Sam Krahn 
Another day, another 2022 Ford Maverick leak. Only this time, we get a full view of the unibody compact pickup in the wild, completely uncovered. The photos, posted by The Fast Lane Truck, confirms everything we’ve seen before in terms of design, and is the best look we’ll probably get before the vehicle is revealed later this year. Here’s our best look yet at Ford’s worst kept secret.
The photos show a 2022 Ford Maverick in Area 51 blue, which was first seen on the Bronco SUV’s this summer. The color isn’t the only thing it’ll share with the Baby Bronco though, as the Maverick will ride on a modified version of the Escape and Bronco Sport C2 platform, although we expect it to be far more similar to the Bronco Sport given the two vehicles share rugged intensions. These images are most clear we’ve seen from the rear. It looks like a Ford pickup, with halogen taillights similar to the Ranger.
A screenshot shows the Claimjumper Restaurant in the background, which means the shoot likely took place in Tennessee, based on the state license plates of the Toyotas in the parking lot.
The side view is what really gives the Maverick away as a unibody vehicle, as there’s no cut line for the bed much like what we see on the late Honda Ridgeline, or what we’ll see with the smaller Hyundai Santa Cruz. It’s also lower to the ground compared to what most American customers are used to these days, with a ride height that looks about the same as the average crossover. Given the Bronco Sport underbody, there’s a chance Ford could give us a more off-road oriented Maverick down the line. While we don’t see much of the front, you can see a bit of the C shaped headlights from previous leaks.
But just because its unibody and crossover based doesn’t mean it doesn’t have a truck like appearance. The pickup is about as long as a Mustang, so it isn’t as short as the traditional compact car, but much smaller than the Ford F-150 and Ranger. It also looks like Ford’s done a good job giving it some stocky, upright proportions that give it some presence, yet another similarity to its Bronco Sport stablemate.
At this point, we’ve seen the front, side and rear of the Ford Maverick undisguised, plus some partially covered images of the interior. Expect a truck with a similar vibe to the Bronco Sport, with identical powertrain options and a slightly modified platform. As a vehicle to give customers a more affordable, smaller pickup to the mid-size and full size trucks growing in dimensions and price, the 2022 Ford Maverick seems to be the perfect option.
