In 2021, Ford captured lightning in a bottle with the Maverick pickup. The brilliance of the Maverick is that it does so much for so little. It’s a tiny truck that’s remarkably practical, extremely affordable, and when equipped with a hybrid powertrain, delightfully frugal. Now, Ford has given the Maverick a new trick. The folks at the Blue Oval reached into their parts bin, pulled out the turbo from a Mustang, and now the Maverick is a quick 300 HP mini truck. You can even get it on a base model XL.
One of the greatest parts about American truck culture is that there’s a ride for everyone. If you want to haul the Empire State Building, there’s an array of heavy-duty pickups that can do it without breaking a sweat. Want to do burnouts or skip through the desert at warp speed? There are so many trucks for that, too! Ford has found something special with the Maverick. It’s a truck that drives like a car, gets awesome fuel economy, and still has enough capability to do real truck stuff. It might just be the best pickup on the market for folks who want a truck in a friendly package.
To Ford’s credit, it has been continually improving on the concept, too. The Ford Maverick Tremor is a scaled-down off-roader, while the Maverick Lobo is a mean street truck. Now, Ford has figured out how to soup up the Maverick, just like it has with the F-Series. Meet the Maverick 300T, which Ford just debuted at SEMA. But unlike many SEMA builds, you’re going to be able to buy this one. Can I get a “yee haw?”
Maverick Hot Rod
First, let me lay the groundwork. As of right now, you have two powertrain choices for a factory-built Maverick. The base engine, and it’s a popular option, is a 2.5-liter four with an eCVT assisted by an electric motor for a combined system output of 191 HP and 173 lb-ft of torque. Not bad for a little pickup! At first, this mill was available in only front-wheel-drive, but now you can get it in AWD, which is sweet. Car and Driver says that the hybrid AWD also hits 60 mph in 6.7 seconds, which is decent for this type of vehicle.
If that’s not spicy enough, Ford also sells the Maverick with a 2.0-liter turbo good for 250 HP and 277 lb-ft of twist, which comes backed by an eight-speed auto. That dispatches 60 mph in 5.8 seconds, which is nearly sports car fast! Another sweet trick in Ford’s tool belt is that the AWD hybrid model can now be equipped with the 4K Tow Package, so now you can have the Maverick’s amped up tow rating and hybrid power at the same time. Ford says the hybrid AWD model gets 37 mpg combined, which is just awesome.
But what if 250 horses in your stable just aren’t enough? Well, Ford went rummaging around its Ford Performance parts bin for a way to boost the Maverick, and found just the thing, the turbocharger from the 2.3-liter EcoBoost Mustang engine.
This one part makes a huge difference. The ‘Stang’s snail has a 59mm compressor wheel, a good improvement over the 53mm turbo in the 2.0-liter Maverick. To make sure that the fatter turbo works well, Ford then mounted the Maverick 300T with a Mishimoto intercooler that’s 58.8 percent larger than the stock one. Apparently, bringing in the big cooling guns results in a 39.6 percent increase in temperature reduction and a 20.1 percent reduction in pressure drop. Ford says the lower temps will allow the hotter Maverick to do pull after pull with consistent power.
ProCal 4 tuning and a Borla exhaust round out the changes under the skin. The result is 300 HP and 317 lb-ft of torque, healthy gains across the board. For those of you counting, the Boostang gets 315 HP and 350 lb-ft of torque, so the fast Maverick isn’t far behind.
Of course, it’s a SEMA build, so the Maverick 300T couldn’t just be faster; it also has to look the part! Ford gave the Maverick 300T 20-inch Mach-E GT wheels shod in 245-series Michelin Pilot Sport 4S for looks. The version of the 300T kit you’ll be able to buy will have Pirelli P ZERO ELECT tires. Ford then adds a 0.4-inch suspension lower front and a 1.18-inch suspension drop in the rear. Further platform upgrades include a thicker anti-roll bar and upgraded shocks.
The rest of the changes are minor, including some black or bronze graphics, special 300T badging, special floor mats, and an Air Design front spoiler.
Power And A Warranty
This package will work a lot like how the FP700 package works for the F-150. The Ford Performance parts will enhance existing trucks, and since it has Ford’s blessing, you won’t nuke your warranty if you have it installed by a dealer. Ford says the 300T package will be available for 2025 Maverick XL, XLT, and Lariat trims with the 2.0-liter EcoBoost engine and AWD. Yep, that means you could get this hot kit on a base model work truck!
Ford recommends equipping the 300T kit on pickups with the 4K Tow Package to take advantage of that model’s enhanced transmission cooling, but the kit can be applied to models with the standard 2,000-pound towing package, too.
Sadly, Ford has not announced pricing or acceleration times. But Ford does say that it will be available in 2026 and fully emissions compliant, so even our California friends will be able to enjoy their Maverick sport truck. Your hopped-up truck will also get a three-year/36,000-mile warranty, so it’s guilt-free fun until the warranty runs out.
Update: Readers with Maverick experience warn that the 2.0’s transmission can be somewhat delicate without extra power going through it. So, be careful!
Overall, this is a lot like the fabled Ford F-150 FP700. The Maverick 300T kit turns an already great truck into a better truck, and you can even do it to a work truck-spec XL model. The sweetener is being able to keep your warranty.
I just love how Ford has been drunk with horsepower lately. Ford’s solution to everything seems to be “more power,” and I love it. Sure, a 50 HP upgrade isn’t as silly as what Ford has done with other trucks, but I am certain that sporting Maverick owners will start to scoop these up the moment they’re available. So, good on Ford for finding yet another way to make America’s almost perfect little pickup even cooler.
The post The Almost Perfect Ford Maverick Just Got Even Better With 300 HP From The Mustang’s Turbocharger appeared first on The Autopian.
