Ford and Nissan joined forced to develop a new SUV for the European market, resulting in the Maverick-Terrano II duo, both available with three and five-door versions.
The American brand chose the Maverick name while Nissan continued with the Terrano II name as a successor for the first-generation Terrano. While basically, both vehicles were technically the same, the marketing strategy was different, and Ford decided to use other package options for its models.

With its soft corners and shaved angles, the Maverick confirmed that the wedge-shapes era was gone even for the 4x4 vehicles. However, there were some reminiscences on the squared headlights and rectangular turn-signals and fog-lights mounted on the front bumper. But the new design era was noticeable on the sides, where the ascending beltline looked curved, like a soft step on the rear doors, above the quarter panels.

Ford installed offered the Maverick with five or seven-seat options, with jump-seats in the trunk area. With the second and third rows folded down, the Maverick offered a 1900 liter (67 cu-ft) trunk size, while with all seven seats installed, it could barely provide room for a few sandwiches.

The vehicle was built on a ladder-chassis, with a front independent suspension and a five-link rear axle. It was powered either by a 2.4-liter gasoline engine or a 2.7-liter turbodiesel. All versions were part-time 4x4 with a low-range gear, and the standard transmission was a 5-speed manual. Depending on the market, an option for a 4-speed automatic was on the options list.