America is known for its trucks. It's big, burly, diesel-burning trucks. But with strict emission standards coming into force, we're seeing traditional brands turn towards smaller vehicles.
Historically, we've seen this with the Honda Ridgeline, and more recently with the Hyundai Santa Cruz, but it seems that Ford is also jumping on this bandwagon with the Maverick.
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This new Maverick is smaller than the current Ranger (which is also sold in America), and can only tow around 1,800kg. It is based on the same chassis used in the Explorer and Bronco Sport.
In terms of power, the basic Maverick gets a 2.5-litre hybrid, while the high-spec model uses a 2.0-litre EcoBoost engine. Interestingly, the hybrid gets a CVT, and is front-wheel drive, while the EcoBoost uses an all-wheel drive system paired with an eight-speed auto transmission.
While this is all well and good, the aspect of this Maverick that we're most interested in is the styling. According to rumours, the new Ranger will reportedly take styling cues from its American siblings, especially in the front fascia region.
Thanks to the leak out of Australia earlier this year where a group of new Rangers were spotted testing, we can see the similarities with this new Maverick.
We're still unsure as to what the next-gen Ranger will be powered by, but considering that it's set to be co-developed with Volkswagen, fans are hoping that the turbo-diesel V6 will make an appearance.
Ford should be whipping the covers off the 2022 Ranger before the end of this year, and we expect to start seeing it in showrooms from early 2022.