2022 Ford Maverick Buyers Who Paired FWD and Max Tow Pack Get AWD for Free
Approximately 500 customers will receive what’s normally a $2,200 upgrade at no cost.
Despite the 2022 Ford Maverick being the automaker's smallest and most affordable pickup, it's still a capable truck. The Blue Oval brags that it can achieve 40 miles per gallon in hybrid guise or, when properly equipped, tow up to 4,000 pounds. That's a respectable number for something that's closer in size to a Honda Civic than an F-150.
All that said, it appears that front-wheel-drive Mavericks won't be able to hit that towing figure after all. Instead, Ford will only pair the max towing package with all-wheel-drive models. The upside? Any buyer who ordered a FWD truck with the tow package will be offered a no-cost upgrade to AWD, saving them about $2,200.
The Maverick achieves that listed max towing capacity when equipped with Ford's optional "4K Towing" package. When launched, the only requirement for this package was that the truck be equipped with the 2.0-liter EcoBoost; it then cost an additional $745. As such, it also replaces the continuously variable transmission with a more traditional eight-speed gearbox.
A bulletin posted to the Maverick Truck Club forum reads:
"Due to recent engineering and performance evaluations it has been determined to remove the FWD Gas (999/448) & 4K Towing Package (53Q) combination from the 22MY Maverick offering, across all series. Retail and stock unit orders will need to be either cancelled, reordered as an All-Wheel Drive (W8F), or re-spec’d to delete the 4K Tow Pkg (53Q) in order to be a clean buildable order."
While both the bulletin and some reports from other outlets caused speculation that the FWD-equipped Maverick couldn't handle the increased towing capacity, Ford tells The Drive that the decision was made to simplify the model lineup.
"To meet strong demand for Maverick and reduce complexity, that configuration was removed," wrote a Ford spokesperson in an email to The Drive. "We’re prioritizing the most popular configurations and making EcoBoost AWD a no-charge option for approximately 500 customers who originally selected EcoBoost FWD with the 4K tow package."
When asked if there was a mechanical reason that forced this move, the Ford spokesperson noted that there was "nothing more to explain."
The bulletin also notes that dealers have been unable to order this combination since mid-August. However, at the time of writing, it's still possible to add the 4K Tow Package to the Maverick equipped with FWD and the EcoBoost powertrain using the automaker's online configurator. It's not yet clear if Ford will allow customers who place an order today to upgrade to AWD at no cost, but it seems unlikely given Ford's statement specifically outlining "customers who originally selected" the now-canceled configuration.
Meanwhile, some buyers who chose to re-spec their Mavericks from FWD to AWD ahead of this announcement are feeling some regret. Some forum posters are disappointed that they lost out on a free upgrade, while others are seemingly happy with the configuration chosen for their new compact pickup.
Ford's approximation of 500 orders is pretty minuscule considering there have been more than 100,000 Maverick reservations placed; that's reservations, though, which don't translate directly into orders. With that in mind, a $2,220 upgrade is worth around $1.1 million on paper. Likely, the actual cost is minor in comparison to the headache of releasing a product that wouldn't meet performance standards or perhaps the manufacturing complexities noted by Ford.
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