The 2024 Ford Maverick and 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz are one another’s most evident competitors. They’re also one another’s only competitors. This pair of compact pickup trucks, each of that are based on car-like “crossover” platforms, hit the market several months apart and gave rise to a completely latest vehicle segment.
Since the Maverick and Santa Cruz were developed concurrently, they each went in regards to the idea of a compact pickup in very alternative ways. The Maverick went with more of a conventional, boxy, American truck concept, albeit with a really untraditional available powertrain: a hybrid. The Santa Cruz is more like a compact SUV with a truck bed, a form of different to all those outdoor adventuring trim levels popping up throughout the SUV world.
In other words, the Santa Cruz and Maverick are similar of their most elementary description (compact truck), but ultimately very different. Let’s take a take a look at various areas where they may outshine the opposite.
Read our 2024 Ford Maverick Review
Read our 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz Review
Which has a nicer interior?
Winner: Santa Cruz
If you happen to’re wondering why the Santa Cruz costs more, this can be a big reason why. The Santa Cruz has mainly the identical cabin design and quality because the Hyundai Tucson; it has a premium look and materials quality is high. The highest trim may even be described as luxurious. The Maverick definitely gets points for interesting design and a daring color palette, but the standard of materials could be indicative of a whole segment below the Santa Cruz if we were talking about crossover SUVs. The whole lot is tough plastic, which might be OK given the value tag, however the query did literally ask which has a nicer interior. The Hyundai.
Which has higher infotainment technology?
Winner: Santa Cruz
Hyundai has among the finest infotainment systems within the industry, so that is a simple one. It looks great and is straightforward to make use of. We don’t love the touch-sensitive second controls, but they do at the very least contribute to that premium look described above. There are two screen sizes available, 8-inch standard and a ten.25-inch upper trim upgrade, each running mainly the identical interface. The Maverick only offers an 8-inch screen, however it’s actually quite user friendly in its own right. It’s just outdone by Hyundai.
Which is safer?
Winner: Santa Cruz
The Santa Cruz comes standard with more driver assistance technology features, and we generally prefer their performance to those of Ford’s. The Hyundai also has higher safety rankings.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety awarded the Santa Cruz its highest rating of “Good” across all crashworthiness tests but its lowest rating of “Poor” for its headlights. It’s totally likely that it will change for 2024 since all Santa Cruz models now come standard with upgraded LED lighting. NHTSA’s partial evaluations awarded the Santa Cruz five-out-of-five stars for frontal crash protection and 4 stars in rollover tests.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) hasn’t updated its rankings for the 2024 Maverick, but we expect them to stay unchanged from 2023. The 2023 Maverick earned a second-best rating of “Acceptable” for the updated moderate overlap front crash test (many latest cars haven’t been subjected to this test yet), and one of the best “Good” rating for side impact. It earned one of the best “Superior” rating for vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention, a second-best “Advanced” rating for daytime vehicle-to-pedestrian prevention, and a “Basic” rating for nighttime vehicle-to-pedestrian prevention.
Which has the larger back seat?
Winner: Maverick
The specs say in another way, but after testing them each, the Maverick has the higher back seat. Legroom might effectively be a wash, however the seatback within the Santa Cruz is more noticeably upright than what you will find within the Maverick. Then there’s the matter of accommodating a rear-facing child seat. In brief, there was more room remaining for the front seat passenger within the Maverick. Even a 6-foot-3 passenger was perfectly comfortable up there with a natural seatback angle and space between my knees and the dashboard. Within the Santa Cruz, the seat was pushed far forward and his knees were jammed up against the dash. Admittedly, this might be as much to do with the Santa Cruz’s dash design, which juts further out into the cabin.
Read out in-depth Santa Cruz vs Maverick Back Seat Review
Which has more cargo capability and functionality?
Winner: Santa Cruz
If we’re literally talking capability, then the Maverick’s bed is 4.5 feet long while the Santa Cruz’s is 4.3 feet long. It also has a more conventional shape. What the Santa Cruz may lack when it comes to overall capability (and even just barely), it counters with clever features that add versatility and security beyond the same old pickup experience. There’s an underfloor storage area, bed-size cubbies, and maybe probably the most useful feature, an available garage-door-style roller shade that slides backwards and forwards over the bed to simply secure it. To be fair, the Maverick does have its own cubby and a 12-volt plug, but given the best way most individuals use their trunks, we predict the Santa Cruz’s extra functionality trumps literal capability.
Which gets higher fuel economy?
Winner: Maverick
The Maverick is accessible with a hybrid powertrain, so that is a simple one. Although paired only with front-wheel drive, the Maverick Hybrid returns 37 miles per gallon combined. One of the best the Santa Cruz can do is 23 mpg combined. The Maverick’s base turbocharged engine can be higher than each the underwhelming base engine and turbocharged upgrade of the Santa Cruz that mainly get the identical fuel economy of 22-23 mpg combined. The Maverick turbo returns 26 mpg combined with front-wheel drive and 25 mpg combined with all-wheel drive.
Which is more powerful?
Winner: Um, it depends
If we’re talking base engines, then the Maverick is way more powerful. 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 only 191 hp and 181 lb-ft. That’s the exact same horsepower amount that the Maverick Hybrid produces, by the best way. However, the Santa Cruz’s upgrade engine is a 2.5-liter turbocharged inline-four that produces 281 hp and 311 lb-ft of torque. Acceleration is the strongest here by far.
Which is best to drive?
Winner: Santa Cruz
We love how the Maverick drives. For a pickup, it’s nimble, easy to park, easy to chop through city streets and even fun at times. We identical to the Santa Cruz higher. It’s one of the responsive and agile compact crossovers, no matter what’s occurring behind the C pillar. There’s nothing remotely truck-like about it, and it proves to be shockingly sharp and able to flicking a couple of twisting mountain road. True, getting the larger engine definitely helps here, but on the whole, the Santa Cruz gets the nod despite the fact that the Maverick is impressive in its own right.
Which is more comfortable?
Winner: Inconclusive
The front seats within the Santa Cruz usually tend to be deemed more comfortable, while we’ve already noted that its upright back seat will give the Maverick the nod in that arena. You’ll be able to expect the Hyundai to be quieter, too. Ride comfort is trickier. The Santa Cruz has a more sophisticated suspension design, however it’s sporty tuning might leave some finding it too firm. We’ll should label this one “inconclusive.”
Are there versions that stand out greater than others?
Winner: Maverick
Not only does the Maverick offer its hybrid powertrain that obliterates the Santa Cruz’s fuel economy numbers, the Maverick gives customers the alternative of two off-road-oriented versions. The FX4 off-road package includes all-terrain tires, exposed front tow hooks, performance suspension, hill descent control, off-road drive modes, skid plates, trailer hitch receiver, an upgraded cooling fan and higher-capacity radiator, together with some appearance upgrades. The Tremor package takes things a step further with a more advanced 4WD system (features a twin-clutch rear drive unit and locking rear differential), unique off-road suspension with an increased ride height, Trail Control off-road cruise control, heavy-duty transmission cooler, a full-size spare tire and quite a lot of unique appearance upgrades outside and in.
When was the last time they were redesigned?
Winner: Tie
Each were all latest for 2022 and haven’t received significant changes since then. The Maverick gained the Tremor, and the Santa Cruz gained the XRT appearance package, but that’s about it beyond some feature availability tweaks.
Which provides higher value?
Winner: Maverick
The Maverick is cheaper. To be fair, it also has fewer features in its base trim level, and a lower-quality cabin in every version. In total, though, it’s hard to not see the Maverick because the clear winner here, and not only that, considered one of the higher value decisions within the automotive world.
This Article First Appeared At www.autoblog.com
