Time to Re-Tire

Ford Maverick Lobo HIGHS: Raucous Lobo mode, shrewd parts-bin upgrades, rad (standard) wheels. LOWS: Not so sporty in other modes, no extra horsepower, would be a lot cooler if it had a grippier tire.

- —Ezra Dyer

IN THE MOVIE DAZED AND CONFUSED, Matthew McConaughey's Wooderson brags about his Chevelle's 390 horsepower—"Let me tell you what Melba Toast is packing right here"—only to be summarily dismissed by Trans Am-driving tough guy Clint. "You gotta get some tires," Clint says. "These are pizza cutters, man." He meant that figuratively, but the 2025 Ford Maverick Lobo's standard Turbofan wheels look like literal pizza cutters [see page 78], and its all-season tires offer about as much grip. The Lobo has a lot of the right ingredients for on-pavement fun, but Melba Toast needs a new set of shoes.

The Maverick Lobo looks the part of a performance truck, crouched on a suspension that's lowered a half-inch up front and 1.1 inches at the rear. A torque-vectoring rear differential is on hand, larger front brake rotors are fitted, and the Euro-market Focus ST donates its front brake calipers. The cooling system gets an upgrade, with both a bigger radiator and the transmission cooler from the towing package. The seven-speed automatic transmission is unique to the Lobo—it's the eight-speed, really, but programmed to skip second gear. Ford figures that if you're driving on a tight track or an autocross course, a wider gap in the lower ratios is actually preferable to constant hunting between gears.