In the world of pickup trucks, America holds a special place in its heart that’s deep-rooted in the basic fundamentals and culture. As such, manufacturers like Ford have wised up to consumers wanting more forms of pickup trucks far outside of just the many trim levels of a specific truck. That’s part of the reason Ford has the compact-sized Maverick—now with a sporty version dubbed Lobo.

The new Ford Maverick Lobo brings in a sporty take on the smallish truck and plays a little for harking back to the modified mini trucks of many decades ago. However, the Maverick Lobo doesn’t do much to change up its actual performance but instead dials up the looks, giving buyers something they don’t have to necessarily modify themselves to look “cool.” And yes, “cool,” it does look as if there’s somewhat of a menacing look with the reworked front facia and grille that all follow a theme into the unique turbofan-like black painted wheels and slightly lowered suspension.

The new Ford Maverick Lobo doesn’t necessarily get more power, but it does get a different transmission, one that’s taken from the parts bin from Ford across the pond with seven gears instead of the 8-speed automatic that you would normally get. Power is still delivered by the welcomed 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder, which has a really good midrange power band and a decent grunt of torque. The 250 horsepower and 277 lb-ft of torque do well to scoot the small truck along with some authority, firing smooth shifts through the 7-speed automatic transmission to hit 60 mph from a standstill in 6.1 seconds. There’s very little turbo lag, and it rides excellently for a “truck.” The standard all-wheel-drive setup with a front-wheel drive bias is mostly seamless in its ability to grapple at the pavement. However, the limiting factor remains to be the tires when you put the Maverick Lobo into turns – the 225/55R19 Goodyear Wrangler Territory HT tires just don’t cut it for street thrills. However, the tires remain to be mostly civil until you push things hard into corners or perform ABS-lock-impending stops.

Sure, the Maverick Lobo has a bit of a silly formula as a ‘street truck,’ but someone’s going to like it, and I admittingly enjoy how it looks and inevitably turns heads as it’s quite unique. Ford knows they didn’t make a mistake with the Maverick Lobo, and there’s not much to compete with such a truck apart from the Hyundai Santa Cruz. You may not be able to tow much as you’re limited to 2,000 pounds and to about 1,045 pounds for hauling. However, there’s a cheek kind of specialness to such a vehicle that someone would be proud to drive as a daily commuter and have the versatility of some utility with a small, spray-lined bed, unique looks, and truck form.

Having the small truck form has other benefits in the area of efficiency as the Maverick Lobo matches its EPA fuel economy estimates of 21 mpg city, 30 mpg highway, and 24 mpg combined – all in the real world. While that’s down from the Maverick Hybrid, there’s a lot more to appreciate in the traditional gas-powered drivetrain, AWD, and its excellent ride quality. The cruising range is about 495 miles on the highway thanks to a 16.5-gallon fuel tank that you can essentially burn Regular unleaded fuel as Premium is only recommended for maximum performance.

Inside the Maverick Lobo is the best that you can get out of the new Maverick with a larger 13.2-inch infotainment touchscreen, wireless (and USB-connected) Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless smartphone charger, and accented Grabber Blue and Electric Lime interior stitching and Lobo logos on the ActiveX trimmed front heated seats (8-way power driver’s seat/6-way manual passenger seat). There’s a surprisingly inviting space for the interior of the Maverick Lobo as the seating areas are mostly comfy, and there’s plenty of adjustability in the front seats to find a good driving position for most – even myself at 6 feet 3 inches tall.

You get all the expected active safety features in addition to a digital driver’s gauge cluster that’s somewhat configurable to display desirable vehicle information. One welcomed safety feature is the 360-degree camera system, which becomes helpful for most even with the Maverick being on the smaller spectrum. The hard plastics play nicely to not look overly cheap as there’s a limited amount of accent colors and soft surfaces in just the right places for your arm rest on the door trim.

Despite some expected criticism of the silliness of the Maverick Lobo, there’s a lot to appreciate in a rather unique and often head-turning ‘small’ package. Moreover, pricing keeps with its size – small – starting at $40,750 and testing out on my review vehicle at $42,345, which includes a $1,595 destination and delivery charge.