Our Thoughts Exactly: 2025 Ford Maverick Lobo

Is this the mini sport truck we remember back in the 1980s?

Before we dive into that question, we must refresh ourselves about that era when Japanese- and American-produced compact pickup trucks were the rage among customizers. 

These small trucks from Toyota, Datsun/Nissan, Mitsubishi/Dodge/Plymouth, Isuzu/Chevrolet, Mazda/Ford – along with the Ford Ranger and the General Motors S-Series – were affordable to begin with. All a customizer would do is to lower the suspension, mount a set of cool smaller wheels and tires, and go crazy on the paint and interior. Or, not. 

The result was a custom ride on a budget. The scene was flooded by them. Magazines were published to feature them inside. 

As with everything, the sport minitruck craze faded away. People moved on with another trend. And so on…

Somehow, a group of designers, marketing folks, and engineers at Ford remembered those days. They have a canvas to work with – the Maverick compact pickup truck. As it was being revised for 2025, they took the opportunity to unleash their homage the sport minitruck scene of the 1980s. 

Therefore, Ford added the Lobo trim to the 2025 Maverick. 

Before we go any further, we need to be transparent here. Just about a year ago, we drove this same exact 2025 Maverick Lobo on Road America’s karting course during the Midwest Automotive Media Association 2025 Spring Rally. This is clearly not our first rodeo in the sporty compact pickup truck. Having it in our workflow months later should yield a different perspective compared to some quick laps around a tightly wound closed course. 

As this new sporty trim was added to the Maverick lineup after its mid-cycle refresh, we also wondered where the trim name “Lobo” came from – and why? In Mexico – where the Maverick is assembled – Lobo is related to the wolf that is native to the northern part of the country, as well parts of Arizona and New Mexico. In fact, Ford de Mexico has used the name for to distinguish more upmarket versions of the F-150 for years. Ironically, the new street truck version of the F-150 in the USA is now called Lobo. 

Now that we got all of the above off our chest, the matter at hand is whether the 2025 Maverick Lobo is indeed a paean to the sports minitrucks of the 1980s or just a trim level to engage with younger consumers. 

What makes the Lobo stand out from the rest of the Maverick lineup starts with its stance. The ground clearance is measured at 7.4 inches. In comparison, the front-drive Maverick stands about an inch higher off of the ground. Ford gave it a specific grille texture, a sports front fascia/bumper skin, some ground effects and a set of 19-inch alloy wheels with low-profile tires. 

For the 2025 mid-cycle refresh, Ford added new headlamp units to the Maverick with LED strips similar ot the Ranger and F-Series. 

It might look the part, but that ground clearance is a bit higher than a “real” 1980s sports truck was. Yet, Ford wanted to give the Maverick some personality to attract a demographic that has its share of lowered, stanced, and cambered cars that are usually seen hard parked at your local pop-up car meet. 

Stepping inside is mostly the Maverick you have known for a few years. Part of the 2025 revisions was a new eight-inch digital instrument cluster and a larger 13.2-inch center infotainment touchscreen. They also elevated the touch materials all around, including the door cards. 

There is one minor thing to point out about the instrumentation inside the 2025 Maverick Lobo. The temperature and fuel gauges that flank the instrument cluster screen look cool. However, you have to look where the thin finger pointer is indicating where the gauge is exactly reading at what level. A bit more clarity and a more robust indicator would do the trick. 

The Lobo trim includes Activex upholstery in Black Onyx. The seats get both yellow and blue accent stitching, however the rest of the interior receive just the blue stitching along with blue accents and a deep medium blue hue on the instrument panel. 

The only engine available on the Maverick Lobo is the 250-horsepower 2.0-liter turbocharged EcoBoost four-cylinder engine. It also puts down 275-280 pound-feet of torque. This is coupled to a seven-speed Quick-Shift transmission. Essentially, this is an eight-speed automatic found with the same engine on ther trims with the second speed “skipped” for improved performance. Rounding out the driveline, the 2025 Maverick Lobo comes only with the Advanced all-wheel drive system with a torque-vectoring twin-clutch rear differential. 

For the 2025 Maverick Lobo, our maximum tow rating was 2,000 pounds and with a payload rating of 1,045 pounds. If you don’t need to haul anything in the bed or off the hitch, you can take it to the track. Once there, you can put it into LOBO mode – an enhanced Sport mode that warns you that it is made for the track and not to use it elsewhere. 

As we mentioned before, we did track this on Road America’s karting course. It is difficult to truly measure its place on the tighter course with elevations and blind turns compared to other masters of the course. Yet, can be loads of fun for a driver who knows the course and can work the turns and apexes. 

However, a huge majority of us will simply drive it on the street or the highway. The EcoBoost engine was quite powerful, and the transmission worked just fine. No drama to speak of. As for fuel economy, we averaged 25.4 MPG. 

On the Maverick Lobo, Ford enhanced the steering, brakes, suspension for more of a “sports” tune. The result is a firmer driving experience that is more compliant than sporty. The sport tuned suspension felt more balanced. The dampers were not adjustable, even when changing drive modes. It yielded a very solid ride that tended to be a bit soft on occasion. 

Overall handling was quite good, as the Maverick cornered well. There is a bit of lean and roll at the limit, even with a sports-tuned suspension. 

The steering system was well weighted, while leaning towards being heavier than the usual Maverick. However, the on-center felt fine, with minimal play at the steering wheel. The upgraded brakes were also really good, exhibiting better results in normal, panic, and winter stops. Pedal feel was also quite good, too.

There are now five Maverick trim levels available. You can get the hybrid in three of them, while all-wheel drive is available across the lineup. Our 2025 Lobo test vehicle came with a sticker price of $42,445. Pricing for the 2026 lineup starts at $28,145. A 2026 version of our test vehicle would be $1,620 more. 

The once recipient of #VOTY2023 continues to stir conversations about the state of the pickup truck market. As prices skyrocket for popularly equipped larger models, there are some who are looking for a useful vehicle with plenty of utility at a price that won’t break their wallets. By the end of this year, the Ford Maverick will be the only one in its class sold in the USA. 

Some might think that it’s a bad thing. Not when Ford sold over 155,000 of them in 2025. It’s a number that speaks for itself. 

Adding the Lobo sport truck to the Maverick lineup is seen as a shrewd move. It does bring back some of the minitruck scene from 40-plus years ago. It also bucks the trend of ruggedized models – such as the Tremor. Although the Tremor is doing fine by itself. 

This widens the field for Ford to offer a line of sporty trucks under the Lobo trim level name. maybe it’s a new trend we should embrace? Just like 40-plus years ago when the sport truck was the thing, 

DISCLAIMER: vehicle provided by the Ford Motor Company – our opinions are of our own

All photos by Randy Stern