, which doesn't include the destination delivery charge. That means purchasing a base Maverick will cost you over $20,000. With the destination charge of $1495, the actual MSRP for the cheapest Maverick you can buy with no options at all is $21,490. The XLT starts at $22,280, while the Lariat starts at $25,490 in hybrid trim (both without destination).

The optional 2.0-liter EcoBoost pushes the starting price on the XL to $21,080 without destination. Add the same engine to the XLT, and the vehicle starts at $23,365. The same option for the Lariat pushes the starting price to $26,575, again without destination. Adding all-wheel drive will tack on another $3305.

With everything the Maverick has going for it, we expect the vehicle to be very popular with buyers. Ford is targeting a different audience with the Maverick that wouldn't typically shop for a larger pickup. The target demographic for Maverick is likely to be a person who would otherwise end up in a smaller commuter car or SUV rather than someone considering an F-150. One of our favorite things about the Maverick is that it's bringing back a time when pickups were affordable and much smaller than they have become in modern times. In decades past, if you wanted an affordable vehicle, little trucks were very high on the list of vehicles you considered, and the Maverick is bringing that back.