Ford Maverick News

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It feels like, in recent years, all we talk about is the take-over of the dual-cab ute. The idea of a ute is nothing new but since the Toyota HiLux took over the best-selling accolade in 2016, they have changed dramatically in how they’re used. It isn’t farmers, miners or road-workers driving the Aussie ute boom, it’s those who use these vehicles for both work and play. For family duties and forest exploration, but the current crop of utes are tied to their commercial heritage and compromised as a result.Over the years there have been some takes that simply wouldn’t have flown here: the hideous 207-based Peugeot Hoggar, the Golf-based VW Saveiro and Chevrolet Montana don’t get the blood rushing like a Ford Ranger Raptor, that’s for sure. But this “half SUV, half dual-cab ute,” Ford bosses told CarsGuide of back in 2020? That could be revolutionary. About a year later, the new Ford Maverick was born based on the same underpinnings as the Escape and Bronco Sport SUVs. Pretty much since then, we’ve been asking why Ford hasn’t been able to bring Maverick Down Under. The Ranger is still the one to choose if you need carrying capacity, towing ability or extreme off-road ability but for city and suburban folk, the cleaner burn petrol engine and more SUV-like ride of the Maverick could be the perfect tonic. Oddly, Ford Australia is keeping very quiet about the Maverick. Apparently it’s too popular in the US to consider right-hand drive, for now. Hyundai, however, has trickled the scoop down to dealers that its Santa Cruz pick-up, based on the Tucson mid-size SUV, is coming to Australia some time in 2026. Like the Maverick, the Santa Cruz has proved a hit with US pick-up buyers, combining car-like comfort with outdoorsy styling and carrying ability in an affordable, fuel-efficient package. The other benefit of SUV-based utes is the ease of engineering a hybrid system. For Hyundai and Ford, plug-in and plugless hybrids already exist in their passenger cars. Next stop, funky utes.The Maverick and Santa Cruz could pave the way for Honda’s entrant, the Ridgeline. A tough-looking SUV-based ute.With a bit more size and punch, the Ridgeline is aligned more closely with Ranger and HiLux, rather than the smaller Santa Cruz and Maverick. That could change come 2026, when its expected replacement arrives.Then there are the models we haven’t seen yet. Most exciting might be the Renault Duster Oroch — otherwise known as the Dacia. The budget-oriented brand is eyeing an Australia launch in the near future and a ute could be the ticket to instant sales success. Gawky in its first-gen form, the new Duster design lends itself perfectly to a ute version. Just look at this speculative render by Kolesa of the Renault pick-up. A 650kg payload is targeted, about 300kg down on the dominant dual-cab segment but still plenty more than your average medium SUV. Finally, we’d love to see Subaru return to this segment with a Brumby revival — or Brat, for you North Americans. The ute name is an icon here and abroad and, with Subaru’s latest Outback taking a step closer to ruggedness, it would be the perfect spin-off. As always, we’re talking about this ‘new breed’ of utes as if they’re groundbreaking. They aren’t so much in Australia, with Ford and Holden both famous for car-based utes.Holden even tried to steal a bit of rugged HiLux love, dipping its toes (rather unsuccessfully, mind you) into the segment with the lifted Crewman Cross 8 and its HSV Avalanche relation. Toyota also toyed with a car-based ute with the vibrant X-Runner concept of 2003. 

Ford needs a less expensive model under the Ranger and Everest, that buyers want, preferably to operate in a segment that is not saturated with rivals, while offering a far-more economical powertrain than a diesel engine in order to meet increasingly stringent NVES regulations. To paraphrase one of the company’s most successful-ever advertising campaigns, the Ford Maverick is the answer.

Hyundai is set to be the first with the return of the car-based ute in Australia, with an evolution of its popular North American Santa Cruz series. As revealed by CarsGuide back in May, the company informed its local dealer network at a conference of plans for a future version to launch in Australia. Timing is vague, but we hear from around 2026. And Ford won't be too far behind with the Maverick

Ford USA seems to get all the good stuff - not just the partially Aussie-developed Bronco four-wheel drive but also the urban-friendly Maverick ute. 

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Australians love two types of vehicles at the moment - mid-size SUVs and utes. Together, those two segments make up more than 40 per cent of the new cars bought in this country so far in 2023.

Will the next all-new Mazda BT-50 be twinned with the upcoming Toyota HiLux? The ever-closer working relationship between the Japanese brands is prompting speculation on many coming joint venture – from a line of luxury grand touring sedans and EVs to be shared with Lexus, to a monocoque dual-cab ute to take on the super-successful Ford Maverick in America.

Since the beginning of this decade, models like the Mustang Mach-E electric vehicle (EV), reborn Explorer and Bronco SUVs and the trailblazing Maverick ute have really connected with consumers.

Nissan confirms it is working on a car-based small ute, but will Australia ever see it?