As automakers scale up the production of hybrid tech, it becomes cheaper to make, while the mileage gains it allows becomes an operating-cost no-brainer for buyers.
So argues Toyota, which has gradually made hybrid powertrains standard on a wide range of models like the Sienna minivan, Venza crossover, and Crown sedan. Toyota has managed to offer several different hybrids with 40 mpg or more and AWD at less than $30,000.
That appeared to be where Ford was headed with some of its models like the Mexico-built Ford Maverick compact pickup, too, which rolled out two years ago with the hybrid version as standard. But starting with model year 2024, Ford is taking a step back and charging $1,500 extra for the Maverick Hybrid. The turbo-4 non-hybrid is now the base engine.
According to Ford, the 2024 Maverick XL starts at $24,995, including the $1,595 destination charge, while the Maverick Hybrid XL starts at $26,495.
That’s $5,005 more than the 2022 Maverick hybrid cost when it was introduced—or 23% more than two model years ago. But until anyone else enters the market, Ford provides the only truck that’s close to compact in the U.S.
2024 Ford Maverick preview
Maverick hybrid production was very limited in the 2022 model year, with Ford citing the global semiconductor shortage. But at that time Ford gave plenty of indications that it intended to scale up availability of the hybrid versions later. Reports also indicated that Ford misgauged interest in the Maverick hybrid and simply hadn’t planned for that level of demand.
For 2024, Ford once again says that it will build as many as it can to meet demand, but between the lines, the company hasn’t made any bold moves to free up its hybrid-production tangle—and it no longer says it’s going to get any better.
“Capacity constraints on batteries for the hybrid continue to be a challenge,” Ford spokesperson Dawn McKenzie said to Green Car Reports. “This new offering strategy will help us better manage customer orders and accommodate all programs that use this engine (Maverick, Escape, Kuga).”
Ford declined to comment on whether this has any impact on the release of a Bronco Sport Hybrid, which the company has hinted in the past is a possibility.
2023 Ford Maverick
As before, the 2024 Ford Maverick is expected to achieve EPA ratings of 42 mpg city, 33 highway, 37 combined. That tops all other gasoline-fueled pickups in efficiency. Non-hybrid Mavericks get 23 mpg city, 30 highway, 26 combined with front-wheel drive or 22/29/25 mpg with AWD.
With 191 hp combined from its hybrid system pairing a 2.5-liter inline-4 engine and 94-kw electric motor, the Maverick hybrid isn’t quick. But it can carry a quarter-ton payload and can tow up to a ton—plenty, really, for a couple of jet-skis, a small camping trailer, or all your landscaping needs.
The hybrid Maverick has always been front-wheel-drive only. If you want all-wheel drive, it comes only with the 2.0-liter turbo-4, making 250 hp and paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission.
At 199.7 inches long and 68.7 inches high, the Maverick isn’t nearly as small as the Rangers of a generation or two ago, but it is small enough to easily fit in most garages, where Ford’s F-150 and even some Rangers will be challenged.
2023 Ford Maverick
The Maverick is also offered in a mid-range XLT version, costing $27,910 for the non-hybrid or $29,410 for the hybrid, and now including a modular bedliner. A top-of-the-line Lariat starts at $35,730 for the hybrid or $36,450 for the non-hybrid (AWD included), and it gets a standard active-safety suite including blind-spot monitors, adaptive cruise control, and rear parking sensors.
Keyword: 2024 Ford Maverick no longer starts with 37-mpg hybrid version