Three models years into its production run, the Ford Maverick is still one of the hottest vehicles on the road. With a choice of hybrid power or turbocharged torque, a reasonable starting price, crew cab comfort, and pickup truck versatility, it’s a total segment-buster that’s all things to all people. However, what if you’re the ruts-and-mud type? What if you’re willing to trade a little bit of capability regarding typical truck stuff for a bunch of off-road goodies? Well, step right up, because the Ford Maverick Tremor might just be the pickup truck for you.
[Full disclosure: Ford loaned me this Maverick Tremor for a week and let me put hundreds of miles on it so long as I returned it with a full tank of gas, and wrote a review on it.]
The Basics
Price: Starting from $34,275, or $42,395 CAD
Engine: Two-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, 250 horsepower, 277 lb.-ft. of torque.
Transmission: Eight-speed conventional automatic.
Fuel economy: EPA 20 MPG city, 24 MPG highway, 21 MPG combined. 25 MPG observed.
Body style: Crew cab unibody pickup truck.
Why Does It Exist?
Just as on Ford’s bigger trucks, the Tremor package for the Maverick adds all sorts of off-road goodies without being as hardcore as a Raptor. Additional equipment includes an electronically-controlled limited-slip rear differential with a one-touch locking button, a locker button for the power transfer unit, beefy tires, a 0.8-inch bump in ride height, a high-clearance front bumper, exposed recovery points, and a big skid plate covering the engine, transmission, and steering rack. If you want to read more about the off road hardware and capability on the Maverick Tremor, I suggest giving David’s deep-dive a good look. Like the regular Maverick, this is a truck for hobbyists, but for hobbies more like bungee jumping and freeclimbing than thrifting furniture and building pergolas. Need to get reasonably out there on the weekends but still fit in an underground car park on the weekdays? The Maverick Tremor has you covered.
How Does It Look?
The Ford Maverick is already a handsome, honest truck, and the Tremor add-ons don’t detract from this truck’s approachable styling. While I’m not entirely sold on the high-clearance front fascia, the new tow hooks do look awesome, and the Y-spoke alloy wheels with yellow inserts are particularly bitchin’. The yellow stickers and grille add strategic pops of color, while the upgraded headlights of our Lariat Tremor test truck have a fantastic daytime running light signature. On the outside, the Maverick Tremor is everything we love about the regular Maverick with a little more verve, which is exactly what the doctor ordered.
How About The Inside?
The interior is one place where the Ford Maverick Tremor is a step back from the regular Maverick, eschewing rich colorways for a predominantly greyscale appearance. The blue cloth and orange flourishes of the Maverick XLT or the rich saddle facings of the Maverick Lariat get ditched for black cloth or leather. While plenty of navy blue interior plastics are still present, a larger pop of color would better suit this truck’s personality. However, once you get over the Hot Topic upholstery, the Tremor, like every Maverick, is an exercise in doing cheap cars well. The plastics are hardwearing but feature a matte finish and interesting, tactile braille-like texturing. The dash insert is wonderfully complex, and the console tray lifts out for easy cleaning. Headroom, legroom, and seat comfort in both rows are excellent, so don’t be fooled by this small truck’s footprint — it has a comfortable, rugged cabin ready to rack up some miles. It even survived muddy footprints, David and I suddenly rapping along to Eminem, and several dozen farts. If that’s not thorough testing, I don’t know what is.
How Does It Drive?
All-terrain tires, a length of 200.7 inches, and suspension meant to haul serious loads should put a dent in the Maverick Tremor’s fun factor, right? Not so fast, From behind the wheel, this crew cab crap-hauler drives like an oversized Focus, with agility you wouldn’t expect from its appearance. Not only is the steering brilliantly weighted, it’s fast, accurate, and even provides a little bit of feedback. The turbocharged four-cylinder engine doesn’t just hurl this truck down the road with unexpected pace, but it also feels remarkably linear and gets fantastic highway fuel economy. Oh, and that eight-speed automatic is relatively unobtrusive, with great low-speed response and crisp shifts. Think of it as a furniture-hauling accomplice with the soul of a hot hatch. However, where many hot hatches never quite settle down, the Maverick will do all the boring adult stuff with aplomb. Not only is the Ford Maverick Tremor flat-out fun, it’s also a perfectly livable everyday commuter with the ride quality of a midsize sedan and a reasonably quiet cabin. There’s a whole lot to love about how this little trucklet goes down the road.
Does It Have The Electronic Crap I Want?
For the most part, yes. Although the Ford Maverick Tremor doesn’t offer wireless Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, its Sync 3 infotainment system supports the wired versions of both phone mirroring technologies. Speaking of digital stuff, the LCD display in between conventional gauges is a nice blend of modern tech and tradition, while the expected luxuries of automatic climate control and an in-bed household power socket are also on deck. The Tremor package even comes bundled with Ford’s full suite of advanced driver assistance systems, including reasonably deft adaptive cruise control that eased stress on our road trip. However, a few comfort and convenience toys like heated seats are optional, so spec your Maverick Tremor wisely.
Three Things To Know About The 2023 Ford Maverick Tremor:
- The rear differential uses the same variable-locking technology as the Ford Focus RS.
- The Tremor package reduces towing capacity to 2,000 pounds and payload to 1,200 pounds.
- Its softened off-road suspension is remarkably comfortable on potholed highways.
Does It Fulfil Its Purpose?
The Ford Maverick Tremor is definitely a more off-road capable Maverick, but the goodies meant to tackle the rough stuff do come at a cost. With a 300-pound reduction in payload and a 2,000-pound reduction in maximum towing capacity compared to the standard Ecoboost AWD truck with the 4K Tow Package, you have to be okay with a few sacrifices to tick the Tremor box. Most Maverick buyers will be perfectly happy with just the FX4 package, but for a handful of intrepid adventurers, the Maverick Tremor is one sweet do-it-all vehicle that’s still sized for the city.
What’s The Punctum Of The 2023 Ford Maverick Tremor?
The ultimate compact pickup truck for weekend warriors is here, and it’s pretty much as awesome as you’d expect.
(Photo credits: Thomas Hundal)
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I really wanted a Maverick hybrid XL or XLT and contacted multiple SoCal area dealers trying to find one at MSRP. I might as well have been asking the salesguys for a kidney.
Since inception two+ years ago, the Maverick hybrid has only been available in numbers limited enough to gift dealers $10K+ markups above MSRP. It’s no more of an “available” choice in the US than I can choose to recover my youth. I say FU to Ford: you made a desirable product capable of bringing new customers to your brand (myself included) then bungled the release so badly you’ve turned many of them into Never-Fords.
I’ll see if Toyota’s better production and QC will enable me to get a Stout hybrid at MSRP. If so, Jim Farley can text my salesman about splitting his commission, which’ll be only fair since Ford will have sold me that Toyota.
Soooo much plastic. It’s a disposatruck.
Where does it have plastic that other vehicles don’t?
I have the same question. Every vehicle I’ve ever been in except for some ultra luxury car is full of plastic.
Literally the entire engine compartment
As opposed to what? Bamboo?
Steel and aluminum.
No Android Auto? *shrugs*
Recently, we finally got a car with Android Auto / Apple CarPlay. After playing with Android, I was kind of shocked when I realized just how limited the app selection is. I thought you could pretty much use anything on your phone; No. Not even remotely like that.
I no longer really care if a car has Android Auto. Nice to have but not a deal breaker.
What, you upset you can’t play candy crush while you’re driving?
It has maps, phone calls, and music/podcasts/audio books. What else do you want?
If the app you’re looking for is one of those things but isn’t on there, that’s that app’s dev’s fault.
Navigation Apps. Waze and Google Maps are not very good. There are dozens of navigation apps and better ones on my phone that don’t work. Music apps. Again, what’s there is limited. …but sure, I was talking about Candy Crush.
Which apps specifically did you want to use that aren’t on Android Auto?
Sygic (nav) and various music apps.
There are dozens of nav apps on Android auto, not just Waze and Google. If the supposedly superior app you use isn’t in there, evidently the app is actually shit because they didn’t bother making it work on Android auto
Actually, that’s it. I have seen the entire list of apps that support Android Auto. It’s a short list of apps, half of which are radio station apps.
If I am mistaken, by all means, show me the dozens of other nav apps that work.
Here’s all the Android Auto apps:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/collection/promotion_3001303_android_auto_all?clp=CioKKAoicHJvbW90aW9uXzMwMDEzMDNfYW5kcm9pZF9hdXRvX2FsbBBKGAM%3D:S:ANO1ljJlMQY&gsr=CiwKKgooCiJwcm9tb3Rpb25fMzAwMTMwM19hbmRyb2lkX2F1dG9fYWxsEEoYAw%3D%3D:S:ANO1ljI365M&hl=en_US&gl=US
That is absolutely not a full list. Off the top of my head I can think of Tom Tom and Here maps are supported. That list doesn’t even have youtube music, google’s own damn app.
So if you want to make the argument that it’s difficult to find which apps are supported, yeah it is.
But again, any nav app can add Android auto support, so it isn’t Google’s fault if your prefered app can’t be arsed to put the nav app where people actually use nav apps.
The piece doesn’t say there is no Android Auto/Apple Carplay. It says there is no wireless version of them. Wired works just fine. That being said, what exactly are you missing here that’s not available on the platform because I find the claim a bit exaggerated.
Android Auto is standard on all Maverick from XL to Tremor. Sync is limited availability. Apple Carplay and Android Auto require a wired connection OR an aftermarket solution.
Last year, when I was faced with needing a truck in my life, the new Maverick was the only new truck I considered because it’s actually a reasonable size. However when I cross shopped it for capability against the other truck I was interested in, an old Jeep Comanche, the Comanche won hands down. The Jeep is smaller overall in size but has a foot longer bed as it is a practical single cab, the Jeep also has a much higher payload and towing rating at 1600lbs and 4000lbs respectively for the one I unlimitedly purchased. The Maverick definitely had its advantages, more power and higher fuel economy were the main ones, however the big miss on the Maverick for me was no Manual transmission. It also helped that I could buy the nicest Jeep Comanche in existence for half the price of a new Maverick.
I like the Maverick, they look awesome and approachable, their height off the ground is the correct height for actually doing work.
How much did you pay for the Comanche and how many miles does it have?
I assume you must be in an arid environment? Every Comanche I’ve ever seen was actively returning to the Earth with the amount of rust.
An expensive Ford Maverick misses the point but they will probably sell every Tremor and Lariat regardless.
I am still wary of reliability given recent issues with Ecoboost fours, DSG and Ford’s 8 speed transaxle
$34,000 for a new car in 2023 isn’t expensive.
Man, I used to regularly check the inventory situation for Mavericks to see if supply was loosening up. Along the way, I just stopped thinking about it. Still been looking at cars, just not a Ford Maverick. I guess that is how Ford fails to turn consumer interest into a sale.
Quick check today….still seeing $5-7k dealer tributes advertised on every hybrid. No thanks Ford.
This had me excited until I got to the trailer tow rating.
Why can’t we have smaller vehicles with cool options rated to tow 3-4000lbs?
Are these tow capacities being derated to push full size truck sales?
I dislike being forced into full size trucks just to tow my stupid boat 16 mi round trip to ramp.
The boat is already on the smaller end for my use case so that’s not an option.
The Tremor’s nip-tucked lower front fascia for enhanced front clearance angle can’t accommodate the larger radiator of the 4k tow package. So if you can suffice with just the still capable FX4 package then you can get 4,000lb towing.
Thank you for making me a little less uninformed.
The right thing to do with a Mavrick
https://www.motortrend.com/features/ford-maverick-drag-racing-fast-mavericks/
Ford just can’t seem to make a Maverik that does it all. Hybrid? FWD only. AWD with 4k towing? No twin clutch RDM. AWD with the twin clutch! 2000 lbs towing. Le sigh. I guess that twin clutch can’t handle the extra load.
I consider this a step up for Ford, since they usually throw in parts that can’t handle the load anyway and let the customer figure it out after the warranty has expired.
How in the ever loving hell does this thing get the same MPG as an F150
What F150 gets 25mpg observed?
The 2.7 is rated at 23 combined, which is pretty close.
Fuelly shows 2.0 Mavericks averaging about 24.5 and 2.7 F-150’s averaging like 18.5.
Sure, but this is a case where Fuelly numbers need to be taken with a grain of salt. How many of those F-150 miles are towing? How many for the Maverick? I’m willing to bet the F-150 miles are more heavily loaded on average than the Maverick which will have a significant impact on the real world numbers. To properly compare their base efficiency you’d need to be able to filter out all of the 8 MPG tanks from when people were towing their 8000 lb trailer.
I mean, they’ve got the distribution curves thrown in as well, which lines up pretty well with the averages. The only way the initial point carries through is if you’re assuming basically every single 2.7 F-150 is effectively always laden, and gets a miraculous 19mpg while hauling a load.
https://www.fuelly.com/car/ford/maverick?engineconfig_id=13&bodytype_id=&submodel_id=
https://www.fuelly.com/car/ford/f-150?engineconfig_id=49&bodytype_id=&submodel_id=
Alternatively, while I don’t often care for citing Car & Driver’s fuel economy numbers (because their overall average is more reflective of what you’d get if you drove like a meth-addled chimp), I figure it’s at least semi-consistent methodology if you’re not comparing to someone else’s figures. They report a Maverick at 29mpg on their 75-mph test, and a RWD 2.7 F-150 at 20mpg
https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a19183397/2018-ford-f-150-27l-ecoboost-v-6-4×2-supercrew-test-review/
https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a37852234/2022-ford-maverick-drive/
I’m baffled as to why Ford even has a Maverick in its press fleet. Normally, the idea of loaning vehicles to journalists is to increase awareness and therefore demand. However, Ford is unable to meet existing demand, so why bother?
I went to my local Ford dealer before the 2024 order books were opened, to assess the possibility of ordering a Maverick. The sales person informed me that the ADM on a Maverick was $10k on any Maverick on the lot and $5k on ordered vehicles. I thanked him for his time and left.
to retain false demand. If they flood the El Camino Market too quick it gets filled, then the overflow gets price dropped and the desire to own one drops. But by paying the press to write nice things about something few can actually currently get results in false demand. Also based upon the price increases recently, I don’t know that the low rent hybrid version with phenomenal MPG is all that profitable. SO bate and switch and nobody really notices the “off Road” version is not that great on gas, but it sure looks nice and might not get stuck in a puddle on a fire road.
JDE, thanks for helping me understand. But if it’s not profitable for Ford, it’s certainly profitable for Ford *dealers* if they’re making $5k for simply ordering a vehicle (and not having to tie up floorplan funds). Maybe Ford should just raise the MSRP by $5k so it can be profitable for them.
okay, pretty broad brush there sir. Should the site not accept automotive advertising? or is the writer that’s on the take?
Ford, according to their order bank memo, says they still have slots for EcoBoosts and even the Tremor; they aren’t as desirable as the Hybrid. Some 80% Tremor and 28% EcoBoost capacity available so long as they are XLT or Lariat.
They don’t want people ordering the cheap trims. Order more Tremors and Lariats!
This doesn’t look a thing like a giant worm.
Ford Maverick Graboid
Shai Hulud trim is only available on a,Super Duty
I’d love to drive one of these to see how the suspension is different from the regular FX4 with Towing package. The suspension in mine is pretty firm. The rear especially was almost painfully stiff until I hauled half a yard of gravel in the bed lol.
I absolutely adore these Mavericks (especially in Tremor Trim). Only concern for me is that A) these do not have a proper low range B) long term reliability with this drivetrain is meh at best or even iffy at worst. Do I still want one: yup!
The question really for me is it that much or at all better than the base 4×4 Ford Ranger, a basic XL with 4X4, rear locker, and tow package (7500 lbs BTW) is only $38,720
Depends on the details of your needs. The Mav is going to have better mileage and would be easier to load and unload stuff from the bed. Marginally easier to park, too. I never tow, but I could really use a small bed frequently. If that’s not your case, the Ranger may be better.
Only the hybrid Mav has good fuel economy. The turbo, not so much.
Might as well get a Ranger.
Depends on your driving conditions. I do mainly highway with my EB AWD and get a hand calculated 30+mpg. Find me another truck that can do that.
Adding to @Genewich ‘s view, the Maverick fits in most garages where the Ranger won’t.
Ranger tops out at 212 inches long- which fits in almost any garage.
Any new garage built after 1960, but alas, that certainly isn’t any garage.
“almost any” was an acknowlegement that some garages built before… 1945?… are not at least 18 feet deep.
I ordered an XL Ecoboost AWD for $28,000. So the question isn’t whether or not the Ranger is better than the Maverick. It’s whether or not it is better than a Maverick with $10,000 floating around in the bed.
This story is about the tremor with a price tag of 36K and change. While I would certainly say it is probably the better deal for a 28K maverick with a 4K tow rating, this instance is comparing a 2k tow rating in a sort of off roadish Maverick. for 2K more I would definitely prefer a realish truck with 7.5 K tow capacity and a locking rear end. but considering all the concerns I see with Head gaskets on Ecoboost 4’s I would probably not buy either.
Punctum is still such an awesome word and I love that y’all use it so often. It’s great!
For someone dealing with harsh snowy winters and accompanying potholes and does not plan on towing anything bigger than a utility trailer. this seems like a great choice. No not hard core off roading but an occasional rocky dirt road this is fine.
I was thinking the same thing. I also like it better than say an Outback because no CVT
Order banks still open on these?
Personally, I don’t see the Tremor package as being worth it. It’s quite pricey ($3.5k), reduces towing to a pathetic amount (don’t worry, I understand if you actually want to tow, get an F150 or something else), and simply doesn’t provide enough “value” to justify the cost. If you need the rear diff, you should probably consider a Ranger.
I’ll take XLT, Ecoboost, AWD, FX4, and the 4k tow package please. I just hate the heated mirrors are hidden behind the XLT Lux package ($2.3k).
I saw a hack for heated mirrors where a dude put snowmobile grip heaters in his mirror housings. This is a lame thing to do on a brand new truck but is pretty clever for old shitty cars.
Just once, I’d like to see a reviewer describe a truck as “dishonest”.
What makes a truck honest or not anyways? If honesty is basically a synonym for “made to work”, then a crew cab unibody minitruck with a 4 foot bed and a poseur off-road suspension package that reduces payload and towing is probably the least honest truck in existence.
When I hear “honest truck” I think of something that is low-optioned, near base model, that does what truck buyers did with them 40 years ago. I don’t know why that’s an “honest” truck, but that’s what I picture. Something like a a ’81 C10 with the 292 I-6, and a long box.
I have a hard time squaring the circle of calling any trucks the general public are buying today as “honest trucks”. Nothing wrong with it; I’m not a truck hater. But a Maverick is not an honest truck, and neither is a King Ranch, TRD Pro, or any other truck that favors ride quality, comfort, options, or general higher trim offerings over a base, regular cab, long box missing most if not all options.
I think your definition is what most people mean, but in my opinion it’s unnecessarily pejorative.
A King Ranch F350 is 95% as capable as a base XL (slightly less payload and towing due to extra weight of options). There’s plenty of base model regular cabs out there doing less “truck stuff” than I do with mine.
I have no problem calling something like a Raptor, a TRX, a Ram SRT-10, or a Lightning dishonest. Those trucks really do make massive sacrifices to capability for other purposes, which is fine, but obviously makes them less useful as trucks.
It always comes back to the idea (widely shared in enthusiast circles) that somehow discomfort and spartan equipment levels are intrinsically virtues, especially in trucks, which I have always found fascinating and strange.
So I think some of this stems from a migration in what a “truck” is. There are those that learned the meaning of “truck” before the 90s. And to those people “truck” meant a vehicle that is purpose built for some sort of utility purpose and nothing more. I mean, I owned one of the best optioned Silverado’s there were. And that meant a cloth bench seat, single cab, long bed, (nobody had 4wd back then) and maybe door cards. They were a sacrifice in comfort which really meant you only bought them if you really needed them.
Between then and now trucks became commuter vehicles. Basically, an SUV with a small bed that are predominately now purchased for reasons other than their actual capabilities. Those that have learned “truck” since the 90s (or has allowed their definition of “truck” to adjust over time) have a different definition of truck.
So, in an attempt to reconcile a somewhat antiquated definition of truck some people refer to those more closely meeting the old definition as “honest” or “true or “pure” and those more closely meeting the new “truck” to be “poseur” or something like that. There are connotations, but really it’s just a different perspective.
I’m old enough to have experienced and ridden in trucks of the 80s-90s when they were new, and I find very little to be nostalgic about over them.
To me, the idea that you can now get near luxury car levels of comfort and features in trucks without sacrificing capability is one of the greatest automotive improvements of my lifetime.
Is my truck more honest if it can’t carry my kids in the back seat, or if my back hurts from sitting on a shitty vinyl bench all day? No, it’s just less useful to me.
I’m not suggesting that you must suffer through discomfort and spartan offerings, or they are virtuous at all. I simply think the descriptor “honest truck” applies to ones that are more spartan, and not to ones like a King Ranch. I’m not saying one is better than the other. To me, “honest truck” is basically a synonym for “sensible” truck. Which is weird, because the Maverick is sensible, but I wouldn’t really label it an honest truck.
I disagree that it has anything to do with virtue.
I think the words chosen imply otherwise though.
Consider the opposites of the words “honest” and “sensible”.
“Dishonest” (dare I say “poseur”) and “nonsensible” are not flattering.
I’m not saying this to pile on you, after all you didn’t choose the word honest to begin with. It just seems that even if its subconsciously, there’s a deep-seated mindset behind the words we choose to describe trucks that is tied into something primal about the nature of work, sacrifice, blue collar life, or what have you.
Agree to disagree I guess.
That being said, I wouldn’t call a luxury trim truck a “dishonest truck” I simply wouldn’t call it an “honest truck.”
Just like I wouldn’t call a “prenatal surgeon” an honest job, despite it being very virtuous/good. But I’d call something like a traditional small-scale farmer an “honest job.” It’s not saying one is actually an honest person, or one is a better job, or one does better than the other. The farmer who has an “honest job,” could be a lying sack of shit.
I think the idea of an “honest truck” comes down to “is this truck intended primarily to do truck things” – namely, haul stuff, optionally in unpaved places. The Lariat, the Cybertruck, and a bunch of the other incarnations that have become the equivalent of a $600 pair of cowboy boots are not really honest trucks: they’re intended to signal things about the owners, not to actually do the things they’re signaling the owners do – which isn’t to say they can’t do those things, it’s just not their primary purpose.
I think you are reading a lot more into the motivations of luxury truck buyers than actually exists.
I didn’t buy a truck with leather seats and a good stereo to “signal” anything to anyone, I bought it so I’d be comfortable while using the truck.
Honda Ridgeline comes to mind.
I believe the definition of a dishonest truck is the GMC Syclone and its 500-pound payload capacity. Hyundai’s disclaimer in the Santa Cruz’s handbook of “On a long uphill grade, shift down and reduce your speed to around 45 mph (70 km/h) to reduce the possibility of engine and transmission overheating” is also a bit wily.
That is a damning statement at face value, but I wonder how much of it is just corporate ass-covering. It wouldn’t shock me if other vehicles have extremely conservative driving tips like that in their owners manuals. My GT500 manual suggested shift points that were laughable (6th gear at 40 mph?)
It definitely feels like a damning statement when the handbooks for the Maverick and Ridgeline don’t have a similar disclaimer.
I reckon there’s a degree of ass-covering, but you’d think that when engineering a truck, one of the targets would be to happily pull a trailer loaded to the vehicle’s maximum towing capacity up an incline at interstate towing speed without the need for any hidden warning.
Totally agree.
But I guess the SAE Towing test allows a speed as low as 40 mph to still be certified. I assume that is intended for duallies pulling 30k, but Hyundai seems to be taking full advantage. Would be a deal-breaker for me.
The only dishonest truck I can think of is the Lincoln Blackwood. I don’t know what it was trying to be but it wasn’t trying to be a truck lol