Ford revealed the Maverick two years ago, expanding the lineup with the Tremor in 2022. The rugged pickup received a reworked suspension, a transmission cooler, upgraded half-shafts, and a raised right height, and we wouldn’t be surprised if Ford decided to rework the suspension one more time, but in the opposite direction.
New spy shots show Ford is at least testing some version of a low-riding Maverick. It’s easy to tell the two trucks in the photo gallery below are much closer to the ground than the pickup on sale today, but it’s unclear if the automaker has any plans to offer such a variant. A couple of test vehicles don’t mean Ford will ever produce it, and the lowered ride height could be a cover for some other test. Automakers are tricky like that.
The Atlas Blue Metallic one is an XLT, while the Iconic Silver truck is a Lariat trim. However, the two look pretty similar from their backsides. It doesn’t appear Ford changed the designs besides lowering them.
We’ve seen a lowered Maverick before, but it featured neat dual exhaust outlets through the rear bumper and new fender flares, which are absent on these examples. There have been rumors that Ford will offer a sportier ST version of the truck, but there has been little evidence that the Blue Oval was working on such a truck until now. And even then, we don’t know Ford’s future product plans.
The company leads in the new class of small trucks, outselling the Hyundai Santa Cruz in the first quarter of 2023. Ford announced in March that it would increase Maverick production to keep up with demand. However, that success has other automakers eyeing a piece of the pie, and the Maverick could soon face new competition.
Toyota Motor North America Senior Vice President of Automotive Operations Jack Hollis said last year that there was space below the Tacoma in its lineup, and rumors continue to swirl that Ram will bring the new Rampage to the US. The automaker touted how its US engineers contributed to the truck’s development. The initial batch in Brazil sold out in 28 minutes, so it could be popular in truck-loving America.
Ford only offers the rugged Maverick Tremor with the 2.0-liter EcoBoost engine, and it could restrict a street truck version the same way. However, these two pickups are a bit of a mystery until we know more from FoMoCo or we spot more of them on the street.
