2025 Ford Maverick vs 2025 Ford F-150

The 2025 Ford Maverick retained its familiar chunky styling, reminiscent of larger Ford trucks like the Ranger and F-150, thanks to its large wheel arches. However, Ford made some design tweaks, such as removing the crossbar that previously bisected the headlights, giving the Maverick a more conventional look and opening up the grille for various designs based on trim levels. The Maverick offered several trims, including the base XL, XLT, and Lariat, along with specialty models like the Tremor and Lobo. The Tremor was an off-road model with dedicated suspension tuning, all-terrain tires, and a twin-clutch rear drive unit for its AWD system. Meanwhile, the Lobo paid homage to the street truck trend with a cleaner front fascia, painted rear bumper, side skirts, and 19-inch wheels, emphasized by a lowered suspension.

Inside, the Maverick boasted one of the best basic interiors, with even the base XL featuring multicolour trim and exposed screwheads, creating a life-size Tonka truck feel. The Lobo added bright Grabber Blue and yellow accents. Despite the use of mainly plastic materials, Ford managed to deliver a fun design and high-quality feel. The Maverick Lariat models featured a gloss-black grille, while the Lobo had a waterfall design. The Maverick's interior was both practical and stylish, with unique turbofan-style wheel designs available for the Lobo model.

The 2025 Ford F-150 Tremor SuperCrew, equipped with a short cargo bed and a 5.0-litre V8 engine, was a standout in the F-150 lineup. With a base price of $71,005 Canadian, including destination charges, the Tremor offered a mix of affordability and off-road capability. It featured a standard 3.5-litre V6 engine or the optional V8, along with off-roading equipment and exclusive design details. The Tremor's exterior was distinguished by body-colour and black details, Active Orange accents, and exclusive wheels wrapped in all-terrain tires. The "TREMOR" decal on the cargo bed added to its unique appearance.

Inside, the F-150 Tremor's black interior featured orange accents and stitching, with optional leather upholstery and seat perforations. The cabin had an industrial appearance, fitting for a truck of its class. The F-150 Tremor boasted digital instrumentation and a touchscreen infotainment system, along with numerous knobs and buttons for ease of use. The truck's size posed challenges in tight spaces, but it excelled on trails and highways, offering a quiet and comfortable ride. The Tremor's all-terrain tires limited its handling on twisty roads, but it remained a capable and enjoyable vehicle for both off-road adventures and daily driving.

The 2025 Ford Maverick offered two powertrain options, with notable changes to drivetrain configurations. The standard hybrid powertrain, featuring a 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine running on the Atkinson cycle, produced 191 horsepower and 155 pound-feet of torque. It was available with front-wheel drive (FWD) or all-wheel drive (AWD). The non-hybrid powertrain, a 2.0-litre EcoBoost turbocharged four-cylinder engine, delivered 238 horsepower and 275 pound-feet of torque, and was AWD-only. Most trim levels came with an eight-speed automatic transmission, while the Maverick Lobo used a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox.

The Lobo trim emphasized handling, with lowered suspension, dual-piston front brake calipers, an upgraded cooling system, and a track-focused Lobo drive mode. It borrowed the Maverick Tremor's twin-clutch rear drive unit for torque vectoring. The Lobo excelled on winding roads and autocross courses, offering a unique performance experience among pickup trucks. The basic Maverick hybrid provided a passenger-car-like ride and handling, making it a great daily driver, though power was more abundant with the 2.0-litre turbo-four engine.

The 2025 Ford F-150 Tremor's 5.0-litre V8 engine was a standout, producing 400 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 410 pound-feet of torque at 4,250 rpm. It offered a maximum towing capacity of 4,490 kilograms (9,900 pounds) and a payload capacity of 780 kilograms (1,725 pounds). The V8 engine delivered a sensational sound and impressive performance, making it a tempting choice despite the more capable and fuel-efficient twin-turbocharged 3.5-litre EcoBoost V6 engine. The Tremor EcoBoost achieved a fuel economy rating of 12.9 litres per 100 kilometres combined, while the V8 averaged 14.9 L/100 km in testing.

The F-150 Tremor featured a 10-speed automatic transmission, providing ample power for passing, climbing, and off-roading. It came with standard 4WD, off-road-tuned suspension, skid plates, and front recovery hooks. Driving modes included Deep Snow/Sand, Mud/Rut, and Rock Crawl, along with Ford's Trail Control off-road cruise control system. The Tremor's size posed challenges on narrow trails, but it excelled on concrete, offering a taut and quiet ride. The truck's all-terrain tires limited handling on twisty roads, but it remained a capable and enjoyable vehicle for both off-road adventures and daily driving.

The 2025 Ford Maverick offered a base towing capacity of 907 kilograms (2,000 pounds), which could be increased to 1,814 kilograms (4,000 pounds) with the optional 4K Towing Package, except for the Lobo and Tremor models. However, this was still less than the 2,268-kilogram (5,000-pound) maximum of the Hyundai Santa Cruz. The Maverick's hybrid models had a payload capacity of 635 kilograms (1,400 pounds) with AWD and 680 kilograms (1,500 pounds) with FWD, which was also the max payload for most turbo-four models.

Ford provided innovative ways to maximize onboard space, with sections of 2x4 that could slot into specially designed pockets in the bed sidewalls for cargo dividers. The bed featured a 110-volt outlet and pre-wired 12-volt connections for additional outlets. The Maverick's 4.5-foot bed was shorter than conventional pickups, but the tailgate could be locked at an angle to accommodate larger cargo. Inside, Ford eliminated conventional door armrests to create more room for drink bottles and smaller items, with intricately molded in-door cubbies for various beverage container sizes. The Maverick's unibody platform offered similar headroom and legroom across both rows as the larger Ford Ranger.

The 2025 Ford F-150 Tremor featured running boards designed for off-roading, making entry and exit easier. Inside, the oversized, power-adjustable front seats and spacious rear bench provided long-haul comfort. The test truck had perforated black leather, heated front and rear seats, ventilated front seats, and a heated steering wheel. The climate control system and seat ventilation proved effective in high temperatures. The optional panoramic sunroof and power sliding rear window enhanced the driving experience, allowing for a carefree coastal drive.

Storage space was abundant within the F-150 SuperCrew, with the available Mobile Office package transforming the centre console into a flat workstation. The rear seat cushion could be flipped up to securely stow cargo on the cab's flat floor or access concealed storage. The Tremor also featured towing and hauling upgrades, including the Pro Access tailgate, which could swing open to the side or drop down traditionally. A hard tonneau cover added security, while a spray-in bedliner protected the cargo bay. The retractable rear step made it easier to access the bed when needed.

The 2025 Ford Maverick received a tech upgrade with the introduction of the Sync 4 system, replacing the previous Sync 3. A standard 13.2-inch touchscreen replaced the previous eight-inch screen, and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto became standard. The Maverick also featured a new 8-inch digital instrument cluster. The tech was straightforward, with easy access to functions on the touchscreen and instrument cluster. However, the reliance on the touchscreen for temperature and seat heaters was less convenient than physical buttons.

For 2025, the Maverick borrowed towing tech from Ford's larger trucks. The Pro Trailer Hitch Assist, standard on the Maverick Lariat, used the rearview camera and driver-assist radars to align the truck with a trailer hitch, controlling steering, acceleration, and braking. Pro Trailer Backup Assist could automatically reverse the trailer, with the driver setting the angle by twisting a knob.

The 2025 Ford F-150 featured dual 12-inch displays, including a "productivity screen" digital instrument panel and a Sync 4 infotainment touchscreen. While smaller than some modern screens, they offered impressive usability. The steering wheel controls allowed for easy access to vehicle settings and data. However, the dainty fonts and poor contrast on the centre display made it challenging to discern details in bright conditions.

The infotainment system and upgraded 14-speaker Bang & Olufsen audio system were excellent, with seamless pairing of an iPhone 16 and wireless Apple CarPlay. The native navigation system and voice recognition technology were outstanding, providing quick and accurate results. The Tremor also featured a widescreen head-up display, helpful cameras for off-roading and parking, and a menu of trailering assistance features.

The 2025 Ford Maverick offered a range of driver-assist features, though not all were standard. Forward-collision warning, adaptive cruise control with lane-centring and stop-and-go functions, and automatic high beams were standard on the base XL. Blind-spot monitoring, lane-keep assist, and lane-departure warning were optional. A 360-degree camera system was a new addition for 2025. The Maverick received a four-star overall safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), with four stars in rollover crash testing and five stars in frontal and side crash tests. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) had not published full crash-test ratings at press time, but the Maverick received a "Good" rating in the updated side crash test and a "Marginal" rating in the updated moderate overlap front test.

The 2025 Ford F-150 Tremor boasted impressive safety features, including new oncoming-traffic detection for the automatic emergency braking system, evasive steering assist, intersection braking assist, and predictive speed assist. The lane-keeping assist system featured Road Edge Detection and Active Blind-Spot Assist. The Driver State Detection system was part of the F-150's BlueCruise hands-free driving technology, standard on the Tremor trim. BlueCruise offered hands-free operation, though drivers needed to be prepared to take control in challenging situations. The F-150 earned a five-star overall rating from the NHTSA and performed well in crash tests conducted by the IIHS.