On paper, Ford’s Maverick shouldn’t work. At least when it comes to what Americans want in a truck. It’s a unibody vehicle. It’s front-wheel drive. And it’s smaller than an aircraft carrier.

But what it also is, is brilliant. So what if the Ford Maverick comes standard with front-wheel drive? It also comes standard with a hybrid powertrain. Which gets an EPA-estimated 40 mpg in the city. And starts under $20k (should a dealer actually honor MSRP). More importantly, it has a useable bed. For those who’ve been looking for a truck to do actual work – and not tow a space shuttle – it’s hard to find better.

But it’s currently hard to find one. Demand is so high, at the time of this writing, Ford actually had to suspend pre-orders for the Maverick. So, if you haven’t picked one up yet, good luck finding one. Thankfully, as media types, we can just call up Ford and have one delivered to our doorstep, pre-orders be damned. While we have yet to drive the base-model hybrid Maverick, Ford did toss us the keys to the upgraded, turbocharged version – the Maverick EcoBoost Lariat – which offers a significant boost in power, and ultimately, capability.

The 2.0-liter four-cylinder EcoBoost that’s powering our test truck is rated at 250 horsepower and 277 lb-ft of torque. The base-level hybrid, by comparison, is rated at just 191 horsepower and 155 lb-ft of torque. When equipped with the tow package, our Maverick can haul up to 4,000 pounds versus the hybrid’s 2,000. Payload, however, remains consistent no matter the powertrain, with the Maverick able to carry 1,500 pounds of stuff in its 4.5-foot, dura-lined bed.

If you want a truck that looks like a truck, well, here you go. Unlike the sci-fi stylings of Hyundai’s unibodied Santa Cruz, Ford’s Maverick knows it’s a truck, and damn does it ever look like one. It’s a couple of boxes. With wheels. But they all come together nicely. Even in photos, one can tell that the Maverick is obviously smaller than the F-150, or even the Ranger, but it still looks tough and brawny—like a true member of the Ford Truck family.

The cabin of the Maverick is spectacular – for a truck. There’s no denying the durable-grade plastics used throughout, but here they work, and they’re all designed well. The dash keeps things simple overall, but the doors get cool visual tricks like floating door pulls, contrasting copper accents, and the interesting geometric textures you’d find in a modern Hyundai. The cabin is essentially a box, so there’s plenty of room inside, with a bright greenhouse and excellent outward visibility.

As our tester is the Maverick in the fancy Lariat spec, it gets some extra niceties like leather-trimmed seats and a full-glass (digital) gauge cluster. The 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system is standard across all Mavericks; Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility come standard as well.

Being a truck and all, the Maverick doesn’t feel fast or sporty, but all in all, its cabin is a nice place to be. The ride is smooth. The steering is a bit heavy, but feels accurate. And given its smaller size, it’s easy to drive around the city. It’s hard to find any real fault with the driving experience.

But if we have to nitpick – and we will – we have two minor gripes. Well, they’re not really gripes. More things that we wish were a bit different, but not exactly deal breakers. To start, we’re not fans of the rotary dial gear selector. We get that a manual is a non-starter, but at least give us an actual shift lever. Don’t get us wrong – the system itself doesn’t mess up. But it’s physically so much easier to throw a lever into reverse than it is to delicately turn a knob a certain number of clicks and hope the transmission does what we want it to.

And the engine, as solid as it is, sounds weak. Its power, and the way said power comes on, is fine. But put its induction and exhaust notes into something like an old Focus and you’d swear that the thing was struggling to keep speed. As useful as trucks are, they still are image plays, and we’d like the Maverick’s soundtrack to match its looks. We don’t need a V8 burble, but perhaps a modern, sportier sound could work.

But if you’re looking for a truck because you want a vehicle that can actually do truck things, you’ll find a lot to love about the Maverick. And if you’re not a truck person, but wish you sometimes had a vehicle with a bed, you’ll love the Maverick too. Most modern trucks are too big. Too overbuilt. And project an image that its owner is overcompensating for something. Driving a Maverick, however, just makes you feel smart.

But if you were really smart, you would have bought one sooner.

Ford Maverick Lariat