When the 2021 Ford Bronco released last year, the automotive purists and off-road enthusiasts everywhere did a little dance that it came with an available manual transmission. However, the Ford Bronco Sport doesn’t offer a manual option. So what about the 2022 Ford Maverick pickup truck that shares a platform with the Bronco Sport? Does it have a manual transmission? 

No, the 2022 Ford Maverick does not offer a manual transmission option

Big news for the 2022 Ford Maverick, it will be offered with a standard hybrid powertrain. However, it will not offer a manual transmission. Given the fact that this is largely designed for city driving, the lack of a manual option makes sense. 

The hybrid powertrain for the 2022 Ford Maverick uses a 2.5 liter four-cylinder engine combined with an electric motor. This pair produces 191 hp and 155 lb-ft of torque. Rather than a manual transmission, the hybrid powertrain juices the front wheels through a continuously variable transmission (CVT). 

According to Ford, this hybrid powerplant gets up to 33 mpg on the highway and 40 mpg in the city with a combined EPA rating of 37 mpg.

Also available is a 2.0 liter four-cylinder turbocharged gasoline-only option. This version of Ford’s new compact pickup truck doesn’t have hybrid fuel economy. However, it does produce up to 250 hp and 277 lb-ft of torque which it sends through an eight-speed automatic transmission, Edmunds reports.

This ups the hybrid’s towing strength of 2,000 lbs to 4,000 lbs. The gasoline engine will likely get a little below 30 mpg combined. Ford hasn’t released info about the turbo 2.0 liter’s fuel economy yet. However, Ford’s Escape crossover with the same powertrain and all-wheel drive gets about 26 mpg combined. The 2021 Ford Bronco Sport is rated for a combined 23 mpg. 

A pickup truck that costs about the same as a Toyota Corolla

“Standard front-wheel drive and impressive maneuverability make getting around the city just as easy as escaping it.”  

The cost of the new compact pickup truck is low, too. According to Car and Driver, the 2022 Ford Maverick will start at $21,490 making it the cheapest Ford in the lineup. The trim levels include the XL, XLT, and Lariat models. The range-topper approaches $37,000. 

This pricing is actually comparable to the popular compact car options. The Toyota Corolla starting price is right in the same ballpark, for example. This truck not only makes owning a hybrid accessible to the masses, but also owning a pickup truck at all. 

If you’ve priced pickups lately, you already know that they are pretty expensive. So the 2022 Ford Maverick is a pickup truck game changer for more reasons than one. 

What is the competition? 

For now, its primary competition is the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz. But there’s a chance potential buyers of other trucks like Honda Ridgeline and the Toyota Tacoma will veer instead toward the all-new Ford Maverick compact pickup truck due to its low price. It comes equipped with plenty of tech and several different packages are available––all for a compact cost. 

It’s certainly a different truck than the Toyota Tacoma. Particularly because the Tacoma is on a truck frame and the Maverick is a unibody pickup. Plus, it doesn’t offer the same capability as the standard all-wheel driveV6-powered Honda Ridgeline.

But more truck buyers may decide that they don’t really need all that much truck. A customizable pickup bed and car-like road manners mean the 2022 Ford Maverick might be a diversion from the norm that’s worth every penny. 

Sure, this pickup truck doesn’t offer a manual transmission. But very few vehicles do these days. Not even Ford’s Mustang Shelby GT500 offers the option. With today’s technology, it’s really not necessary, especially not for a smooth, urban compact truck like the 2022 Maverick.