2022 Ford Maverick Spied Without Any Camo During Photo Shoot

No more speculative renderings and no more spy shots as the wraps have come off Ford's smallest truck, weeks (if not months) before the Maverick's official debut. A TFLtruck reader took several images of a camo-free pickup on the streets of San Diego where the Blue Oval was shooting an ad for its hotly anticipated unibody truck.

Ford's worst kept secret appears to be a high-end version (First Edition?) as denoted by the body-colored wheel arches. That would make sense considering automakers shoot videos of a range-topping trim level since that one looks the best in press images and videos. The sub-Ranger truck looks to be ready to take on the Hyundai Santa Cruz and logic tells us it will be mechanically related to the newly released Bronco Sport.

7 Photos

We can't help but notice how the rear bumper sticks out quite a bit from the body, which we've seen before on disguised prototypes, but it's more prominent on this camo-free Maverick. We are likely looking at a production-ready version, complete with a fairly small bed as one would expect from a compact truck.

It's difficult to pinpoint the exterior dimensions, although it does seem to be smaller than the Honda Ridgeline, another unibody truck. As for the oily bits, expect the engines to be largely carried over from the Bronco Sport, and it will be interesting to see whether Ford plans to sell a front-wheel-drive version of its trucklet. A FWD model would serve as the entry point, which could cost less than $20,000 based on an Automotive News report from a little over a year ago, which cited dealers familiar with Ford's plans.

It remains to be seen whether the sub-$20K rumor will pan out or Ford will decide to extend the list of standard equipment on the base trim. Considering the Bronco Sport starts at $26,820, we're finding it hard to believe the entry-level Maverick will be that much cheaper, unless it will be a spartan variant. Hopefully, Ford will prove us wrong. For what it's worth, we've heard through the grapevine a FWD-equipped model will have a torsion beam rear suspension whereas the more expensive ones with AWD will benefit from an independent rear setup.

The Little Truck That Could:

Codenamed P758, the new Maverick will undercut the midsize Ranger and should go on sale for the 2022 model year. Pre-production started last month when Ford built 21 examples of its "C-Pick Up" at the Hermosillo factory in Mexico, and corroborated with the fact Ford is shooting an ad, an official reveal should be right around the corner.

When it does arrive, it could offer a hybrid powertrain from day one. The latest intel suggests the bite-sized truck will adapt the electrified setup from the Escape (Kuga in Europe) crossover, which uses the same C2 platform underpinning the aforementioned Bronco Sport, latest Focus, and the Lincoln Corsair. Another tidbit we’ve heard is about Ford's plan to sell the Maverick exclusively as a four-door SuperCrew, as seen in these spy shots.