This Tuned Ford Maverick Is Faster Than a C5 Chevy Corvette in the Quarter-Mile
Tuning and then drag-racing small pickup trucks like the Ford Maverick honestly sounds like a wholesome good time.
A Ford Maverick owner has managed to run a 12-second quarter-mile with just a few choice modifications.
The truck in question was built by Ivan Gonzalez, who has shared his story in a forum post on the Maverick Truck Club. Gonzalez started out with a Maverick XLT. It sports the turbocharged 2.0-liter EcoBoost engine, good for 250 horsepower as stock, which sends power to all four wheels. In factory form, Gonzalez was able to record quarter-mile passes in the low 15-second range, as captured with a Dragy GPS logging device.
From there, Gonzalez set about modifying the Maverick for increased performance. His fettling in the engine bay netted solid results, and Gonzalez now reports a best quarter-mile time of 12.88 seconds. His best zero-to-60 mph time is a solid 4.51 seconds. Earlier in December, Gonzalez posted a video verifying one of his earlier runs, laying down a representative quarter-mile time of 12.92 seconds at 107 mph. Either way, that's quicker than a C5 Corvette in the quarter-mile!
You can see the 12.92-second run on YouTube below:
To achieve this performance, the Maverick was fitted with Gonzalez's own custom three-inch turbo downpipe paired with a full three-inch exhaust system, helping the engine to breathe better. The EcoBoost engine also scored an AFE air intake and a Buschur intercooler to help bring down intake air temps. The truck runs a tune optimized for E50 fuel; the 50/50 ethanol/gasoline blend can be useful for making higher power by virtue of allowing an engine to run higher boost levels without detonation. As a cheeky bit of weight-saving, Gonzalez also removed the passenger seat for his best runs.
Gonzalez hasn't shared any dyno figures, but the Maverick is clearly making a good amount of power over stock. Based on back-of-the-envelope drag racing calculations and the 3,674-pound curb weight of the stock Maverick XLT, we'd estimate the truck is making somewhere between 350 to 400 horsepower at the flywheel.
Speaking to The Drive, Gonzalez says he estimates the engine is putting out something around that range. "I started a Maverick specialty side business," he added, noting that he plans to sell performance parts for the truck.
Gonzalez already has a friendly rivalry going with others in the Maverick tuner scene. After Gonzalez first entered the 12-second bracket with his 12.92-second pass, fellow racer John Duyvejonck bested that with a 12.91-second pass of his own. Gonzalez quickly responded with a 12.90, before later reaching his reported best time of 12.88 seconds.
Since going on sale, the Ford Maverick rapidly found a place in our hearts for its practicality, fuel economy, and humble good looks. The affordable price has buoyed sales, too. As with any popular vehicle, we've quickly seen a tuner scene pop up around it. That can only be a good thing for the Maverick community going forward.
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