(By Tom Lohnes) – As we already know, the Ford Focus ST is long dead in the US. The days of affordable fun in a small, practical vehicle from Ford have been over since 2018. Well, what if I told you that the ST name is returning to a compact North American Ford vehicle? And, the news gets even better, its not a compact SUV. Well, what is it then? Take a look at this lowered, widened, enhanced Maverick seen lapping Ford’s test track in Michigan. Could this be a Maverick ST?

Yes, it very well could be. The Ecoboost-powered, AWD Maverick is quite the fun little vehicle, with 250 horsepower and a relatively light curb weight in lower trims. But, some people want a bit more out of their small trucks. It is also true today that we are lacking any sort of lowered street truck that were once ever so popular. Well, the Maverick ST plans to solve both of those problems, and from what we can see, it looks quite cool.

Roughly based on the lowered Maverick Ford showed at SEMA last year, the ST is a lower, wider version of the Maverick that appears to have been tested with an extra visible intercooler and dual exhaust outlets out back. The truck appears to be based on the mid-grade XLT trim, and the tester was finished in the Hot Pepper Red color that other models are available in. Since the Maverick is already available with up to 250 horsepower out of a 2.0L turbocharged Inline-4, it is only safe to assume that the Maverick will have the larger, more powerful 2.3L Ecoboost, which in the Ford Focus RS made 350 horsepower. The Maverick is on more or less the same chassis, so the 2.3 is quite possible. AWD will be a definite, but transmissions are still up in the air. An 8-speed auto will 100% be an option, but Ford could very well get away with offering a Maverick equipped with a manual transmission. I’m sure it would bring back a lot of previous ST/RS owners that has to switch brands when the Focus got axed.

Manual or not, it is cool to see the sport truck scene get new life breathed into it. Since the Ram SRT-10 in 2006, there really hasn’t been any lowered trucks that can go way faster than they probably should. So, it is awesome to see Ford doing this. Expect more details as 2022 progresses.