Upon this blue Maverick’s arrival, my first thought was, Wait a minute—I’ve already done that one! But no; that was the hybrid version of the Maverick, which we drove exactly 12 months ago and which got our thumbs pointing skyward. We liked it so much, in fact, that it made the January year-in-review list of standouts for 2023, wherein I wrote:

“Two of the very best vehicles of my year . . . were also the least expensive vehicles of the year. One of them was even a pickup: The Ford Maverick, a compact crossover SUV with a truck bed in place of the rear seats and a frugal three-cylinder gas engine with electric assistance. (OK, a hybrid.) The new Maverick is the poster child for user-friendly, as a $23,690 tool box to drive to the job site or a second vehicle for the homeowner whose weekends involve visits to the dump, the landscape center and the hardware store.”

Somewhat oddly, even though it showed up in the middle of last year, the hybrid Maverick was a 2022 model in base XL trim. This Maverick, equally blue, is a more-optioned-up 2024 XLT model. But I’m hard-pressed to spot any substantial differences between them—save for the drivetrain, of course, and the extra creature comforts, which bring a significant price increase. The Maverick, by the way, is essentially a Ford Escape, a compact crossover SUV with a 54-inch truck bed behind the rear seats. Drop the tailgate and 4x8 sheets of plywood will slide right in.

The Maverick XLT has a 2-litre 4-cylinder EcoBoost gas engine, turbocharged to 250 horsepower, with an 8-speed automatic transmission with selectable drive modes. (The hybrid XL, now with a 4-cylinder gas engine plus the electric motor, still has 191 horsepower and a continuously variable automatic transmission.)

The extra power makes the XLT much spunkier in town and much smoother on the highway. Also present on this Maverick is all-wheel drive ($2,220), the 4,000-pound tow package ($800) and the off-road package ($745), which also make this pickup much more all-around useful, if a good deal more expensive.

The Luxury Package adds still another $2,275, but most of us would agree that this is money well spent. To the entry-level XL’s touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, remote door locking and starting, electric parking brake, pre-collision emergency braking assistance and WiFi hotspot, it adds amenities such as a power-adjustable driver’s seat, front-seat and steering wheel heat, power mirrors, a power tailgate lock, cruise control and automatic climate control.

I am pleased to report that the safety systems appear to be the same on all Maverick  trim levels. (Why should wealthier people be safer on the road than the rest of us?)

A year ago we summed up the now $25,410 front-wheel-drive XL as plain-jane but right-sized (for household chores), functional and unexpectedly endearing. At $34,475, this all-wheel-drive XLT is no bottom-feeder, but it is even more useful and $10,000 more comfortable and powerful. If the XL is a utilitarian second vehicle that won’t break the bank, the XLT is a utilitarian second vehicle that could also be driven across the country with no hardships and at 30 miles per gallon.

Next week: Toyota Grand Highlander Platinum