In 2025, the big question I think we all want answered is, “Which Ford truck should I buy?” The answer to that question depends on whether you’re looking to do mostly city driving (which favors the Ford Maverick) and want good fuel efficiency or if you’ll be doing more heavy towing or off-road driving (which favors the Ranger). Here we will look over some of the features for these two great trucks.
Key Takeaways:
- The compact Maverick or the mid-size Ranger: a size comparison.
- The Maverick drives better in the city, while the Ranger is better for off-roading.
- The Maverick does well, but the Ranger has more payload and towing capability.
Is bigger always better?
When it comes to truck size, assessing what your needs are makes a difference in your choice. If you want a truck that’s not a beast, the Ford Maverick, which is Ford’s smallest model, is a compact-size truck with a price starting at $23,920. It comes in five trim options: XL, XLT, Lobo, Lariat, and Tremor. At its highest, the Maverick is 69.4” tall, so will not overpower someone easily intimidated by the idea of a large truck. The four-door cab seats up to five, though four is a more comfortable fit.
The Maverick’s big brother is the Ranger. The Ranger earned a place on Car and Driver’s Editors’ Choice List for 2025. This mid-size truck comes in three trim options: the XL, XLT, and the Lariat with MSRP from approximately $34,675 to $48,960. The Ranger is nearly a foot longer and a foot and a half wider than the Maverick and stands over it at 74.4” tall. Its 5 ft long bed is bigger than the 4.5 ft of the Maverick. This Ranger is also a four-door crew cab that seats up to five, again only four comfortably, with only about 35” of leg space in the back seats.
Which truck drives better? That depends on where you are.
If you’re mostly doing in-town driving, the Maverick is the obvious choice. It’s smaller size makes it more maneuverable and gives it better fuel efficiency. The standard hybrid engine is a 2.5L 4-cylinder and electric motor that gives combined horsepower of 191 with 155 lb-ft torque. If you want a little more horsepower, there is an optional turbocharged 2.0 L four-cylinder that gets 250 horsepower and 277 lb-ft torque.
The standard hybrid Maverick gets excellent fuel efficiency with an astounding 42 miles per gallon city and 35 mpg highway with the front-wheel drive; the all-wheel drive hybrid gets 40 mpg city and 34 highway. The non-hybrid model gets up to 22 mpg city and 30 highway.
The Ranger has more power with its two engine options. The base level trims come with a turbocharged 2.3L four-cylinder that gives you 270 horsepower. The higher trims come with a turbocharged 2.7 L V6 that makes 310 horsepower. The Raptor trim comes with a twin-turbo 3.0 L V6 with 405 horsepower and 430 lb-ft torque. It also has suspension upgrades, which make it the best choice if you’re looking to do some off-road driving. The Ranger has a 10-speed automatic transmission and rear or optional four-wheel drive.
The Ranger’s fuel efficiency is a bit less than the Maverick. Its turbo-4 gets 21 miles per gallon city and 25 mpg city; both rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive get this combined 22 mpg. While the trims with the V6 get 19 mpg city and 20 highway, the souped-up Raptor drops to 16 mpg city and 17 mpg highway.
Which truck has better payload and towing capacity?
For a small truck, the Maverick still has an impressive payload capacity of 1500 lbs for both the hybrid and non-hybrid versions. It can tow up to 2000 lbs, but with the optional tow package, can tow up to 4000 lbs. When it comes to towing, bigger is better. The Ranger can tow up to 7500 lbs. It has a payload capability of 1805 lbs for rear-wheel drive and 1711 lbs when in all-wheel drive mode.
Summary:
If you’re looking for a truck to drive around town while running errands and such, the compact Maverick is a good choice with its size, maneuverability, and fuel efficiency. On the other hand, the Ranger is a better choice if you’re looking to do some more serious work or have some fun off-roading (especially in the Raptor trim). Whatever your needs, you’ll find the truck for you at Jarrett-Gordon Ford of Davenport.