2022 Ford Maverick vs 2022 GMC Sierra 1500

The 2022 Ford Maverick presented a conventional pickup look, reminiscent of larger Ford trucks like the F-150 and Ranger, with its larger wheel arches and taillights. However, its front end, featuring large headlights and a grille crossbar, deviated from the typical Ford truck design without making a strong styling statement. The Maverick was smaller than the Ford Ranger, measuring 199.7 inches in length and 68.7 inches in height, and utilized a unibody platform shared with the Ford Escape and Bronco Sport crossover SUVs. The base Maverick XL came with 17-inch steel wheels, while higher trims offered 17-inch or 18-inch alloy wheels. The Maverick First Edition package, available only for 2022, added unique graphics, a soft tonneau cover, and model-specific wheels and paint colors. The interior, despite being heavy on plastic, was designed to be visually appealing with multicolored elements and a speckled plastic reminiscent of playground equipment. Even the base XL trim featured seats with a neat weave pattern, and higher trims offered leather upholstery. Ford's design team managed to create an interesting and stylish interior without sacrificing affordability.

The 2022 GMC Sierra 1500 introduced the Denali Ultimate and AT4X variants, expanding on the premium Denali and AT4 trims. The Sierra appeared larger and more aggressive, thanks to an updated grille, front fascia, and headlight design. The new split-C headlights integrated seamlessly with the grille, enhancing its width. The Denali's grille featured a "tri-linear" theme with thicker chrome inserts, while the Denali Ultimate had dark-colored "Vader bars" inserts. The SLT, AT4, and AT4X trims had less showy but equally intimidating grille designs with chrome, black, and dark nickel accents. The Denali and Denali Ultimate also received new 22-inch wheel designs, with bright-polished chrome for the former and low-gloss black for the latter. The Sierra's exterior design remained largely unchanged, offering standard, double, or crew cab options with various bed lengths. The interior saw significant updates, with a redesigned dash featuring long, straight lines and new materials. The AT4X trim, designed for off-road driving, featured premium leather, contrast stitching, and genuine wood trim, while the Denali Ultimate boasted full-grain leather, open-pore wood, and microsuede trim.

The 2022 Ford Maverick came standard with a hybrid powertrain, featuring a 2.5-liter Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder engine paired with an electric motor and a continuously variable transmission (CVT), producing a total of 191 horsepower and 155 pound-feet of torque. An optional EcoBoost 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine delivered 250 hp and 277 lb-ft of torque, coupled with an eight-speed automatic transmission. The hybrid model was available only with front-wheel drive (FWD), while the EcoBoost offered standard FWD or optional all-wheel drive (AWD). The FX4 off-road package for AWD XLT and Lariat trims added suspension tuning, underbody protection, hill-descent control, and specific drive modes. The Maverick FX4 demonstrated decent off-road capability, though it was better suited for light off-roading compared to traditional pickups. On pavement, the Maverick's unibody platform provided a smoother ride compared to body-on-frame trucks. The hybrid powertrain offered a more refined driving experience, while the EcoBoost provided better towing capability and acceleration.

The 2022 GMC Sierra 1500 offered four engine options, including a 2.7-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, a 3.0-liter Duramax turbo-diesel inline-six, a 5.3-liter V8, and a 6.2-liter V8. The turbo-four produced 310 horsepower and 430 pound-feet of torque, with an eight-speed automatic transmission featuring revised gear ratios for smoother shifts. The diesel engine delivered 277 hp and 460 lb-ft of torque, with a maximum towing capacity of 13,200 pounds for 2WD models. The 5.3-liter V8 produced 355 hp and 383 lb-ft of torque, while the 6.2-liter V8 offered 420 hp and 460 lb-ft of torque, both paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission. The Sierra Denali Ultimate 4WD provided a smooth and comfortable ride, while the AT4X trim, designed for off-road driving, featured Multimatic DSSV dampers, unique springs, and front and rear e-locking differentials. The AT4X handled off-road challenges with ease, though the test course did not fully showcase its capabilities.

The 2022 Ford Maverick was available exclusively in a four-door crew-cab configuration, offering more legroom than the larger Toyota Tacoma and slightly more front legroom than the Hyundai Santa Cruz. The Maverick excelled in interior storage, with numerous cubbies, storage bins, and an open door-card design. The FITS (Ford Integrated Tether System) provided slots for various accessories, and Ford planned to publish measurements for customers to 3D-print their own. The 4.5-foot bed offered 1,500 pounds of payload capacity and featured an in-bed power outlet, tailgate tiedowns, and FlexBed features for customization. The Maverick's maximum towing capacity was 4,000 pounds (2,000 pounds for the hybrid), which was less than some crossover SUVs but more than the Hyundai Santa Cruz.

The 2022 GMC Sierra 1500 offered best-in-class cargo capacity, even with its short bed. The interior was spacious, with front headroom of about 43 inches and rear headroom of 40 inches. Front legroom was 44.5 inches, while double-cab rear-seat passengers had 35.2 inches of legroom, and crew cab passengers enjoyed 43.4 inches. The Sierra featured numerous storage compartments, though the gloveboxes were on the smaller side. The driver-oriented cockpit had a low centerline, with screens and controls positioned low, which could be distracting. The Sierra had an abundance of knobs and buttons, which could be overwhelming. The AT4X trim had off-road controls in two different places, which could be confusing. The massaging seats were a welcome feature, though operating them was not intuitive.

The 2022 Ford Maverick featured the older Sync 3 infotainment system, with standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but not wireless versions. An 8-inch touchscreen was standard, along with a built-in WiFi hotspot. The infotainment system's graphics and functions were basic, but the screen size was decent for the Maverick's price range. The hybrid model included a brake-coaching feature to help drivers maximize energy recovery through regenerative braking.

The 2022 GMC Sierra 1500 came with larger display screens, including a 12.3-inch digital cluster and a 13.4-inch touchscreen with Google built-in. The infotainment system was compatible with Android and Apple devices, with three years of complimentary service for AT4 and Denali trims. The Denali models featured an interactive start-up screen with topographical maps. The infotainment screen offered a clean display with large icons, though distinguishing between in-car and smartphone maps could be confusing. The larger touchscreen allowed for personalization and dual modes. Wireless device charging was standard, and available options included a 15-inch head-up display and a 12-speaker Bose premium surround-sound system.

The 2022 Ford Maverick had not yet been rated by the IIHS or NHTSA. Standard safety features under the Ford Co-Pilot360 banner included forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, and automatic high beams. Optional features included adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane centering, and evasive steering assist.

The 2022 GMC Sierra 1500 featured GM's Super Cruise, a Level 2 semi-autonomous driving system, as a standard feature on the Denali Ultimate. Super Cruise handled automatic lane changes and trailering capability. The Sierra had up to 14 camera views for trailering assistance and a new GCW Alert feature to signal when the truck was overloaded. Standard safety features under GMC Pro Safety included forward collision alert, automatic emergency braking, front pedestrian braking, lane-keep assist, a following distance indicator, and IntelliBeam automatic headlights. The Sierra received mostly "Good" crash safety ratings from the IIHS but earned a "Marginal" grade in the front-passenger small overlap test and a "Poor" grade for headlights. The NHTSA rated 2WD models four out of five stars for crashworthiness, while 4WD variants had not yet been rated.