HOLLY OAKS, Michigan — The base hybrid-electric Ford Maverick is one of the best bargains on the auto shelf. For just $23,670, you get pickup utility, SUV-like headroom, rad steely wheels, cool interior, digital screens and 42 mpg in town. How can you beat those specs?
Well, let’s start with 250 horsepower and all-wheel drive.
BWAAAAAHHHHH! I stomped the gas of the rugged Maverick Tremor and it slung dirt across Holly Oaks ORV Park’s 175 acres. Whump! Armed with a steel bash plate, the front chin bounced off a mogul and kept on truckin’.
That’s right, the popular Maverick trucklet has a Tremor model for 2023 just like big brothers Ford F-150 and Ranger. Call it Maverick’s Top Gun — at least until they release a Raptor model (please?). It’s as compelling as the base model (the 2021 Detroit News Vehicle of the Year).
Where base Mav offers pickup utility with the gas mileage of a Prius, Tremor expands the truck’s playground with a growly, 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-banger mated to all-wheel drive that is not available in the standard trim.
You’ll know it by its orange tattoos.
There are orange grille highlights, tow hooks and wheel cutouts. This isn’t your average Maverick. For an extra $2,995, Tremor comes armed with some serious hardware in addition to its upgraded drivetrain. There are all-terrain tires, front bash plate, upgraded shocks and twin rear clutch packs. Holly Oaks is a convenient metro detour to play with Maverick’s new weapons. This place is a treat.
Boy, how I wish I could just roll up to Waterford Hills Raceway off U.S. 24, hand over $30 and take hot laps in, say, the affordable Toyota GR sports car. That’s the opportunity Holly Oaks offers to anyone — not just those with purpose-built dirt chewers or $70,000 Bronco Raptors. Holly Oaks may be public, but like private M1 Concourse-like car clubs, it’s a community of enthusiasts. You can walk up to anyone to tell tales — or get pulled out of the swamp that just swallowed your 4-wheeler.
I picked up my favorite Uncle Joe’s chicken in Southfield and hoofed it 40 minutes up I-75 on a crisp December weekend. I attached an off-road flag, bought my $30 ticket and had a sprawling sandbox at my disposal. But first, lunch.
From Badger Head (one of Holly’s highest spots), I enjoyed my chicken and Texas toast while watching Jeeps, 4x4s and motorbikes crawl like ants over the trails below. I took in the nifty Tremor interior — this is no generic, plastic truck cabin.
Floating armrests are not just easy to grip for door closings, but they open space for tall Thermos storage. Heated seats and steering wheel? Check. The digital instrument and console display are right out of an iPhone store. Speaking of smartphones, I’d hooked up my Samsung on entry to the Android Auto app for navigation.
There are shortcomings. While Maverick’s only segment competitor, the unibody Hyundai Santa Cruz pickup, comes standard with wireless Android Auto (as does Ford’s state-of-the-art SYNC4 system), the ‘23 Tremor is a generation behind with wired SYNC3. And while Maverick offers a nifty Trail Control feature for off-roading, it doesn’t offer adaptive cruise for the highway, a standard item on compact cars like the $25K Nissan Sentra and Mazda3. Neither does its backup camera beep when approaching an object, a drawback when maneuvering in tight spots like parking garages or narrow ORV park trails.
On the hatchback side of the compact aisle, the Mazda3 Turbo is the enthusiasts’ choice of affordable, all-wheel-drive fun and comes loaded with similar 250-horsepower turbo-4 plus adaptive cruise control, head-up display and blind-spot assist standard for a whopping $5K less than my $39,000 Tremor Lariat tester. Back off the Lariat trim to XLT and the sticker is a more manageable $34.5K (though that’s still $11K north of the base Maverick).
So Maverick Tremor puts you in a different price class. But unlike the hybrid and its utilitarian bed/fuel economy combo, Tremor offers on-road/off-road dexterity.
I finished my meal and plunged into the Holly fray.
I came off my Badger Head spot using TRAIL ASSIST, a kind of low-speed cruise control that allowed me to focus on navigating the narrow trail. Once on the open flats, I prepared Tremor for battle.
Off-road features are in a digital toolbox on the console. I punched the Mode key and the instrument screen illuminated with colorful drivetrain options. I selected MUD & RUTS. The engine note dropped an octave to a growl, and traction control turned off. I selected the AWD LOCK tool and we were in business. I attacked the Glen dirt track with a vengeance, using the throttle liberally while churning through deep soil.
For all its swagger, Maverick Tremor is no Bronco Raptor (the last Ford bruiser I took to Holly), so I approached trails more cautiously, mindful of Mav’s lesser breakover angle (19.9 degrees vs. 30.8 degrees for the Bronc), not to mention unibody construction, which can’t take the punishment of Bronc’s ladder frame. An extra inch of lift over the base Maverick helps.
I was braver in flat sections, where the turbo-4’s grunt and signature torque-vectoring rear clutch packs (capable of throwing grip to the rear wheel that needs it most) combine so Mav can really kick up its heels.
WHACKITY WHACK WHACK went something in the back seat. I stopped to collect a rogue snow scraper (handy for clearing fresh snow that morning). Tremor has useful storage under the flip-up rear seat (just like Big Brother F-150). I secured the scraper and went back to dirt-kicking.
Out back, the bed is a useful space for owners who want to bring along a motorbike to go deeper into Holly Oaks trails. With its smooth unibody chassis — the same bones that fortify the Escape and Bronco Sport SUVs — Tremor transitioned easily to the road. I returned my little warrior to NORMAL mode, set Google Maps to Home and purred home down I-75.
Is the premium-priced Tremor deserving of Maverick’s value label? It’s a tougher sell, especially as my Lariat’s $40K price tag is the same as the mid-size unibody Honda Ridgeline pickup. But price my Tremor with the cloth-seat XLT package and it’s a $34K bargain next to a ladder-frame Ranger Tremor asking $46,495, similarly equipped. It’s also the only game in town from the Detroit Three — in addition to the stylish unibody-based Santa Cruz Night model that is more sport oriented than off-grid bruiser.
Big Brother F-150 is king, but Maverick Tremor expands little brother’s appeal.
2023 Ford Maverick Tremor
Vehicle type: Front engine, all-wheel-drive five-passenger compact pickup
Price: $32,305, including $1,495 destination fee ($39,560 Lariat as tested)
Powerplant: 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder
Power: 250 horsepower, 277 pound-feet torque
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Payload: 1,500 pounds; Towing capacity: 4,000 pounds with tow package
Weight: 3,731 pounds
Fuel economy: 22 city/29 highway/25 combined
Report card
Highs: Sophisticated drivetrain; cool interior
Lows: Adaptive cruise and blind-spot assist not standard; wireless Apple CarPlay, please
Overall: 4 stars
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