Ford Maverick ute ruled out for Australia again in favour of more Ranger variants

Ford Australia plans to deliver more variants of its top-selling Ranger ute rather than expand the showroom line-up with one of the company’s sell-out success stories from the US.

The Ford Maverick blends double-cab ute practicality with small-car fuel economy and has been a runaway success in North America.

It is marginally smaller than the Ford Ranger (30cm shorter bumper to bumper), has modest towing capacity (1800kg versus 3500kg), less ground clearance, and a lower payload (680kg versus 1000kg).

But it has been an instant hit with buyers in the US who want the practicality of a double-cab but without the heavy-duty off-road hardware.

Although the Focus and Escape platform beneath the Maverick has been developed for left- and right-hand drive, Ford says there are still no plans to add a right-hand-drive Maverick to the production line.

When asked if Ford would consider a right-hand-drive version of this or the next-generation Maverick, Dianne Craig, Ford’s global boss of its international markets division, told Drive at last weekend’s Bathurst 1000:

“Our standard answer is ‘we don’t comment on future model plans’ (but) the simplest way to answer this question right now is, honestly, there are no plans. It becomes … complicated for Maverick.”