Reviving Street Trucks: 2025 Maverick Lobo
It's been at least 25 years since street trucks were popular, but the genre is getting a revival courtesy of the new 2025 Ford Maverick Lobo. Street trucks were traditionally small or compact pickups lowered and customized for performance, style, or both, and the Maverick Lobo hits all the classic mini-truckin' marks.
What Is the Ford Maverick Lobo?
If you’ve heard of the Ford Lobo before, you’ve probably been to—or are from—Mexico: It’s Spanish for “wolf” and is the name the F-150 is sold under there. We had a feeling something was up for America when Ford trademarked the “F-150 Lobo” and “Maverick Lobo” names for America last year. The new street truck sits at the top of the Maverick range, though a lower-priced version is also available. Both versions are the lowest-riding models in the Maverick family, lowered by 0.5 inches up front and 1.1 inches at the rear.
The Lobo was inspired by a Tucci Hot Rods Maverick build for the 2021 SEMA show and brings a similar vibe with a body-color rear bumper and side skirts, a black roof, and its own front fascia and grille. Sweet-looking 19-inch black monobloc-style wheels round out the visuals, though more traditional wheels are also available. The Lobo package looks pretty righteous—and will look even better once owners drop it even farther. The only real missteps in our eyes concern badging. The Lobo name is cool, but there’s no wordmark or cool wolf’s head on the tailgate. And the fender garnish is all black, as on the entry-level Maverick XL; the truck's other high-spec models add contrast coloring to the trim name.
Interior Design
Inside, the Maverick Lobo features Grabber Blue and Electric Lime contrast stitching on black upholstery, which is also embossed with a pattern said to be inspired by graffiti. To some, it might resemble the wall lighting on the Death Star.
Chassis and Performance
Befitting the Maverick’s affordable lot in life, the Lobo’s performance mission is furthered not by pricey bespoke parts but rather an assemblage of hardware from Ford’s global catalog. Regular Mavericks are already decent-handling little trucks, especially the Tremor on account of its torque-vectoring rear differential. The Lobo swipes that differential for street duty. The differential’s special ability is activated by selecting the chassis’ Lobo mode, which also lowers stability control intervention.
The Lobo also nabs the front brake calipers and ever so slightly larger front rotors from the European Focus ST, the steering gear from Europe’s Ford Kuga SUV, the upper strut mounts and steering rack bushings from the Mustang Mach-E, and all the cooling hardware (transmission oil cooler, higher-capacity radiator, upgraded cooling fan) from the 4K Tow package you can get on every other all-wheel-drive Maverick but this one. The suspension’s dampers are retuned as well.
All four wheels are spun by the same 2.0-liter EcoBoost turbocharged four-cylinder found in nonhybrid Mavericks, making 238 hp and 277 lb-ft of torque. Before this year, the 2.0 was officially cited as making 250 horsepower in the Maverick; the new number is a clerical change due to California emissions, and there is no practical difference in its output.
The transmission is a twist on the regular Mav’s eight-speed automatic in that third gear has been deleted so that it’s now a seven-speed ’box. This is due to the Lobo-exclusive paddle shifters (a first for any Maverick); if the transmission simply carried over, you’d have to rip off your redline 2–3 and 3–4 shifts in almost immediate succession.
Pricing and Availability
Ford promises plenty of accessories will be available, and we have no doubt the aftermarket will have plenty to offer, too. There’s no word yet on whether the Blue Oval plans to spin up official Ford Performance parts for the Maverick Lobo, but it seems like a no-brainer to us.
The standard-spec Lobo starts at $36,595, putting it in the heart of the Maverick range and making it a nice starting point for further customization. The fully kitted Maverick Lobo rings the bell at $42,090, just above the $41,390 Tremor.
You can’t reserve a $36K Lobo until later this year, but the high-spec model is available to order now. Deliveries of both versions are slated to begin in early 2025, a little after Ford ships the first 2025 non-Lobo Mavericks.
The 2025 Ford Maverick Lobo is set to reignite the passion for street trucks with its performance enhancements and bold design. Whether you're a long-time fan of mini-truckin' or new to the scene, the Maverick Lobo is a model worth checking out.
