Ford joined forces with Nissan and offered the Maverick SUV in two body styles for the European market.
The Maverick/Terrano II duo was built in Spain, at Nissan’s plant, and it appeared on the market in 1993. Both partners decided to upgrade their models starting with 1996. Ford enhanced its model with its new design language and offered new trims for the interior. A seven-seat option was available for the long-wheelbase version.

On the outside, the 1996 Maverick featured new, dual headlights at the front. The silver plastic grille resembled the one from the Ranger pickup. Ford installed bigger wheel-fender moldings around the wheel-wells; hence the previous model was criticized for its slim ones. There was a new design available for its light-alloy-wheels.

Another good upgrade was on the technical side, where the engines were updated. Even though it didn’t receive the 3.0-liter unit like the Terrano II, it went well with the 2.7-liter turbodiesel, upgraded to 125 hp from the pre-facelifted variant, which only had 101 hp. The torque was increased to 278 Nm (205 lb-ft). The 2.4-liter gasoline unit lost some power and, since 1996, had only 118 hp instead of 124 as before.

The 4x4 transmission system was via a transfer-case with high and low gear. Ford didn’t offer a center differential or locking differentials. The Maverick had a front-wheel independent suspension while the rear axle was rigid-type with coil springs and an anti-roll bar.