Round Two: 2025 Santa Cruz Refresh vs.. 2025 Maverick Refresh 🥊

[JASmith]

So what are the thoughts on Round 2 with Maverick's closest competitor, the Santa Cruz, now that both are seeing a significant refresh?

For those that haven't seen the Santa Cruz changes, here's a Limited:



I think they did well on the interior update, but not sure I like the new grill or Hyundai logo change. Hopefully they make a gloss black sticker to mellow that logo out. Seems both the SC's and Mav's refreshed front ends are controversial.

And finally saw what the non-turbo trims look like, the SEL sees only a $500 price bump from pre-refresh and the SEL with activity package actually dropped in price.

Finally gets a rear arm rest:

Also looks like a new dark green color option, in addition to the red.

Also new, the '25 sees a +4mpg highway fuel economy improvement for the SE/SEL FWD (non turbo), not competitive with the Maverick hybrid, but a nice bump.

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[Tom 71 Maverick 24]

What kind of moderate hallucinogens are the design people ingesting that would make them try to out-ugly each other's front end. This looks Ok from the side, not terrible in the back, and downright ugly in the front.

Seems like everyone wants to compete to see who can make the worst front end on a vehicle. And this isn't just the Santa Cruz and the Maverick - it stretches across many SUV lines as well.

 

[Sovande]

It is an incredibly ugly design that isn't going to get better by adding more details and creases. The utility looks great, I am sure the build quality is better than Ford, but the interior looks far cheaper than I remember? It looks almost... Ford like. Still not interested.

 

[Tom 71 Maverick 24]

It is an incredibly ugly design that isn't going to get better by adding more details and creases. The utility looks great, I am sure the build quality is better than Ford, but the interior looks far cheaper than I remember? It looks almost... Ford like. Still not interested.

Interior reminds me of.... the original 1970 Maverick. I'm not fond of it, and actually do like that there's a shifter instead of a knob for the automatic transmission. Some would disagree, and that's ok. Interesting that it does present a stronger, larger engine than the Maverick.

 

[JASmith]

the interior looks far cheaper than I remember?

You might only be remembering a Limited top trim, the SEL used to look like this pre-refresh (without Activity Package), analog gauges with a big hood over it, smaller 8" infotainment on a gloss black surface and limited very small physical controls:

vs the new SEL (without activity package, and note if the screen seems a bit washed out it still has the protective plastic on it):

I think the new SEL interior is more modern, a lot less dust collecting gloss black, lots of physical buttons, cohesive full digital instrumentation on one sight-line with the infotainment, and steering wheel I think is improved and I like its now standard with pleather seating.

I might be in the minority, but I wish it had gotten the column shifter like the higher trims of the Tucson, which converts the stick shifter area into another spot for your phone:

 

[Redline]

Not for me. It's still a Hyundai under the hood regardless of how nice the interior is.

 

[Sovande]

You might only be remembering a Limited top trim, the SEL used to look like this pre-refresh (without Activity Package), analog gauges with a big hood over it, smaller 8" infotainment on a gloss black surface and limited very small physical controls:

vs the new SEL (without activity package, and note if the screen seems a bit washed out it still has the protective plastic on it):

I think the new SEL interior is more modern, a lot less dust collecting gloss black, lots of physical buttons, cohesive full digital instrumentation on one sight-line with the infotainment, and steering wheel I think is improved and I like its now standard with pleather seating.

I might be in the minority, but I wish it had gotten the column shifter like the higher trims of the Tucson, which converts the stick shifter area into another spot for your phone:

Yeah that must be it. Both are pretty terrible, to my eye. The long screen looks awful and really cheap and the rest of the dash just looks tacked on. There is zero effort around the HVAC controls, for instance. It hardly matters what the inside looks like since I wouldn't own one. It's far too ugly on the outside to park in front of my house.

 

[olderbudwiser]

Still butt ass ugly.

 

[JASmith]

At least I think we can all agree that oceans of dust and fingerprint collecting gloss black and lack of physical controls is a trend that couldn't die fast enough, especially on a pickup.

 

[Joe Strummer]

Not for me. It's still a Hyundai under the hood regardless of how nice the interior is.

Ouch...

 

[Blue_Max]

Well, the Santa Cruz still has knobs and buttons, but that widescreen is weird, and then there's all the rest of it....

 

[Joe Strummer]

Competition from Hyundia is a good thing. the 25 Maverick refresh is Ford's strategy for attracting potential Hyundia customers.

 

[The Cyber Orange Guy.]

Well, I like small vehicles period, I dislike the front, but definitely like the side view and the rear too, I like the built in steper too. I like that the turbo have 281 Hp and 311 pounds of torque. and just like ford did it with the mach E or tge f150 the option to bump the power to and aditional 100HP for 1000$ for the maverick would be nice.

 

[1929]

Not for me. It's still a Hyundai under the hood regardless of how nice the interior is.

100,000 mile powertrain warranty , 5 year 60,000 bumper to bumper warranty is a Hyundai advantage.
Me, I purchased Ford warranty from Granger. If Ford had Hyundai length warranty I would not have spent the extra money.

With the refresh Maverick gained significant improvements, Santa Cruz did not.

 

[MavDan]

Santa Cruz looks awesome. I like the the tech of the new version but the interior of the old. Front end is better than previous model. imho

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