[Palmer8]

Ford just released a new compact pickup truck that makes things very interesting in the compact truck/sedan segment.

The new 2022 Maverick has a starting price of $21,490 ($19,995 plus $1,495 delivery), and it features a standard hybrid powertrain! I gotta admit I didn't know Ford had this in them.

I wonder if non-enthusiasts are going to be drawn to this rather than a Civic.

2022 Ford Maverick: Is this pickup a Honda Civic and used-car rival?

Commentary: With base price of around $20,000 and an estimated 40-mpg rating, Ford's small hybrid pickup may invite some unusual cross-shopping.

www.cnet.com

I'm here to offer an alternative way to look at this truck. I think the 2022 Ford Maverick will actually end up frequently cross-shopped against econoboxes like the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla by customers who never thought they'd be interested in a pickup truck in the first place. After all, the Maverick will actually be less expensive and more efficient to run in the city than either of those popular compacts. Additionally, lower-end, FWD Mavericks will likely also be cross-shopped by people -- especially young folks and first-time buyers -- who might otherwise look to the used-vehicle market for a traditional passenger car that's new enough to still be under warranty.

Perhaps more than most new-car shoppers, entry-level vehicle buyers tend to be a lot more pragmatic than those in other segments -- often because their limited finances and credit status mandate such practical, focused decision-making. Rather than inherently limit themselves to vehicle type, such shoppers look at factors like monthly payment, fuel efficiency and where they can get loan approval as key factors to getting a spot on their shopping lists.

 

[St00k]

I SERIOUSLY doubt the truck will get anywhere near 40 mpg. Ford is notorious for having cars that come nowhere close to their claimed MPG.

Also, Ford's are just filled with issues. I can't see trading a handsome and sporty Civic that will last forever, with no problems, for a Ford.

 

[dxdxto]

I SERIOUSLY doubt the truck will get anywhere near 40 mpg.

It's a hybrid, so it may get there in city cycle. That 4-5' bed is a nothing but a silly gimmick though. Now. If new HR-V or Corolla Cross were available today, I'd have had a hard time convincing my wife that Civic is a better option.

Re: issues. Does anyone remember those eco-shaped Tauruses that came out around 1995? Think - when did you last see one? They've gone completely extinct years ago. Yet Accords and Camrys of that period are fairly common.

 

[hondapwr]

What's interesting about the Maverick is its Civic-sized, at least with width:

"On paper, the eigth-gen Civic is 69 inches wide, 56.5 inches tall, and 176.7 inches long. The Maverick is not much wider at 72.6 inches, but significantly taller and longer. It's got nearly two feet on the Civic front-to-back at 199.7 inches, and it's a little more than a foot taller at 68.7 inches.

So the old Civic is only 3.6 inches wider, or just 1.8 inches per side. And width, of course, is the vital dimension for parking in tight spaces or narrow garages. If you're wondering how the Maverick stacks up against the brand new 2022 Civic, well, we did too. The new Civic is still narrower, but not by much at just 70.9 inches—a difference of only 1.7 inches total and .85 inches per side.

So width-wise, the new Maverick is roughly Civic-sized. Length and height is a different story, but unless you park in a tight tandem parking spot or are extremely worried about parallel parking, you should be fine. Despite being roughly Explorer-sized in some dimensions, the Maverick is, and we say this with a grain of salt, at least a little bit like a Civic with a bed on the back. Almost."

 

[RavenGryffen]

This is actually the comparison I am currently making. I have a couple hobbies that would benefit from a pickup but I live in a city and even midsize trucks are huge now. I'd want the AWD w/ 2.0 and tow pack on the trucklet so MPG would be not great.

But Ford is being dumb, can't get adaptive cruise on anything but the top spec Lariat and that prices ($35K) the trucklet with a class up from the civic competitors (for example CX-5), before whatever pricing shenanigans the ford dealers get up to.

I love my fit and think the interior on the new civic is very nice looking, so Honda is the top of the pile right now. I don't love the new styling, but I think I could get on board with the boost blue hatch with the HPD wing.

 

[Palmer8]

This is actually the comparison I am currently making. I have a couple hobbies that would benefit from a pickup but I live in a city and even midsize trucks are huge now. I'd want the AWD w/ 2.0 and tow pack on the trucklet so MPG would be not great.

But Ford is being dumb, can't get adaptive cruise on anything but the top spec Lariat and that prices ($35K) the trucklet with a class up from the civic competitors (for example CX-5), before whatever pricing shenanigans the ford dealers get up to.

I love my fit and think the interior on the new civic is very nice looking, so Honda is the top of the pile right now. I don't love the new styling, but I think I could get on board with the boost blue hatch with the HPD wing.

Hey @RavenGryffen! Welcome to the forum! Have you had a chance to test driver either the new Civic or the Maverick?

 

[RavenGryffen]

Hey @RavenGryffen! Welcome to the forum! Have you had a chance to test driver either the new Civic or the Maverick?

Not yet, I fully expect the civic to be a much better place to be and to drive but it also won't tow an enclosed Motorcycle trailer for track days (which is a want more than a need). My fit already manages a full camp site set up and the civic should have similar volume with the seats down (though it weird honda wont say what the volume is that way). The fit is still going so it might not even end up being this model year, but probably this gen of either car.

 

[hondapwr]

Not yet, I fully expect the civic to be a much better place to be and to drive but it also won't tow an enclosed Motorcycle trailer for track days (which is a want more than a need). My fit already manages a full camp site set up and the civic should have similar volume with the seats down (though it weird honda wont say what the volume is that way). The fit is still going so it might not even end up being this model year, but probably this gen of either car.

x2
I'm in a similar situation and think that renting a pickup from U-Haul when I need it is the best option.
How much does your bike trailer and camp setup weigh?

 

[RavenGryffen]

x2
I'm in a similar situation and think that renting a pickup from U-Haul when I need it is the best option.
How much does your bike trailer and camp setup weigh?

It doesn’t exist yet. I’ve seen some nice set ups with a small enclosed trailer that doubles as the camp when you pull the bike out. I’d want to make something like that with a maverick.
For the civic I could in theory get a minimal camp in the hatch and tow only the bike on an exposed trailer. Or just talk my wife into being pit crew and drive the car up while I ride out there.

 

[Bugmanum]

The issue with the Maverick is one it's a Ford, and two it's interior looks like it came from 1990. It's funny because some pickup owners would say the Ridgeline wasn't a real truck because it didn't have a frame. Honda saw the future but just couldn't develop it into a small truck contender.

 

[RavenGryffen]

I mean complaining it’s a Ford like that’s a real problem is hardly adding to the conversation. Besides the one thing ford does know how to build is trucks. My dad hauled his house (40’ fifth wheel) across the country 5 times in 6 years with his F-350. Now that’s not an apples to apples comparison with the Maverick, obviously since it’s actually and escape that got the ridgeline treatment.
The interior isn’t as nice as the civic, sure but it’s not trying to be. That 90s bronco Interior color feels intentional, and is fun/funky. The civic interior nicer with better materials, but it’s so dark in there, with all black everything.
It’s also a very practical vehicle and I like that a lot. In hybrid form it’s cheaper than the civic and is available with AWD for a bit more mount and a surprising amount of capability.

The ridgeline has always been in an awkward spot. Nicer than the “real” trucks (in an already awkward segment as all these midsize trucks are too big and expensive), but just as expensive with “less” capability. The Maverick isn’t even as capable as the ridgeline, but it’s cheap, cheap, cheap and that get less for less is an easier sell for a unibody truck.

 

[Zeroptzero]

It is a pick-up truck right, the Civic is a car. It will not steal a single sale from the Civic. It will may take sales from the Ridgeline and every other pick up truck out there, even the F150. I don't see anyone cross-shopping the two of them. If you have a hobby or business that needs a truck that is a great choice, you don't buy a Civic is you need a truck.

 

[RavenGryffen]

Don’t doubt for a second that stealing sales from basic crossovers and sedans is exactly what the maverick is for. Ford knows they couldn’t beat the civic with the focus. So they have taken and entirely different tactic that’s pretty effective. I’m cross shopping them. I have hobbies that work with a hatchback, but are easier with a truck bed. But a “real” truck has too many compromises. There are still some compromises with a Maverick. But they seem to be similar to the ones a crossover has by it being a crossover with a bed. And that bed provides extra utility a normal crossover doesn’t that could make it worth those sacrifices over a more fun to drive car like the civic in a way a CUV isn’t. But in a car practicality is important. It’s why my current daily is a Honda Fit. The civic is nicer, for the same money for sure. But it’s a bed and AWD vs fun to drive and adaptive cruise and I haven’t made up my mind yet. When the weather gets better I’m going to test drive both and we’ll see where things land.

 

[daveyp]

Don’t doubt for a second that stealing sales from basic crossovers and sedans is exactly what the maverick is for. Ford knows they couldn’t beat the civic with the focus. So they have taken and entirely different tactic that’s pretty effective. I’m cross shopping them. I have hobbies that work with a hatchback, but are easier with a truck bed. But a “real” truck has too many compromises. There are still some compromises with a Maverick. But they seem to be similar to the ones a crossover has by it being a crossover with a bed. And that bed provides extra utility a normal crossover doesn’t that could make it worth those sacrifices over a more fun to drive car like the civic in a way a CUV isn’t. But in a car practicality is important. It’s why my current daily is a Honda Fit. The civic is nicer, for the same money for sure. But it’s a bed and AWD vs fun to drive and adaptive cruise and I haven’t made up my mind yet. When the weather gets better I’m going to test drive both and we’ll see where things land.

sounds like the wrx would be great for you, except those idiots decided not to make it a hatch

 

[RavenGryffen]

Yeah that seems like it would be right up my alley, but I will never own another sedan if I can help it. As it is crosstrek is in there as the value option but not the top of my list.

 

[RLR]

The real problem is that Ford can't figure out how to make any of the cars they're selling. At least there are Honda Civics available, even if dealerships are trying to sell them for a premium. You can't even order a hybrid maverick right now, and I don't anticipate the situation will be any better later this year when they claim they'll be opening up their order banks for the 2023's. Ford just announced a bunch more plant shutdowns thanks to chip shortages and they fell short of their quarterly earnings projection because of how few vehicles they're actually pumping out.

 

[RavenGryffen]

Yeah, I’ll be watching how that plays out. Probably put in an order for a Maverick when they open up again just to hold a spot in line. Ford’s got several bottlenecks really stacking up on them. And it feels like there’s more demand than they anticipated for the bronco, bronco sport and maverick. One of those good problems to have until it isn’t. Fortunately I’m looking to buy a 23 or left over 22 later in the year. So this isn’t a problem for me, yet. Hopefully the bubble blows over by then too.

 

[dxdxto]

Out of interest I built a Maverick that would be equipped similarly to my Touring and ended up with $32,500. The two trucks that are actually available locally are MSRP'd at $35,200 and $37,600. So not exactly a deal I'd jump at, and not really a surprise.

 

[RavenGryffen]

And it’s still missing adaptive cruise. Yeah, I’ve only seen one maverick in the color I want and it had a 10K mark up.

I’m leaning that way after it test drive fine (at a different dealer). But I’ll be ordering one since the fit is still kicking. I wanted to compare it to the civic but the Honda dealer didn’t have any at all. So things are crazy everywhere.

I’d hate to NEED a car right now.

 

[dxdxto]

And it’s still missing adaptive cruise. Yeah, I’ve only seen one maverick in the color I want and it had a 10K mark up.

You can have it with Lariat luxury package. But no wireless CarPlay.