Ford Maverick Hybrid Misses MPG Estimate, but We’re Not Surprised

Welcome to Car and Driver’s Testing Hub, where we zoom in on the test numbers. We’ve been pushing vehicles to their limits since 1956 to provide objective data to bolster our subjective impressions (you can see how we test here). A more comprehensive review of the 2022 Maverick XLT hybrid can be found here.

When Ford relaunched the Maverick nameplate as a compact pickup truck for the 2022 model year, it did so with a standard hybrid powertrain that was a bit of a surprise. Hybrid trucks are nothing new, and Ford’s own F-150 can be had with a partially electric powertrain as well, but the Maverick’s front-wheel-drive setup and turboless gasoline engine are unique in the pickup-truck marketplace.

The powertrain is lifted directly from the Ford Escape hybrid. The 2.5-liter four-cylinder and two electric motors combine for 191 horsepower. As predicted, fuel-economy estimates from the EPA are stellar, sitting at 42 mpg city and 33 mpg highway.

However, in our testing the Maverick hybrid didn’t return the impressive figures we expected. On our 75-mph highway fuel-economy test route, the truck managed 30 mpg. While driving around town we regularly saw 40 mpg or over, according to the Maverick’s onboard computer. The all-wheel drive nonhybrid Maverick we tested in late 2021, which was powered by the optional turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four, came close to the hybrid in our highway fuel-economy test by hitting 29 mpg.

Missing EPA estimated fuel-economy ratings isn’t rare. Car and Driver’s testing procedure differs from the EPA’s purposely to reflect a more accurate real-world figure. We run our test at a steady 75 mph over a 200-mile loop. There are also limitations on climate control and cruise-control usage. The EPA’s process is that of a climate-controlled laboratory that has a much lower average speed.

We doubt many full-size truck drivers are giving the Maverick a second look—although rising gas prices may change that in the future—but compact-car shoppers should be. Our XLT test vehicle came well equipped for a price of $26,645, making it similarly priced to small four-door and hatchback cars such as the Honda Civic, the Hyundai Elantra, and the Mazda 3. Those nonhybrid options, however, all trounce the Maverick hybrid in our testing. Both the Hyundai and the Mazda managed 38 mpg on in our highway testing, while the Honda returned 36 mpg. What those cars don’t offer, however, is the Maverick’s handy 4.5-foot-long cargo bed or its 2000-pound towing capacity.

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