The return of the first sport compact pickup in decades, the Ford Maverick LOBO is at the top of the trim grade ladder. Lowered, louder and more visually enticing we found a lot to like.
Street Style
The look is low and loud, inspired by the Tucci Hot Rods show truck we saw at the 2021 Special Equipment Manufacturers Association (SEMA) show. Though toned down a lot, it brings key visuals like the turbo-fan 19-inch alloy wheels in gloss black our tester came with.
Up front is a unique lower front fascia with fog lights, blacked out LED projector beam headlights, a unique waterfall grille and black Ford oval emblem. Really making it all pop though is that the black plastic on the lower half is smoothed out and painted body color all the way out to the rear bumper. It really brings on the monotone look nicely.
When it comes to colors for that monotone vibe, the palette is limited to just a few choices including Shadow Black, Carbonized Gray, Oxford White and the newly returned Velocity Blue. It comes with a black-painted roof but you can delete that if you want to go even more monotone. Our Oxford White tester while seemingly bland at first really had that Stormtrooper vibe.
The cabin starts with the benefits from the new for 2025 13.2-inch SYNC4 infotainment system and 8-inch digital instrument cluster. Standard B&O audio with subwoofer and full Co-Pilot360 technologies are all included among other Lariat level features.
Interior backdrop plastics are Navy Pier with dark gray door panel and dash applique inserts. Seats are top-line heated ActiveX vinyl in Black Onyx with Grabber Blue and Electric Lime accent stitching. The upholstery has what Ford calls a graffiti-inspired overprint with embossed LOBO lettering.
Performance Enhancements
Under the hood is the same 2.0-liter EcoBoost turbocharged four found in other Mavericks with 238 horsepower and 275 pound-feet of torque. Cooling is upgraded though with a larger radiator and fan from the 4K towing package and a transmission oil cooler.
What’s new here is a performance oriented version of the 8-speed transmission that actually functions as a 7-speed. It’s the same box mechanically, but software skips second gear and lets you rip up the ladder a bit quicker with steering wheel mounted paddle shifters. Snappier shifts are also programmed in.
LOBO also gets the advanced AWD system components from the Tremor but with a performance tuning program. The twin-clutch rear drive unit and the new LOBO drive mode can improve cornering performance, stability and road course behavior through torque vectoring.
With the software enhancements of the stability control system and its advanced all-wheel-drive system there’s also upgraded dual-piston brake calipers at the front courtesy of the European Ford Focus ST. This is one area where platform sharing can pay off, parts from across the pond.
It’s all tied together with a performance tuned suspension that’s not entirely what we’d call slammed but does have a half-inch lower ride height at the front and just over an inch lower at the rear. The result is a more level appearance and lower center of gravity overall.
But It Costs
At a starting price of $40,495 plus a $1595 destination fee your minimum outlay will begin at about $42,000 and some change. You can save $496 by deleting the standard spray-in bedliner but deleting the black painted roof doesn’t give you any credit.
Our tester rang in at $42,345 which is essentially a base model LOBO. You can spend more by adding extras here. One must keep in mind the base Ford Maverick pickup was designed to sell for $20,000 in terms of material and build quality and still feels it even when you spend up here. Buyers beware.
