The 2024 Ford Maverick and 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz are one another’s most blatant rivals. They’re additionally one another’s solely rivals. This pair of compact pickup vehicles, each of that are primarily based on car-like “crossover” platforms, hit the market a number of months aside and gave rise to a wholly new automobile section.
As a result of the Maverick and Santa Cruz have been developed concurrently, they each went concerning the concept of a compact pickup in very other ways. The Maverick went with extra of a conventional, boxy, American truck idea, albeit with a really untraditional obtainable powertrain: a hybrid. The Santa Cruz is extra like a compact SUV with a truck mattress, a form of various to all these outside adventuring trim ranges popping up all through the SUV world.
In different phrases, the Santa Cruz and Maverick are related of their most elementary description (compact truck), however finally very totally different. Let’s check out varied areas the place they may outshine the opposite.
Learn our 2024 Ford Maverick Evaluate
Learn our 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz Evaluate
Which has a nicer inside?
Winner: Santa Cruz
Should you’re questioning why the Santa Cruz prices extra, it is a huge motive why. The Santa Cruz has mainly the identical cabin design and high quality because the Hyundai Tucson; it has a premium look and supplies high quality is excessive. The highest trim may even be described as luxurious. The Maverick undoubtedly will get factors for fascinating design and a daring coloration palette, however the high quality of supplies can be indicative of a whole section beneath the Santa Cruz if we have been speaking about crossover SUVs. The whole lot is difficult plastic, which might be OK given the worth tag, however the query did actually ask which has a nicer inside. The Hyundai.
Which has higher infotainment expertise?
Winner: Santa Cruz
Hyundai has among the best infotainment techniques within the trade, so that is a straightforward one. It seems nice and is simple to make use of. We don’t love the touch-sensitive second controls, however they do not less than contribute to that premium look described above. There are two display screen sizes obtainable, 8-inch customary and a ten.25-inch higher trim improve, each operating mainly the identical interface. The Maverick solely gives an 8-inch display screen, however it’s really fairly person pleasant in its personal proper. It’s simply outdone by Hyundai.
Which is safer?
Winner: Santa Cruz
The Santa Cruz comes customary with extra driver help expertise options, and we usually choose their efficiency to these of Ford’s. The Hyundai additionally has higher security scores.
The Insurance coverage Institute for Freeway Security awarded the Santa Cruz its highest rating of “Good” throughout all crashworthiness checks however its lowest rating of “Poor” for its headlights. It’s extremely probably that it will change for 2024 since all Santa Cruz fashions now come customary with upgraded LED lighting. NHTSA’s partial evaluations awarded the Santa Cruz five-out-of-five stars for frontal crash safety and 4 stars in rollover checks.
The Insurance coverage Institute for Freeway Security (IIHS) hasn’t up to date its scores for the 2024 Maverick, however we anticipate them to stay unchanged from 2023. The 2023 Maverick earned a second-best score of “Acceptable” for the up to date reasonable overlap entrance crash check (many new vehicles haven’t been subjected to this check but), and the most effective “Good” score for aspect impression. It earned the most effective “Superior” score for vehicle-to-vehicle entrance crash prevention, a second-best “Superior” score for daytime vehicle-to-pedestrian prevention, and a “Fundamental” score for nighttime vehicle-to-pedestrian prevention.
Which has the larger again seat?
Winner: Maverick
The specs say otherwise, however after testing them each, the Maverick has the higher again seat. Legroom may successfully be a wash, however the seatback within the Santa Cruz is extra noticeably upright than what you may discover within the Maverick. Then there’s the matter of accommodating a rear-facing youngster seat. Briefly, there was more room remaining for the entrance seat passenger within the Maverick. Even a 6-foot-3 passenger was completely comfy up there with a pure seatback angle and house between my knees and the dashboard. Within the Santa Cruz, the seat was pushed far ahead and his knees have been jammed up towards the sprint. Admittedly, this might be as a lot to do with the Santa Cruz’s sprint design, which juts additional out into the cabin.
Learn out in-depth Santa Cruz vs Maverick Again Seat Evaluate
Which has extra cargo capability and performance?
Winner: Santa Cruz
If we’re actually speaking capability, then the Maverick’s mattress is 4.5 toes lengthy whereas the Santa Cruz’s is 4.3 toes lengthy. It additionally has a extra standard form. What the Santa Cruz might lack by way of general capability (and even simply barely), it counters with intelligent options that add versatility and safety past the same old pickup expertise. There may be an underfloor storage space, bed-size cubbies, and maybe essentially the most helpful characteristic, an obtainable garage-door-style curler shade that slides backwards and forwards over the mattress to simply safe it. To be truthful, the Maverick does have its personal cubby and a 12-volt plug, however given the best way most individuals use their trunks, we expect the Santa Cruz’s further performance trumps literal capability.
Which will get higher gas financial system?
Winner: Maverick
The Maverick is out there with a hybrid powertrain, so that is a straightforward one. Though paired solely with front-wheel drive, the Maverick Hybrid returns 37 miles per gallon mixed. The most effective the Santa Cruz can do is 23 mpg mixed. The Maverick’s base turbocharged engine can be higher than each the underwhelming base engine and turbocharged improve of the Santa Cruz that mainly get the identical gas financial system of 22-23 mpg mixed. The Maverick turbo returns 26 mpg mixed with front-wheel drive and 25 mpg mixed with all-wheel drive.
Which is extra highly effective?
Winner: Um, it relies upon
If we’re speaking base engines, then the Maverick is way extra highly effective. Its 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four produces 250 horsepower and 277 pound-feet of torque. The Santa Cruz’s 2.5-liter naturally aspirated inline-four produces solely 191 hp and 181 lb-ft. That’s precisely the identical horsepower quantity that the Maverick Hybrid produces, by the best way. Alternatively, the Santa Cruz’s improve engine is a 2.5-liter turbocharged inline-four that produces 281 hp and 311 lb-ft of torque. Acceleration is the strongest right here by far.
Which is best to drive?
Winner: Santa Cruz
We love how the Maverick drives. For a pickup, it’s nimble, simple to park, simple to chop by metropolis streets and even enjoyable at instances. We similar to the Santa Cruz higher. It’s one of the crucial responsive and agile compact crossovers, no matter what’s happening behind the C pillar. There may be nothing remotely truck-like about it, and it proves to be shockingly sharp and able to flicking a couple of twisting mountain highway. True, getting the larger engine undoubtedly helps right here, however on the whole, the Santa Cruz will get the nod although the Maverick is spectacular in its personal proper.
Which is extra comfy?
Winner: Inconclusive
The entrance seats within the Santa Cruz usually tend to be deemed extra comfy, whereas we’ve already famous that its upright again seat will give the Maverick the nod in that area. You may anticipate the Hyundai to be quieter, too. Experience consolation is trickier. The Santa Cruz has a extra subtle suspension design, however it’s sporty tuning may go away some discovering it too agency. We’ll need to label this one “inconclusive.”
Are there variations that stand out greater than others?
Winner: Maverick
Not solely does the Maverick supply its hybrid powertrain that obliterates the Santa Cruz’s gas financial system numbers, the Maverick provides clients the selection of two off-road-oriented variations. The FX4 off-road package deal contains all-terrain tires, uncovered entrance tow hooks, efficiency suspension, hill descent management, off-road drive modes, skid plates, trailer hitch receiver, an upgraded cooling fan and higher-capacity radiator, together with some look upgrades. The Tremor package deal takes issues a step additional with a extra superior 4WD system (features a twin-clutch rear drive unit and locking rear differential), distinctive off-road suspension with an elevated journey top, Path Management off-road cruise management, heavy-duty transmission cooler, a full-size spare tire and various distinctive look upgrades exterior and in.
When was the final time they have been redesigned?
Winner: Tie
Each have been all new for 2022 and haven’t acquired vital adjustments since then. The Maverick gained the Tremor, and the Santa Cruz gained the XRT look package deal, however that’s about it past some characteristic availability tweaks.
Which offers higher worth?
Winner: Maverick
The Maverick is cheaper. To be truthful, it additionally has fewer options in its base trim degree, and a lower-quality cabin in each model. In whole, although, it’s onerous to not see the Maverick because the clear winner right here, and never simply that, one of many higher worth decisions within the automotive world.
