Rough roads. Muddy ruts. Loose gravel. Outfitted in off-road attire, Ford Maverick is ready to greet temperamental road conditions. Maverick’s new-for-2023 Tremor Off-Road Package includes off-road tuned front and rear suspension, trail control (essentially low-speed cruise control), all wheel drive with four-wheel lock, and a Tremor orange tow hook. The compact pick-up truck has five standard drive modes (normal, tow haul, slippery, eco, and sport). Available on the XLT and Lariat trims, the off-road package ups the four-door truck’s ground clearance to 9.4 inches. A week-long test drive of the Maverick Lariat Tremor underscored the unibody truck’s adventure-minded disposition.

The tested Maverick Lariat Tremor was powered by a 2.0-liter EcoBoost engine delivering 250 horsepower at 5500 rpm and 277 lb-ft of torque at 3000 rpm. Engine mates to an 8-speed automatic transmission. (Maverick’s standard hybrid powertrain is a 2.5-liter Atkinson cycle 4-cylinder engine paired with an electric motor to provide a combined 191 horsepower. The hybrid layout uses a continuously variable transmission.) For 2023, base model Maverick has an MSRP of $19,995. The tested 121.1-inch wheelbase Maverick Lariat’s Tremor Off-Road Package has a suggested MSRP of $2,995.