Back in 2022, I got behind the wheel of a Ford Maverick and spent the first few minutes wondering if someone in Dearborn had made a clerical error—or possibly joined a focus group full of Gen Z influencers. You see, when I hear “Maverick,” I think of the little coupe my dad drove in the ’70s—the one I used to sleep in the back of when he worked overnight shifts. It was a small car. A sedan. Sometimes beige. Almost always slow. And now, suddenly, it’s a truck. Not just any truck—a compact pickup with hybrid power, a massive touchscreen, and just enough attitude to suggest Ford is trying really hard to be hip.
Fast forward to 2025, and Ford’s gone fully off the rails. Because now, there’s a Maverick called the Lobo. That’s right—Lobo. Which in Spanish means “wolf,” and in American marketing lingo apparently means “let’s make a street truck and hope someone in Los Angeles posts about it on Instagram.”
And I spent a week with one recently.
This Lobo thing is the kind of vehicle that would’ve turned heads at a Carl’s Jr. parking lot meet back in 1997, back when people still used AOL to flirt and Nu Metal was considered good music. It sits lower than the regular Maverick—half an inch in front, 1.1 inches at the rear—which makes it less useful as a truck, but far more useful as a conversation piece.
Power comes from a 250-horsepower turbo four, the same one found in the standard turbocharged Maverick. But the Lobo gets a raft of borrowed bits from across the Ford Performance toy chest: a seven-speed paddle-shift automatic from the Euro Focus ST, brakes also from said Focus, rear dampers from the Maverick Tremor, a steering rack from the European Kuga, and top mounts lifted from the Mustang Mach-E. If you’re wondering whether Ford engineered this or just had a very messy garage sale, the answer is yes.
The end result? A compact pickup that drives like a caffeinated Escape, corners with real intent, and responds to steering inputs with a surprising amount of sharpness. It’s not quite a sports car, but compared to a Tacoma, it might as well be a Porsche Cayman.
Outside, it’s clear Ford had some fun. You get 19-inch wheels inspired by rally legends like the Escort RS Cosworth, a black roof, and color-matched bumpers and rockers. Inside, there’s Electric Lime and Grabber Blue stitching, and seat trim inspired by “street culture,” which I’m told is something other people understand.
You also get the new-for-2025 Maverick upgrades: a larger 13.2-inch touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, more driver-assistance features than a NASA shuttle launch, and a rear camera setup that’ll basically hitch your trailer for you.
All-wheel drive is now available and towing capacity rises to 4000 pounds when properly equipped. All of which is great, but this isn’t really a truck for towing. It’s a truck for cruising past a Sonic drive-in and hoping someone notices.
The standard Lobo starts at $36,595. My tester—the Lobo High—ran $42,345 and came with heated seats, a heated steering wheel, and a spray-in bedliner in case you actually decide to put anything in the back.
Now, is this Maverick Lobo something I’d buy? Probably not. Maybe back in the ’80s, when I was blasting The Tragically Hip and dreaming about lowered trucks with chrome wheels and window louvers, a street machine like this might’ve been right up my alley. Now, sadly, at my age, the only “hip” I care about is the one I’m desperately trying not to break. And today, the closest I get to being “street” is when I trip on a curb taking the trash out. Still, I’ll admit this: the Lobo is fun. It’s charming. It’s weird in that only-Ford kind of way. And it proves that in 2025, you don’t have to spend $70,000 to get a truck with personality—just a willingness to embrace a little youthful delusion.
Would my dad recognize it as a Maverick? Not a chance. But I think he’d be amused. And maybe—just maybe—he’d let me nap in the back again, this time while he tore up a backroad, grinning like a teenager with a new toy and hoping someone notices.
The 2025 Ford Maverick Lobo
MSRP: $40,750
MSRP (as tested): $42,345
Engine: 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4, 238 horsepower @ 5,500 rpm, 275 lb-ft torque @ 3,000 rpm
Transmission: 7-speed shiftable automatic w/paddle shifters
Fuel mileage (EPA): 21 city, 30 highway, 24 combined
Fuel Mileage (as tested, mixed conditions): 26 mpg
Base Curb Weight: 3,563 lbs
Exterior Dimensions
Length: 200.9 inches
Overall Width with Mirrors: 83.5 inches
Overall Width without Mirrors: 72.6 inches
Height: 68.7 inches
Wheelbase: 121.1 inches
Interior Dimensions
Front Head Room: 40.2 inches
Front Leg Room: 42.8 inches
Front Shoulder Room: 57.3 inches
Rear Head Room: 39.6 inches
Rear Leg Room: 36.9 inches
Rear Shoulder Room: 55.6 inches
Cargo Capacity (all seats in place): 33.3 cu ft
Maximum Cargo Capacity: 33.3 cu ft (no rear seat folding)
Warranty
Basic: 3 years / 36,000 miles
Drivetrain: 5 years / 60,000 miles
Rust: 5 years / Unlimited miles
Roadside Assistance: 5 years / 60,000 miles
Greg has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.