Ford’s adding to its pickup truck portfolio with the upcoming 2022 Maverick. Positioned below the midsize Ranger in the Blue Oval’s truck hierarchy, the Maverick is due to ride on the unibody bones that underpin the Escape and Bronco Sport SUVs.

While the Maverick will serve as Ford’s smallest pickup option, it’ll still likely sit on a wheelbase that overshadows the 106.7-inch and 105.1-inch wheelbases of the Escape and Bronco Sport, respectively. Similarly, the Maverick’s overall length ought to outstretch its compact SUV stablemates while still falling short of the 210.8-inch long Ranger.

Unlike the Ranger mid-size pickup, which is available in SuperCrew and SuperCab body styles, the compact Maverick is expected to sport only the latter setup. That means four real doors and a reasonably spacious rear seating area. Alas, it also means the Maverick is likely to offer just one rather stubby bed length.

For most pickup buyers, though, the Maverick’s small-ish bed should do the trick. It wouldn’t surprise us if Ford cribs a thing or two from the Honda Ridgeline, as well, and fits the little pickup’s cargo box with an under-floor trunk, too.

Although we expect the Maverick to haul and tow reasonably heavy loads, we doubt it’ll top or match the Ranger’s maximum payload and towing capacities of 1,860 and 7,500 pounds, respectively. We wager the Maverick’s payload and towing figures will fall closer to those of the Transit Connect van, which manages to haul a maximum of 1,550 pounds and can tow up to 2,000 pounds. 

The Maverick will still look like a proper pickup. Credit squared-off styling, a large grille and headlights, and a reasonably upright windshield.

We anticipate the Maverick’s interior design will largely reflect that of its exterior. Expect few curves and plenty of hard angles, as well as large knobs for the climate controls and basic stereo functions, plenty of large storage cubbies, and even the possibility of a three-across front seating arrangement (with the option for individual front buckets). A three-across rear bench ought to come standard, too, although it wouldn’t surprise us if Ford allows customers to delete it in order to gain extra interior storage space.

Given what powers its platform-mates, high-end Maverick models may employ a variant of the Escape and Bronco Sport SUVs’ 250-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four.

While Ford may also offer the Escape and Bronco Sport SUVs’ 181-hp turbocharged I-3 as the entry-level engine in the Maverick, it may ultimately decide to fit the simpler 162-hp 2.0-liter four-cylinder from the Transit Connect under the Maverick’s hood instead. It’s also possible Ford offers the truck with both engines as powertrain options. Regardless, we anticipate all Mavericks will come standard with an eight-speed automatic gearbox and front-wheel drive, with all-wheel-drive available as an option.

We can only guess as to what Ford ultimately plans to charge for the Maverick. That said, we imagine the compact pickup’s base price will undercut those of the Ranger and Transit Connect, the former of which currently starts at $26,015 and the latter at $26,050. If we were the gambling type, we’d wager the 2022 Maverick will sticker for a little less than the Transit Connect. 

Still, we doubt Ford will offer just one Maverick model, and moving up the trim ladder and adding various options is sure to bloat the little truck’s price. We should know whether our price guesstimates are right or wrong in the coming months, as we expect Ford to fully unveil and begin selling the 2022 Maverick before the end of the 2021 calendar year.