Ford Motor Company might be planning to go head-to-head with the Chevrolet Trail Boss and GMC AT4 off-road truck packages, a recent trademark filing shows. As our sister site Ford Authority first reported, Ford has filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to secure the rights to the name “FX4 Max”, as it applies to “motor vehicles, namely, passenger automobiles, trucks, sport utility vehicles, off-road vehicles, and structural parts, fittings, and badges therefor.”
“FX4” is one of Ford’s two established off-road-oriented vehicle brands, the other being “Raptor”, which launched with the 2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor and has since been extended to a special, hardcore off-roading version of the midsize Ford Ranger in some international markets. We believe that the “FX4 Max” brand could split the difference, representing an extra-capable step up from the existing FX4 package offered on vehicles like the Ford F-150, Ford Ranger, and Ford Expedition. The automaker’s use of the word “Max” here isn’t unprecedented; it’s what the Blue Oval calls its extended-wheelbase version of the Expedition.
Could Ford someday offer a “Ford Expedition Max FX4 Max”? We hope not.

2018 Ford Expedition FX4. Photo: Ford
The Chevrolet Trail Boss package, available on trucks like the all-new 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, represents a step up from the Chevrolet Z71 off-road equipment groups. It couples the Z71’s revised suspension, hill descent control, skid plates, and other bits of kit with a factory two-inch lift kit, special wheels and tires, four-wheel drive with a two-speed transfer case and locking differential, plus some aesthetic changes. There’s an even more intense level to GM’s off-road-package hierarchy called “ZR2”, but that badge is so far exclusive to the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2.
Off-Road Capability | Chevrolet Package | GMC Package |
---|---|---|
Basic | None | None |
Intermediate | Z71 | X31 |
Advanced | Trail Boss | AT4 |
Extreme | Potential ZR2 | Potential AT4 Xtreme |
Of course, Ford might not end up using the “FX4 Max” name at all; automaker quite often file for intellectual property rights that never quite end up making it to market in any form. More likely, however, we will indeed see a direct competitor to Chevrolet Trail Boss and GMC AT4 from Ford in the not-too-distant future.
You can keep up-to-date with the latest GM trademark news right here on GM Authority.
Comments
X31 package is your best bang for buck. I wouldn’t buy a truck without a locking rear diff and auto 2 speed transfer case. $650 is a steal
I have always ordered the G 80 locker even on my 2wd trucks! It’s been a life saver a time or two.
Ford answers Chevy right away but it’s been almost 10 years and still no Raptor challenge from Chevy. Come on GM get it together. For a company so obsessed on profit per vehicle they seem to be blind when it comes Fords profit per vehicle concerning the Raptor.
No ZL1 competition from Ford either.
All I know is FX4 max sounds stupid. If GM went Z71 Max I’d feel the same way.