Is Ford Working On A Bronco-Based Pickup Truck Called Maverick?

What Kind Of A Truck Will The Maverick Be?

According to the outlet’s source, the tailgate’s dimensions match the Ford Ranger’s, which points at a mid-size pickup truck. Earlier this week, we saw a camouflaged vehicle which Ford tried to pass off as a minivan, perhaps, but it was clearly a pickup truck. Given the shape of that URO (unidentified road object), it looks to be based more on the Bronco than the Ranger. If yes, then it will be a unibody truck rather than a body-on-frame.

Unibody trucks aren’t that bad actually. Take the Honda Ridgeline, for instance. It doesn’t have the rugged truck appearance but works as a great family hauler. Honda even offers independent rear suspension on it, so the ride quality is exceptional. Considering that Honda is selling over 30,000 examples of the Ridgeline every year, which isn’t bad, it wouldn’t be the worst idea to enter this segment. Ford has a body-on-frame mid-size truck in its portfolio anyway – the Ranger.

Maverick Sounds Familiar, Doesn’t It?

“Maverick” isn’t a new term in Ford’s lingo. The Maverick moniker has been prevalent in the Ford family for very long. Originally, it was used for a compact car sold in the 70s.

Later, Ford went on to slap the term on a rebadged Nissan Patrol in Australia in the 80s and 90s, on the rebadged Nissan Terrano sold in Europe in the 90s, and even on the European version of the Ford Escape sold in the early 2000s. Imagine a Military Green Bronco truck following the design philosophy and theme of the ‘60s Maverick with the same badge. How cool that would be?

Final Thoughts

If Ford is considering a new pickup truck, it needs to be different from the other trucks at its core. It doesn’t make sense to have two body-on-frame midsize trucks as they are going to cannibalize into each other’s sales. Instead, Ford should get the Ranger Raptor to the States which will essentially serve as a ‘different truck’, and make the Maverick a unibody truck. Hyundai is planning to come up with a unibody truck as well, perhaps called the Santa Cruz, so the market is going to get competitive. However, don’t expect it to come any time soon.

What do you think the ‘Maverick’ will be used for? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.