Lucas Bell 
The all-but-official 2022 Ford Maverick is an interesting proposition for the Dearborn automaker, as the company moves to fill a hole in the American pickup truck market. Thanks to a set of spy photos that can be found on The Drive, we may now have our first look at the baby-sized truck out testing near Ford’s Dearborn, Michigan headquarters.
Though small, its proportions appear to be a bit larger than expected.
The images show a long vehicle wearing a significant amount of camouflage out on the street, though despite Ford’s efforts we believe you can still tell it is a pickup underneath. The Bronco Sport-esque front end found on this test mule also makes us lean towards this being a Maverick, based on what we’ve heard so far about the baby truck. This is made more clear when you consider Ford’s future product plans, as the Maverick is expected to arrive before 2022.
Whereas Ford was left to react to the introduction of the Colorado and Canyon twins from GM, they aim to be first in this small-truck segment here in the States. The new pickup is rumored to be built alongside the Bronco Sport in Mexico, and will use the same unibody C2 platform that underpins the Escape. While not a common practice in the United States, unibody pickups are sold by automakers across the globe in other markets.
The the front-wheel drive platform of the 2022 Ford Maverick will likely be supplemented by an all-wheel drive system, perhaps borrowed from the Bronco Sport, although will likely start with FWD and a manual transmission. We also expect to see some of the off-roader’s styling cues on the Maverick, but not enough to confuse customers as to its placement in the lineup. Expect the 2.0L four-pot from the Transit Connect to make an appearance, which produces 162 horsepower and 144 lb-ft of torque. The 1.5L EcoBoost from the Bronco Sport is also expected to be available, with its 181 horsepower and 190 lb-ft.
While Ford has remained rather tight-lipped about the Maverick, we expect to start seeing more of them around as it’s rumored debut date approaches. Ford may have just found another way to corral the pickup truck market here in America.
