During testing of the Ford Maverick Lobo, a journalist discovered it handles urban driving remarkably well—except for one specific challenge. After passing multiple Home Depot locations, the compact truck was put to the test at Chuckwalla Valley Raceway, where it competed against premium American performance cars like the Ford Mustang GTD.
As a resident of Long Beach, California, the writer was hesitant to take on the task of chaperoning the sporty truck for the remainder of its year with them. Long Beach is a big city, with a population of about half a million people, and comes with typical big-city challenges, including a lack of parking.
Fitting In Nicely
The Maverick Lobo’s compact footprint, including its overall length of 200.9 inches, makes it well-suited for city life. Its parallel parking success rate currently stands at 100 percent, thanks to its ability to slip into tight parking spots with ease.
The Maverick Lobo’s visibility is also excellent, aided by a relatively high seating position and big sightlines throughout. This is especially helpful for driving in Long Beach’s many roundabouts, speed bumps, and tricky driveways.
Personal Theft Experience and SoCal Enthusiast Perspective
As a new San Francisco resident, he once left a backpack and laptop in the car’s back seat. When he returned, broken glass and a missing laptop greeted him, leaving his heart slightly hardened. Since then he rarely leaves anything in a vehicle. However, road trips sometimes make it impossible to avoid storing items temporarily.
He also ponders unsolved mysteries, such as the proper way to launch a Subaru WRX with a manual transmission.
Visibility and Cameras
The Maverick Lobo lacks the F-150’s distinctive dip on its front side windows, but it doesn’t need it. The writer found that the truck’s backup camera is vastly superior compared to other Ford products they’ve recently spent time in, including the Mach-E GT, Ranger, and its F-150 Lobo big brother.
The Maverick Lobo’s optional 360-degree camera is also top-notch, though the writer admitted they haven’t found much use for it. The truck’s huge horizontally orientated 13.2-inch infotainment screen and sharp camera make it well-suited for handling tight spaces.
The writer noted that one of the tricky driveways they have to drive in is the one at their house, which is narrow and faces an arterial road with cars often street-parked at the edges.
A helpful neighbor shared a tip with the writer, suggesting they reverse at a sharp angle and use the car’s backup camera to view oncoming traffic. The Maverick Lobo excels at this task, thanks to its excellent camera and large infotainment screen.
The writer also appreciated the Maverick Lobo’s hidden storage, including a deep center console and spacious bins underneath the rear seats. The truck’s tonneau cover also keeps things hidden, though it’s more of a deterrent than surefire security.
When the Maverick Lobo wasn’t being used for track days, it served as a support vehicle, mostly for transporting big jugs of 100 octane fuel for the thirsty Mustang GTD. The tailgate’s low 28.2 inch lift-in height made this task a breeze.
The writer noted that the Maverick Lobo’s powertrain is eager and zippy off the line, and its sport-tuned suspension and steering make it a stealth city runabout. However, its 40-foot turning circle feels overly large for something that’s relatively compact.
