Maverick Lobo- Hot hatch minus the hatch?

[GearheadGrrrl]

I was at first suspicious- It's still heavy and high and Ford's B-Roll of one auto crossing was a bit much to believe- No way could something taller than it's track be allowed in SCCA autocross. But over on Grassroots Motorsports' forum somebody dug up the center of gravity stats for the standard AWD Maverick and it's stability score is 1.26 and SCCA requires at least 1.3. So the Maverick needs about a 3% lower Center of Gravity (CG) to autocross and the Lobo drops the AWD Maverick's 25.1 inch CG by .8 inch, about a 3% change. So if the Lobo ain't already autocross allowed, tire and wheel changes are allowed in the Street classes and a bit more offset and less wheel height should get it there. Like a lot of minivans and EVs that fail SCCA's initial height to track width test but qualify based on CG, the Lobo carries it's weight low, hopefully Ford will supply SCCA with CG data so the Lobo will be quickly accepted for autocross.

 

Good to see Ford offer a motorsports oriented transverse 4 again, it's probably too heavy to beat the Civics and Fiesta STs that dominate H Street, but for folks that just want a fun autocross car with some utility to boot, the Lobo should be a great option! FFI: https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/news/2024/08/01/the-street-truck-returns-with-performance-tuned-maverick-lobo.html  

[rmc523]

First drive of the Lobo:

 

They like it but also question it...

 

The Ford Maverick Lobo Is a Silly Little Truck: First Drive Review

[DeluxeStang]

Idk man, kinda a missed opportunity not to offer more power with this thing, either with a high output 2.0 or 2.3. Something this size with 350-400 hp would really move. 

[akirby]

This will sell on looks alone.  But I don’t understand why they didn’t give it more power using the Focus ST 2.3L.

[rmc523]

35 minutes ago, akirby said:

This will sell on looks alone.  But I don’t understand why they didn’t give it more power using the Focus ST 2.3L.

 

Yeah, this leads me to believe the Lobo package on the F-150 will be nothing more than an appearance package......though F-150 is the crown jewel, so maybe it'll get bumps in power (i.e. Raptor tune for the 3.5 instead of the regular 3.5 tune) that Maverick doesn't get?

[Rick73]

39 minutes ago, rmc523 said:

First drive of the Lobo:

 

They like it but also question it...

 

The Ford Maverick Lobo Is a Silly Little Truck: First Drive Review

Review seems harsh to me, using word “silly” repeatedly.  Even though they used silly as appropriate for this type of vehicle, it still carries negative connotation.  They also concluded standard Maverick with higher payload and towing is a better truck for most buyers.  Curious how much difference Euro 7-speed transmission makes in performance, and whether it played a part in reduced tow rating?

[HotRunrGuy]

25 minutes ago, Rick73 said:

Review seems harsh to me, using word “silly” repeatedly.  Even though they used silly as appropriate for this type of vehicle, it still carries negative connotation.  They also concluded standard Maverick with higher payload and towing is a better truck for most buyers.  Curious how much difference Euro 7-speed transmission makes in performance, and whether it played a part in reduced tow rating?

 

Widebody, body kit?  They know not what they speak,,,,,,

 

HRG

[T-dubz]

6 hours ago, rmc523 said:

 

Yeah, this leads me to believe the Lobo package on the F-150 will be nothing more than an appearance package......though F-150 is the crown jewel, so maybe it'll get bumps in power (i.e. Raptor tune for the 3.5 instead of the regular 3.5 tune) that Maverick doesn't get?

Yeah, it will probably be like the early 2000’s stx package that looked like a budget lightning without the flareside bed.