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Art Vandelay

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FWIW I recently saw the Santa Cruz described as a MID-SIZE truck, not compact. It may more of a competitor for Ridgeline than Maverick...
Yeah I can't tell yet what size class the Santa Cruz is supposed to be. Has Hyundai given any indication at all on what the price range or starting price might be for the Santa Cruz?
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Unless you want a truck, this is gonna give the Maverick some competition. And Hyundai themselves is making sure to tell you right upfront... The Santa Cruz is "not a truck."
 

Old Ranchero

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who exactly do they think is gonna want this, that can actually afford it? The looks are as polarizing as the current generation of "transformers" Camaro. Almost as bad as the Cyber truck, but Just pain fugly with no pedigree to draw on like a Camaro. I'll go on record right now saying this will be a gigantic flop as an overpriced limited use, not real good at any 1 thing to sustain market share niche vehicle. Probably get a burst out the gate selling to all the early adopter techno guys the 1st year, then sales will fall off in year 2 and continue declining until it gets a major face lift to try to broaden appeal to more buyers and failing that it gets discontinued just like the Pontiac Aztec, Subaru Tribeca.
 
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who exactly do they think is gonna want this, that can actually afford it? The looks are as polarizing as the current generation of "transformers" Camaro. Almost as bad as the Cyber truck, but Just pain fugly with no pedigree to draw on like a Camaro. I'll go on record right now saying this will be a gigantic flop as an overpriced limited use, not real good at any 1 thing to sustain market share niche vehicle. Probably get a burst out the gate selling to all the early adopter techno guys the 1st year, then sales will fall off in year 2 and continue declining until it gets a major face lift to try to broaden appeal to more buyers and failing that it gets discontinued just like the Pontiac Aztec, Subaru Tribeca.
Guess I'm an "early adopter techno guy," (just an old 66-year old one! 😄) 'cuz I like it! Two concerns though... What will be the price? Will the rear seats accommodate adults? Other than that it has way more pizzazz than the Maverick (and I'm sorry to have to say that here). The Mav doesn't show much imagination.
 

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who exactly do they think is gonna want this, that can actually afford it? The looks are as polarizing as the current generation of "transformers" Camaro. Almost as bad as the Cyber truck, but Just pain fugly with no pedigree to draw on like a Camaro. I'll go on record right now saying this will be a gigantic flop as an overpriced limited use, not real good at any 1 thing to sustain market share niche vehicle. Probably get a burst out the gate selling to all the early adopter techno guys the 1st year, then sales will fall off in year 2 and continue declining until it gets a major face lift to try to broaden appeal to more buyers and failing that it gets discontinued just like the Pontiac Aztec, Subaru Tribeca.
Its going to be MILES better looking than the Maverick. The only thing that would keep me from the Santa Cruz is the fact it'll be fancier overall with no fleet trims. That's literally the only downside I see it having. I want nothing when it comes to dumb fancy gizmos so Ill probably wind up with the far blander looking Maverick.

Now if Hyundai makes a super cheap base model? Yea then its absolutely no competition. Ill take the Santa Cruz easily. They're both low payload/towing Utes. Id rather have the one that has better looks.
 

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Its going to be MILES better looking than the Maverick. The only thing that would keep me from the Santa Cruz is the fact it'll be fancier overall with no fleet trims. That's literally the only downside I see it having. I want nothing when it comes to dumb fancy gizmos so Ill probably wind up with the far blander looking Maverick.

Now if Hyundai makes a super cheap base model? Yea then its absolutely no competition. Ill take the Santa Cruz easily. They're both low payload/towing Utes. Id rather have the one that has better looks.
Death, Taxes, and ghost1986 sticking up for the looks of the Santa Cruz!

I’m not a Maverick fan boy at all. The price is the thing that intrigues me first and foremost (I’d buy a Ranger, Colorado, or a new Frontier over the Maverick if they were all similarly priced,) but it looks MILES better than what Hyundai has come up with. It looks like something I’d draw as a toddler if I heard the word “truck.”

Just poking some fun at you ghost :)
 

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The Hyundai is competition for the Ridgeline.

the Mav is a work/fleet/consumer vehicle that can’t be cross shopped with the Santa Cruz or Ridgeline as it falls in a totally different category.
 
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Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The Santa Cruz will always be identified by this era of swoopy multi edge styling. I prefer the subtle more tailored look of the Maverick. Its styling is like pickups have looked for 50 years. I want my truck to look like a truck.
 
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Listen to the Hyundai ad again... "It's not a Truck." You're right...The Maverick is targeted at traditionalists who though this is a small unibody design, still want their vehicle to look like just another Ford truck. The Santa Cruz is for people who want a more car-like design the just happens to have the utility of a small bed. Me, I like innovation to a point. The Tesla Cybertruck goes too far IMHO, but the Santa Cruz looks interesting. My two objections could be price, (move past $25k and you're losing me) and use of space (if an adult cannot sit comfortably in the rear seat that could be a deal-breaker). Truth told, my '03 Sport Trac is still running well and I'd have to absolutely love a new vehicle before ditching it.
 
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Just released. Damn...this is nice! Hyundai has set the bar high.
 

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Ford needs to get hot and at least announce the Maverick formally. I see that Hyundai plans on announcing the Santa Cruz on April 15th. I'm going to bet the Santa Cruz will be more expensive. I'd like to hold out for the Maverick, but this Hyundai may be tempting.

I have to laugh when I see criticism of these new vehicles for not being more "truck-like." People who are looking at these unibody vehicles really don't care that they be traditional "trucks" do they?
If that's the styling buyers really wanted in a truck; Ford would have never retired the Ranchero and Chevy never would have retired the El Camino. Same for the Subaru BRAT/Baja

Considering Honda's anemic annual sales of the Ridgeline, apparently there aren't many out there looking for a unibody SUV w a trucked. With all the praise the Ridgeline has gotten for it's thoughtful features, etc, it has shown that it is not what truck buyers want capability and styling-wise.. (I own a 2019 Ridgeline RTL-E AWD)

Even Honda leveled off the hood and put a truck-like grill on the Ridgeline.
 
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If that's the styling buyers really wanted in a truck; Ford would have never retired the Ranchero and Chevy never would have retired the El Camino. Same for the Subaru BRAT/Baja

Considering Honda's anemic annual sales of the Ridgeline, apparently there aren't many out there looking for a unibody SUV w a trucked. With all the praise the Ridgeline has gotten for it's thoughtful features, etc, it has shown that it is not what truck buyers want capability and styling-wise.. (I own a 2019 Ridgeline RTL-E AWD)

Even Honda leveled off the hood and put a truck-like grill on the Ridgeline.
So why did Ford discontinue the Sport Trac now only years later to bring back the Maverick with very similar size and styling? Or the original boxy Escape now to have a very similar Bronco Sport? Or for that matter, the original Bronco, now finally back and closer to the original? Styles come and go. Back when Chevy had the El Camino, Ford tried a similar concept with the Ranchero. I don't think it did as well.

My point is that styles change and variety is good. So you prefer the Maverick looks. Fine. Just so there's alternatives for those who want something a little different.
 

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The new Hyundai does look more like its direct competitor is the Ridgeline. Looking at Ridgeline numbers, it doesn't look well for the Hyundai, and it should be no competition for the Mavericks numbers.

The Honda never outsold the original Ranger. The Honda has never outsold the new Ranger either.

In 15 years of availability, Ridgeline sales exceeded 50,000 units one year, in those same years the Rangers never sold less than 75,000 units. And while the Honda has exceeded 50k one year, it has been UNDER 20,000 units six of its 15 years, and almost every year has sold under 40,000.

The new Hyundai will surely find buyers, but if it's anything like the Ridgeline(which it is), the Maverick will dwarf them in sales from year one.
 
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Two things -
- Honda's tend to be spendy so no doubt that impacts sales.
- I don't care about sales. I've never been a mainstream guy anyway. 😄
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