Ford Maverick ST under consideration! Baby Ranger could get performance flagship to takedown Hyundai Santa Cruz and Honda Ridgeline: report

Ongoing online demand for a Ford Maverick ST could lead to the Blue Oval adding a performance ute to its model line-up, according to a new report.

In an interview with Ford Authority, Ford Maverick marketing manager Trevor Scott revealed the American brand is keeping an eye on the fervent public conversations regarding the new potential addition to the ST range.

“We’re seeing a lot of the chatter online about that,” he said. “It’s almost always one of the first things you see, is people asking, ‘Where is the ST, the RS version?’ We’ll continue to monitor that to see if there is an opportunity.”

Needless to say, Ford hasn’t ruled out an ST version of the baby Ranger and Hyundai Santa Cruz and Honda Ridgeline rival, so it could very well come to fruition in the coming years, but what exactly would separate it from the regular Maverick crowd?

Well, the Escape-based Maverick is already available with Ford’s 2.0-litre EcoBoost turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine, so it isn’t a stretch to assume its larger 2.3-litre unit could find its way under the bonnet.

Of course, that particular EcoBoost turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine produced up to 257kW of power and 440Nm of torque in the previous-generation Focus RS hot hatch, so it would certainly be an improvement over the Maverick’s current 186kW/376Nm limits.

And with the not-for-Australia Maverick already available with all-wheel drive and an eight-speed torque-converter automatic transmission, all the ingredients are already there for an ST version with serious credentials.

Of course, time will tell if Ford actually produces and sells a Maverick ST, so keep those fingers crossed. In the meantime, though, Ford Authority has published the above artist’s impression of what it could look like…