Sometimes, knowing you can do something cool in a truck is almost as good as actually doing it. A good example of this is Lobo mode in the 2025 Ford Maverick Lobo. The performance-oriented truck has a mode meant for letting it rip on a track.
Several things happen when you activate this mode.
The truck adjusts torque to send more power to the wheels as needed when you are accelerating. Stability control settings are mostly turned off, which means exactly what you might think it means — the ability to drift around corners.
Lobo mode also increases tire grip by providing extra power, and there’s a more aggressive gearbox ratio to make sure you can hammer up to high speeds faster.
The steering is also adjusted for a finer touch and more control — less forgiving than most trucks since they’re made today for the casual driver, not someone on a track. The rear torque-vectoring system also helps push power to the rear tires more than the front. Anyone who has driven a sports car knows you need the power on the rear tires to propel you faster.
While I did experiment with the settings, I didn’t take the Maverick Lobo out on a track and burn rubber. Doing that requires a bunch of paperwork or a trip to a press event, and I was here for the Maverick’s lower-than-expected price (starting at just $29,840) and a few tech features.
Still, Lobo mode is a fun addition, and if I ever do take one out on a track (including an event I plan to go to in Wisconsin next year), I’ll know what to do and how it all works.
Sitting in the cab, the Maverick Lobo feels lower to the ground and less like a monster truck than the bigger F-150 or pretty much any full-size truck. In fact, sliding into the driver’s seat actually feels more like getting behind the wheel of a Ford Explorer.
You can tell Ford really wants us all to understand how Lobo mode is meant for the track.
Here’s how they describe it: “Lobo mode is meant only for closed courses because it activates the truck’s torque while reducing stability control intervention. (Think about Lobo mode as the Maverick equivalent to Mustang track mode.) And to ensure Lobo is ready to handle demanding performance driving, we also upgraded the cooling system. It utilizes the larger radiator and fan from Maverick’s 4K towing package and a transmission oil cooler.”
I’m sold. If I was in a truck-buying mode, the fact that the Lobo version provides all of these extra perks is a big selling point — just knowing it’s all possible. And for everyday driving, I was impressed by the handling and sportiness even though I wasn’t able to drive on a track.