2026 Ford Maverick LOBO Review: The Maverick That Finally Drives

Sporty street truck delivers the fun we didn’t expect — at a price that still feels like a stretch

In my 2023 Maverick XLT Tremor review I said, “unfortunately I don’t want my truck to feel like a hot hatch.” The 2026 Ford Maverick LOBO is built to be exactly that. I didn’t expect to like it. I really do.

This is the LOBO AWD, Equipment Group 702A, in Carbonized Gray Metallic. The sticker is $45,870, destination included. For a Maverick, that’s a lot of money. I’ll get to whether it’s worth it. The drive is why the question is even close.

Design

LOBO means wolf. It’s also what Ford calls the F-150 in Mexico. This is the street-truck Maverick, inspired by the lowered trucks that ran from the mid-1980s into the early 2000s. Designer Josh Blundo started reworking a clay model in 2019 like it was his own truck. That turned into a Tucci Hot Rods SEMA build in 2021, and that build is what got the LOBO approved. What Ford sells is toned down from the show truck. You still get the idea the second you see it.

The fascia is LOBO-only. Black painted grille, fog lamps, and lower openings that look like intakes. The new nose makes this the longest Maverick, at 200.9 inches, about an inch longer than a standard EcoBoost AWD. That inch is not in the bed. Front overhang is 34.7 inches, and the approach angle is 19.0 degrees versus 21.1 degrees on a regular Maverick. It looks sharper. Watch the curbs and the steep driveways. Ground clearance is 7.4 inches. That’s the trade for the stance.

If you’re telling a 2026 from a 2025, look at the oval. The 2025 LOBO got black badges. 2026 went back to blue.

LED projector headlights with signature accent lighting look good. They’re not LOBO-only. Lariat gets them too. The LOBO piece is the fender badge, black on black, so you have to look for it. Outside, that’s still the only place it says LOBO. Nothing on the tailgate.

The stance is the giveaway. It sits 0.5 inches lower in front and 1.12 inches lower in the rear than a regular Maverick. Roof height drops 0.8 inches, to 67.7 inches. You can see a slight rake, and it sits lower than the other Mavericks. Through the front wheel, the upgraded brakes are dual-piston calipers, the hardware Ford used on the Focus ST sold in Europe.

From the side it’s Carbonized Gray Metallic under a black painted roof. That black roof is standard on the LOBO. This 702A adds a power moonroof. Door handles and rockers are body color. Ford doesn’t call this a body kit. They just say painted rockers. The color match is what makes it look lower than the drop really is. Half an inch in front and 1.12 inches in back is not a slammed truck.

It’s not a widebody. Every Maverick is 72.4 inches wide. What they widened is the track, 63.7 inches up front and 63.1 inches in the rear. Wheelbase is 121 inches. Mirrors are power, you fold them by hand, and on this truck they’re heated.

The signature LOBO wheel is the 19-inch Turbofan. This truck has the optional 19-inch black painted aluminum wheels instead, a $100 open-spoke design. Tires are 225/55R19 all-seasons, not summer rubber.

Around back, LED taillamps and a body-color rear bumper. The tailgate handle stays black. That 1.12-inch rear drop is what you notice from here.

Interior

Inside it’s Navy Pier and Black Onyx, in ActiveX. The interior is nice. Seats are comfortable. The LOBO logo and the contrasting stitching look good, and I like the different textures through the cabin. Some of the plastics are cheaper, though. You notice it once you get past the seats and the wheel.

The steering wheel feels fine. The paddle shifters are plasticky, but they’re fine. Infotainment is good. SYNC 4 on a 13.2-inch screen, USB and a 12-volt right there, and an 8-inch cluster. This 702A also brings Ford Co-Pilot360 Assist 2.0, floor liners with carpeted mats, and the power moonroof. Useful stuff. It still isn’t a luxury cabin, and at this price that gap shows.

Then there’s the pad. No wireless phone charger. Ford deleted wireless charging for 2026 across the Maverick, not just the LOBO. They left the spot where it used to go. On a truck that stickers at $45,870, that’s a big miss. That’s my main nitpick.

The doors have the clever touch. Half a door handle, so a taller bottle fits in the pocket. I like that.

Driving

The powertrain is a 2.0-liter EcoBoost, a turbocharged inline-four, with 250 hp and 280 lb-ft. It pairs with a 7-speed quick-shift automatic and paddle shifters. Ford calls the drivetrain Advanced 4WD, with a twin-clutch rear drive unit. The sticker says AWD. Fuel tank is 16.5 gallons. Final assembly is Hermosillo, Mexico.

It definitely doesn’t feel like driving a truck. On a smooth road, it feels really great. On the rougher roads, you get a lot of bounce and a lot of harshness. It feels more like a hatchback, and then you stop and look at it. This one especially, with how low it is.

That’s the thing I pushed back on with the Tremor. They built the LOBO for it, and this week it feels really good. I’m eating those words. It’s the most fun Maverick I’ve driven.

There’s a LOBO mode. Ford calls it track-only. It adjusts the shift points, the throttle response, and the handling. I didn’t use it on a track. I used it out on the road. It’s a lot quicker. When you’re really getting on it, it feels much more like a sporty hatchback. The suspension work and the lower ride height really show. Tuned springs and shocks, modified steering. That’s what you’re paying for, not the fender badge.

On the brakes. First day, coming out of an F-150, the pedal felt very sensitive. It was hard to get a good feel. That was mostly the transition. Now they feel solid, and any touchiness left reads as sporty.

On fuel, EPA for this AWD LOBO is 21 city, 30 highway, 24 combined. My everyday number was 20.9 mpg. Daily driving, idling while I waited on the kids, sometimes pushing it in LOBO mode. Just under that 21 city number.

I did a separate run to see the other end. Mostly state highways and rural roads, mostly in Eco, not the whole time. 45.9 miles at 29.1 mpg. That’s the top end you can expect, just under the 30 highway rating. Easy miles get you close. The week I actually had was 20.9. Buy it for the drive, and plan on the city number unless your miles stay easy.

David Boldt’s LOBO review is up on txgarage.com. He liked the lowered ride, the steering, and the brakes, and he said the way it turns in is a revelation. I get it. Smooth road, this thing is genuinely good. Rough road, it lets you know it’s lowered. And it still doesn’t drive like a truck.

Utility

Ford lists the bed at 4 ft 5 in long and 33.3 cu ft. Between the wheel wells it’s 42.6 inches, and overall width is 53.3 inches. The LOBO didn’t stretch the bed. The extra length on this truck is in the front overhang, not back here.

This one came with a spray-in bedliner, bed tie-down locking rails in the 702A group, and the HD tri-fold tonneau cover. That cover is $1,260 on the sticker. Fold it when you need the opening. Shut, it keeps the weather off the bed.

I didn’t use the bed this week. I’ve covered Maverick beds in other reviews. Bags, a cooler, weekend gear. That’s what this bed is for. A full sheet of plywood is not going in the long way. Plan around the 4 ft 5 in, not around a full-size truck. If the bed is why you’re here, measure it before the stance talks you into the trim.

Price

Ford lists a LOBO starting price of $35,930. A Lariat starts at $35,870. Those are model-line numbers. They are not this truck.

This one is the LOBO AWD, Equipment Group 702A. Base on the sticker is $41,425. Options add $2,750. That’s the HD tri-fold tonneau at $1,260, a conventional spare at $115, SiriusXM with 360L for three years at $300, the black 19-inch wheels at $100, a one-time seven-year connectivity package at $745, and the dealer-installed SecuriCode keyless keypad at $230. Destination is $1,695. As tested, in Carbonized Gray Metallic, it’s $45,870.

The Maverick is meant to be entry-level, and cheaper. A lot of the truck still feels cheap, even on a top trim. The interior does too. A high-end Maverick that still feels cheap sucks, and it’s not something I’d generally recommend. The cheaper plastics are still here. So is the empty charger pad. A hard-to-see fender badge doesn’t fix either one.

But there’s something special about the LOBO, and I like this trim. Is it worth $45,870? I’m on the fence. It is one of the trims I would spend the money on. If I wanted a day-to-day truck, and I was going to use the bed, I’d get a standard Lariat.

Cross-shopping

The list is smaller than it looks. Tacoma, Colorado, Frontier, Ridgeline. Those are midsize. They compete with the Ford Ranger, not the Maverick. Over here, it’s basically two trucks.

The other one is the Hyundai Santa Cruz, the only other compact unibody pickup sold here. The XRT starts at $41,350. 2.5-liter turbo, 281 hp, 311 lb-ft, rated 20 mpg combined. Towing is 5,000 lb. Payload is 1,411 lb. Bed is 52.1 inches.

It out-tows this LOBO, and it out-pulls it. Ford lists the Maverick at up to 2,000 lb of towing and up to 1,045 lb of payload. This one is 250 hp and 280 lb-ft. But the Santa Cruz feels more like a crossover with a bed than a sport truck. The LOBO is the one that drove like a hot hatch this week. Rated mpg goes to the LOBO, too. 24 combined against 20. My week was 20.9 mpg. And the bed is longer. This one is 4 ft 5 in.

If a Santa Cruz is on your list, production is reportedly ending. Hyundai hasn’t announced that. Automotive News reported in January 2026 that production would end early, and Car and Driver calls 2027 all but confirmed as the last year.

In the Maverick lineup, the other answer is the Lariat Hybrid. 36 mpg combined, versus 24 on this LOBO. Add the 4K Tow package and towing goes up to 4,000 lb. The cabin is nicer, too. Need a truck day to day, get the Lariat. Want the drive, get the LOBO.

XL and XLT are the affordable roots. David Boldt’s point is the LOBO drifts away from those. Tremor is the off-road Maverick. This is the on-road one.

Need real towing? Then you’re shopping a Ranger, or a Tacoma, a Colorado, or a Frontier. This LOBO is not that truck, and the ratings say so.

This one is $45,870 as tested. That price is for the drive.

Final Thoughts

If I was in the market, I’m still on the fence.

I like this truck. It’s the most fun Maverick I’ve driven, and I’m eating my words on the hot hatch thing. In LOBO mode it’s quick, the lowered suspension and the steering really show, and the brakes feel solid and sporty. If you want a Maverick you actually look forward to driving, this is the one.

$45,870 is the problem. That’s a lot of money for a truck that’s supposed to be the affordable one, and the LOBO drifts away from that. Real-world mpg was 20.9 in everyday driving and 29.1 on a gentle 45.9-mile highway run, against EPA ratings of 21 city and 30 highway. You can get close to the highway number. A normal week looks like the city number.

If you need it to be a truck day to day, get a Lariat. If you want the special one, this is one of the few trims I’d actually spend that money on. Like David said, it’s dynamically a revelation. It just drifts away from the Maverick’s affordable roots.