In this country, Ford regards 4x4s very much as niche products, and it doesn't put a lot of stress on them, having quite enough on its plate in other market sectors. But the latest Maverick is performing well up to the company's fairly modest sales projections, and I'm not surprised. Ford may not be the first name you think of when it come to 4x4s, but it has a good one here.While the same car as sold in North America is the Kansas City-built Escape, all right-hand drive versions are produced by Ford's subsidiary Mazda in Japan. You can tell the American influence, though, by the ungrained and rather uninteresting black leather upholstery in the V6, and the quadrant automatic transmission selector to the left of the steering wheel.The Maverick - which has no connection at all with the previous model assembled in Spain by Nissan Iberica - may be defined as a compact 4x4, but it certainly isn't skimped for space. There's plenty of room up front and in the rear cabin, where the upholstery is very firm and the 60/40 split seats could do with a recline control. Rear seat passengers in the XLT have rather complex pull-down cupholders.Over the back, the load floor has a useful area, although as in all 4x4s it's quite high. There are side nets in which to keep small lightweight objects, and a 12v socket. Another of these in the front cabin is often used in the States to plug in a radar detector.The Maverick has that sensible feature, a separately opening tailgate window, frameless in this case. It took me a while to figure out how to open it, since the fact that there are two tailgate handles - one marked "glass" - didn't, as it were, impinge on my consciousness. One should never overestimate the powers of observation of Her Majesty's Press.Up front, one curious thing about the Maverick, even in the top specification, is that the fascia and door trim (with the exception of the thinly padded panel containing the doorhandle) are so hard. It doesn't seem quite XLT.There's a typically commanding 4x4 driving position, with all the controls handily placed, and I liked the fact that the steering wheel is set quite low. Once you get used to the spring loading of the gear selector, and don't simply thrash it around, it can be worked easily enough in nine-point turns and the like. The four-speed automatic transmission has an overdrive which can be cut in and out by using the button at the end of the selector, and that's just the job for a quick overtaking squirt or a change-down for a corner.Most of the time, the Maverick isn't a 4WD machine at all, since it effectively runs in front-wheel drive, until the system detects spin at that end and diverts some torque to the rear. There's a 4x4 lock for tougher conditions, but I'm sure very few Maverick owners will have much need for it.The drive and suspension are both tuned for ordinary road use, and this is where the Maverick scores. It handles with an unexpectedly light touch, and there's none of that feeling you get with jumbo-sized off-roaders, that the cornering and ride are being constantly upset by huge wheels and tyres bouncing and galumphing around. The Maverick is much more relaxing to drive, and it's also noticeably more nimble than the Explorer.There's loads of power - more than 190bhp from the three-litre Duratec V6 engine, which also turns out 195lb/ft of torque at 4750rpm. That represents plenty of pull, but it does, of course, come a lot higher up the rev range than would be the case with a turbo diesel, which Ford doesn't offer. This is a strong tow car, all the same, although you don't get diesel economy, and the V6 engine doesn't score well on CO2 emissions.The styling is rather bland around the front, and unflamboyant elsewhere. The Maverick is a businesslike car, though, quick and composed on the road, and you can put all thoughts of flop-around American sport utilities out of your mind.Second opinion: Only the name has been carried over from the previous model - in virtually every other respect the new Maverick is a vast improvment over the old. It also makes the Explorer seem almost pointless, and I can't see that car lasting much longer on the UK market. One thing that worried me about the Maverick was the throttle pedal. In many cars like this, not much happens for the first couple of inches of travel, but in this one the response is immediate. There's so much torque available that control can be quite difficult when you're manoeuvring round car parks. In fact I can imagine Mavericks leaping around unexpectedly just when their drivers don't want them to. This is something Ford should think about quickly, as the last thing the company needs right now is another problem with law suits. David Finlay.