We know Ford has something cooking for the Maverick. The automaker said as much earlier this month but stopped short of sharing any details. We also know the rumor mill has rumbled for over a year regarding a performance variant of the small pickup, possibly wearing an ST badge. Now, we have fresh spy shots showing a Maverick on the move with some interesting tidbits on display.

This truck obviously isn’t running a stock exhaust system. Such piping at the back is commonly seen on vehicles undergoing emissions testing. This testing suggests some kind of change under the hood, be it more power or a different engine entirely. The most powerful Maverick currently features the turbocharged 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-pot, rated at 250 horsepower. It’s not a slow vehicle, but if we are looking at a Maverick ST, a modest power bump would certainly make sense.

Gallery: Ford Maverick ST Spy Photos

Next, let us draw your attention to the wheels. Zooming in, we see them wrapped in Goodyear Wrangler rubber. That’s not an ideal application for a street-focused performance truck, but more importantly, they measure 19 inches in diameter — not a size you can currently get on the Maverick.

Then there are the wheel arches, which, from certain angles, look a tad wider than normal. That could help explain the camo wrap at the front and rear of the truck, though it’s just an educated guess for now. If they are wider, it’s not by much.

This all points to a Maverick that packs a bit more performance. But there’s nothing official from Ford at this point to back it up. In financial news from early November, Ford confirmed “new extensions of the Bronco and Maverick nameplates, but to be fair, that doesn’t automatically mean a performance-oriented street truck. It makes sense, though – Ford already offers FX4 and Tremor off-road packages for the Maverick, and a luxury-themed Platinum trim feels out-of-place here. And lest we forget the very interesting spy shots from 2022, showing a Maverick with big wheels and a sporty dual-exhaust setup at the back.

Whatever Ford is doing with the Maverick, we expect a debut to take place sometime within the next six months.

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