Can you really autocross the Ford Maverick Lobo? (Spoiler alert: Yes.)

People said it looked fun, and it is fun. And it’s also tall and kind of heavy. And wearing mud and snow tires plus a transmission that doesn’t seem to yield full manual control.

But all that aside, the Ford Maverick Lobo is fun and, yes, you can autocross it. I did.

Why autocross a truck? Because Ford said that you can.

From Ford Media’s site about the Lobo:

Inspired by drifting and autocross, there’s also a new Lobo drive mode, which improves cornering performance, grip, and stability, helping to minimize understeer.

The page even shows a Lobo picking up an inner rear while autocrossing. The caption actually mentions the word: autocross.

Photograph by Chris Tropea

What’s a Maverick Lobo? It’s a sport-tuned, 2.0-liter EcoBoost Maverick that just went on sale. Half an inch lower in the front, 1.12 inches lower in the rear, plus sport-tuned shocks, transmission cooler, larger radiator and fan from the 4K towing package.

[Ford Maverick Lobo: A pickup designed to autocross and drift?]

Bigger brakes with two-piston front calipers come from the Euro-spec Focus ST. You can’t really see those brakes, though, because they’re hidden behind some rad turbofan wheels that look lifted from a VW Rabbit that was built back in 1988.

Photograph by David S. Wallens

Here, though, they’re 19 inches in diameter. Despite the truck’s mission statement, they come wrapped with Goodyear Wrangler Territory HT tires: mud and snow rated with a 680 treadwear rating.

What Tire Rack says about them: “Highway All-Season tires are for drivers who want a combination of pleasant on-road characteristics, long wear and all-season versatility, including traction in light snow. Highway All-Season tires branded with the M+S symbol are often used as Original Equipment (O.E.) on 2WD and 4WD, light- and medium-duty vans, trucks and pickups, as well as crossover and sport utility vehicles.”

Yeah, none of that sounds very sporty.

Photograph by Chris Tropea

The Lobo gets its own front fascia–hey, that’s sporty–plus a painted rear bumper. Sportier seats and interior appointments, too. The seven-speed automatic is also unique to the Lobo.

Then there’s the Lobo mode: closed-course use only, Ford notes:

Lobo mode is meant only for closed courses because it activates the truck’s torque vectoring and reduces the capability of the stability control system. (Think about Lobo mode as the Maverick equivalent to Mustang track mode.)

Image courtesy Ford

So, back to autocrossing it.

Getting to the event: Quiet and comfortable on the highway. A true highway cruiser, and I fell in love with this as a daily. For me, at least, it’s the right amount of truck. No issues at Tech, either.

Staging: It’s tall. I was lined up behind a full-race Miata. I felt like I was driving a Peterbilt. Despite the revised suspension, the Lobo still sits tall in the saddle.

Waiting for green: Engage Lobo mode, disable traction control, engage manual shifting. Wait for the signal….

​​​​​​​Photograph by Marc Cunanan

Green flag: Go, go, go! Somewhat snappy out of the gate with an easy right setting up to a tight left.

First real turn: The truck turns to the left, and I’m sliding to the right. Despite the sporty look, the seats still don’t offer a ton of lateral support. Likewise, tires are also sorely lacking grip.

First run through the slalom: More of the same as I slide about–as does the truck. It is fun, though.

The next tight left: More ABS intervention than expected.

Figure 8 complex: This really tests the truck’s transitional abilities. I can feel the diff doing something, yet the truck still wants to push. (I know, enter slower as I’m not going to turn this thing with the throttle.) It reminds me of a tall, soft Subaru STI with much less grip and power. Not saying it’s not fun, though.

The faster, middle part of the course: The truck gets to stretch its legs here, although the transmission’s manual mode seems more like a suggestion than a command. The paddles are kind of small, so I’m concentrating more on driving, as, despite the Lobo’s sporting intentions, this thing is still big and tall.

Final 180 right-hander towards the finish: A Miata this is not, as the Lobo is still slow to change directions. Gotta really wait for it: lots of sidewall, not much grip. Transmission does what it wants to do. I’m leaning up against the door panel.

Finish: Smiling as I go through the lights. My time? Far from impressive. The club’s site is down so I couldn;t get times when writing this up, but I want to say I was at least 5 seconds off the stock Miatas–maybe even more.

Photograph by David S. Wallens

Return to grid: Lots of questions, comments and accolades. Despite my time, I’ll take that as a win.

Subsequent runs: More of the same–not a ton of grip, although the tires didn’t seem to get worse.

Is this my dream autocrosser? Well, it’s hard to out-autocross a Miata.

Back in the day, mini trucks were seen as a budget-priced alternative. A Nissan Hardbody, for example, cost less than a 240SX. Many of us had to buy based on price.

Today? Well, Ford says that a Maverick Lobo starts at $35,930. Ours stickered at $40,750. A base BRZ–still equipped with a Torsen–can cost as little as $33,210, while the BRZ tS starts at $38,360. A new Miata will cost even less: $29,530 to start and $33,030 for the Club.

But neither of those cars comfortably seats four while hauling several bags of mulch. Whether any of this autocross math works is up to you.

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