Did Ford Tease New Bronco and Maverick Variants in a Recent Earnings Call?
It’s still difficult to buy a Ford Maverick and Bronco, both now a few years out from their initial releases, but there’s more on the way. The popular compact pickup and off-road SUV could be getting new variants soon, as the keen eyes at Motor 1 picked out language in its third-quarter sales results that could indicate fresh versions of both vehicles are on the way.
We’ve seen spy shots of what could be a sporty Maverick ST, but they’re pretty dated at this point, and we haven’t seen more since. Of course, Ford could be referencing a Maverick Raptor, which would bring a serious performance upgrade for the truck.
As for the Bronco, Ford didn’t clarify whether it was speaking about the Bronco Sport or the full-size Bronco model. It unveiled the Bronco Raptor last year, so there’s a chance Ford could be referencing a Bronco Raptor R, following the F-150 Raptor R with a supercharged V8.
Ford could just be talking about special trims or editions of existing models. The Bronco got a heritage-themed variant last year, and the Maverick got a Tremor model, so a near-future release could be more of the same. Ford representative Mike Levine confirmed that the automaker would not pursue a plug-in hybrid variant of the Maverick, so that’s at least one guess off the table.
[Image: Ford]
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Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.
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No way Ford blemishes the Raptor brand on the Escape based Maverick. Do something like they did with the Ranger, some paint, stripes, a better stereo. The Splash Rangers were all over the place for awhile. A Maverick ST; 2.0L EcoBoost, 6-speed manual, AWD with a Torque-Vectoring rear axle and some better underpinnings would be cool. But don't ruin Raptor the way Chevy did with SS or even Ford with the Cobra II back in the day. As a Bronco owner, the 2.7L gives me plenty of juice once the boost is up. But it sounds like a dishwasher full of pea gravel. The standard 5.0 from the F-150 would be awesome but probably too wide and tall to fit. Too bad they pulled the plug on the Windsor 5.0, a compact little motor that could easily deliver 300 HP and 350 ft lbs and fit into anything bigger than a go-kart.
So Ford has all the time in the world to think up one special edition of this thing after another, but still can’t (or won’t) build enough to meet demand. If I wanted a Maverick it would be the XL hybrid with nothing extra. Meanwhile Ford talks about Tremors and Raptors and other special versions. Heritage Maverick with retro graphics? More stuff you’d presumably have to wait a year to get? A friend of mine was looking at the Maverick but bought a Ridgeline instead and loves it. He got a discount off MSRP on the Ridgeline and the Ford dealer wanted a premium of a few thousand for the Maverick. Fortunately I have a strict No Ford policy so this doesn’t affect me. Ridiculous nonetheless.
Pragmatic add for the Mav would be an all-wheel drive version of the hybrid. This drivetrain is already available in the Escape.
Lack of hybrid mfg capacity is likely why it's not there, even though it'd be a more substantive move than mini-truck performance alternatives.
I ordered my THIRD Maverick (This one is a Tremor) when the 24 model order banks opened in July. It's already built and in transit to my dealer. My son ordered a XLT Hybrid, scheduled for production next week. Ford added a third shift at the Hermosillo plant this summer & has been ramping up production- over 13k built in October.