History of Maverick

[96terrano]

The American arm of the Ford company had a tradition of 4x4 building going back as far as 1965, but the European side of the company had never made such a vehicle before work began on the Maverick. Recognising that American 4x4 buyers have very different tastes from their European counterparts, Ford wisely decided against adapting an American vehicle for their first foray into this new market. Instead, they chose to develop a completely new vehicle in tandem with the Japanese Nissan company. Both companies would have the right to market versions of the new vehicle, and the Maverick was announced in 1993, at the same time as its Nissan Terrano II counterpart.

The Maverick and Terrano II were developed side-by-side at Nissan's European Technology Centre in Cranfield, and both vehicles are assembled on the same Spanish production lines at Nissan's Motor Iberica plant in Barcelona. Although Ford undoubtedly had an input and the Brighton-based IDEA design studio had a hand in the exterior styling, the major influences on the design were Japanese: the independent front suspension with torsion-bar springs; the tall, narrow body and the kick-up below the rear windows. The engines, too, are Nissan units. The main differences between Maverick and Terrano II are in fact in the front bumper, the grille and badging - and in the provision of a Ford radio in the Maverick!

The aim behind the joint project was to create a credible 4x4 with car-like handling; in other words, Ford an dN issan were following the lead set by Daihatsu with the Fourtrak and Suzuki with the Vitara. However, their aim was to cater for the family market with a long-wheelbase model, as well as for younger buyers who wanted a stylish short-wheelbase three-door. As a result, the Maverick was made available in two wheelbase lengths. Both petrol and turbodiesel engines are available, and Ford avoids a clash with Nissan in the UK by offering variants of the Maverick with specification levels and prices which are different from those of the Terrano II.

Although the Maverick was initially expected to sell three times as many examples as the Terrano II in Britain, in practice sales have been relatively slow. The problem may well have been in educating the public to think of Ford as a maker of 4x4s, but for whatever reason, the Maverick has not so far been the big hit Ford might have expected.

The Maverick name has been used on Fords before, most notably in the Seventies when the American Ford Maverick was one of the company's smaller cars. The name was also revived in Australia, where the Ford Maverick is actually a rebadged Nissan Patrol GR.