Ford’s smallest truckFor 2025, the Maverick gets some major updates. The latest version of the compact pickup features refreshed styling, optional all-wheel drive, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 13.2-inch touchscreen, and other tech upgrades. Given that the Maverick was introduced as a 2022 model, it’s not surprising that it gets these sweeping improvements. What was unexpected was the news about a new street truck variant of the Maverick, the Lobo (Spanish for wolf).
High-performance trucks are nothing new for Ford, but they’ve changed dramatically over the past 20 years. The last gas-powered F-150 Lightning was a 2004 SVT model with two doors, a flareside cargo box, and a supercharged 5.4-liter V8. A few years later, that special place in Ford’s lineup was replaced by the F-150 Raptor, a pickup designed to fly over sand rather than burn up pavement. There’s a new Lightning, but it’s an electric vehicle with a SuperCrew cab.
This makes the Maverick Lobo a retro model before it’s even released. The idea behind it started in 2019, when Maverick designer Josh Blundo saw a clay model of the truck and modified it to his own vision, including a front splitter, widebody kit, wing, and different wheels. This inspired Tucci Hot Rods to create the build, which was shown at the 2021 SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) show, and prompted Ford to approve the production version of the Lobo.
Designers gave the Lobo a special front fascia, a painted rear bumper, and unique rocker moldings. The black roof matches the color of the 19-inch wheels that look similar to Rotiform AeroDiscs.
The street theme continues inside the car, with black seats printed with graffiti graphics and accent stitching in Grabber Blue and Electric Lime, a nod to streetwear. Buyers can choose standard cabin features or upgrade to the Premium trim, which adds a heated steering wheel, heated seats, Ford Co-Pilot360 2.0 suite of driver-assistive technologies, a 360-degree camera, a spray-on cargo bed liner and a sunroof. Early next year, the Maverick Lobo will be available with Pro Trailer Hitch Assist and Pro Trailer Backup Assist.
These exterior changes are complemented by a variety of suspension and handling improvements designed to improve Lobo’s responsiveness on the road and on a closed track. Engineers lowered the front ride height by half an inch, the rear by 1.12 inches, and the roof height by 0.8 inches.
A special Lobo driving mode (only useful on closed courses like autocross tracks, as it dials down the stability control) engages the dual-clutch rear-drive unit’s torque vectoring, which is claimed to reduce understeer and improve cornering, grip and stability.
Aside from a larger radiator and fan and a transmission cooler in the Maverick 4K towing package, the 2.0-liter EcoBoost I4 doesn’t get any enhancements. Under the hood of the 2025 Maverick, the engine should produce 238 horsepower and 277 pound-feet of torque, according to Ford’s media site. Unlike the other models, the Lobo will transmit its output through a seven-speed automatic transmission. Upgraded brakes with dual-piston front calipers from the European-market Focus ST should help keep the Lobo from running too wild.
You may have been waiting years for a new Ford street truck, but you can order a 2025 Maverick Lobo right now. Deliveries will begin in early 2025, with high-spec trucks arriving later this year.
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