Ford Dominates 2022 KBB Best Buy Awards Thanks to Maverick
Photo: Ford
If you look up and down the 2022 Kelley Blue Book Best Buy Awards, you’ll notice a theme. Ford picked up five of this year’s KBB Best Buy Awards, two of which went to one of its hottest new vehicles: the Maverick.
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2022 Ford Maverick named Best New Model
At the tippy top of the 2022 KBB Best Buy Awards sits the all-new Ford Maverick with the title of Best New Model. While it no doubt faced some stiff competition, the Maverick got the nod thanks in no small part to its affordable price point and standard hybrid engine.
KBB.com’s Allyson Harwood writes that the Maverick’s appeal goes well beyond the truck stuff it can do. With seating for five people, compact proportions that make it city-friendly, plenty of standard tech, and a whole bunch of functional features like under-seat storage and the DIY-friendly Flexbed, the Maverick manages to hit different for folks who may not have considered a truck before.
Of course, there’s not enough that can be said for its 2.5-liter hybrid, which racks up EPA-estimated city fuel economy of 42 mpg. That puts the Maverick on par with the Honda Civic — only it’s a truck that can tow 2,000 pounds and haul 1,500 pounds of payload.
Because the Maverick has across-the-board drawing power — which is evident enough from the fact that the hybrid is already all spoken for in 2022 — Harwood says Ford “hit it out of the park” in its effort to revive and revamp the compact truck segment.
Maverick also scores top honor for compact trucks
Photo: Ford
That feat also earned the Maverick the Compact Truck Best Buy of 2022 award. That result is perhaps less surprising given that its lone competition is the Santa Cruz — which Hyundai doesn’t even want to identify as a truck.
Since its official rollout began in September, the Maverick has made its mark with rave reviews, impressive sales, and no shortage of trophies to its name. Earlier this month, the Maverick also scored the title of 2021 North American Truck of the Year.
Ford F-150, Expedition, Mustang Mach-E also nab 2022 KBB Best Buy Awards
Photo: Ford
The Maverick pulled off the impressive twofer, but a trio of other Ford stalwarts also came up big in the 2022 KBB Best Buy Awards.
The Ford F-150 and Expedition, perennial favorites and reigning and defending titleholders, scooped up the awards for full-size pickups and full-size SUVs, respectively. Not to be outdone, the Mustang Mach-E knocked off the Hyundai Kona EV to claim the title of Electric Vehicle Best Buy of 2022.
Ford’s flagship truck has now defended its Kelley Blue Book Best Buy crown for the eighth straight year. Harwood notes that the F-150’s willingness to “[embrace] technology like no other full-size truck” is key to this victory as well as its class-leading capabilities, high-end trim options, and all-around value.
That embrace of technology will hit a new peak with the F-150 Lightning, the all-electric F-150 launching this spring. Already a massive sales hit, the F-150 Lightning could spur KBB to introduce an electric truck award for 2023 — and be the shoo-in to win in its inaugural year.
Photo: Ford
No less impressive is the Ford Expedition, which nabbed its fifth straight Full-Size SUV Best Buy Award from KBB. Several 2022 improvements only strengthened its case, including the all-new and ultra-rugged Expedition Timberline trim and the addition of SYNC 4 and Blue Cruise technologies.
Rounding out Ford’s winning slate is the Mustang Mach-E, which picks up yet another top honor in its young life. Harwood praises the Mustang Mach-E for, among other things, making “a more universal EV statement, offering high performance as well as high day-to-day usability.”
Winning awards: It’s just what Ford do. And Ford do it indeed.
Kyle S. Johnson lives in Cincinnati, a city known by many as “the Cincinnati of Southwest Ohio.” He enjoys professional wrestling, Halloween, and also other things. He has been writing for a while, and he plans to continue to write well into the future. See more articles by Kyle.