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MarcusBrody

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Ford can’t beat Hyundai in tech? You obviously haven’t read any reviews of the tech in the Mustang Mach E. Automotive and technology press were pretty blown away by it.

The head unit in the Santa Cruz is awful! As others have noted they made the same gawdawful mistake that Honda did in the Ridgeline that they just somewhat corrected by sticking a volume knob on the head unit. (I know, I have one. It’s awful)

The Santa Cruz has NO off-road chops, not even light off-road like the Ridgeline.. and they didn’t design it to have any. Not w 20” wheels.

it’s a small, modern-day, Korean El Camino. By Hyundai’s own words, it’s NOT a truck... the Maverick IS a truck..

Going after totally different market segments. Ford is going after those who want a small “truck”. Ford is planning off-road versions, Timberline, Tremor, etc., something Hyundai couldn’t dream about doing w the Santa Cruz.

It is not about one having to be cheaper than the other, it’s about one being designed for one market segment and another designed for a different market segment.

Ford knows trucks. I’m sure they did their homework for which is the larger market. (The Ridgeline serves as the test case for “non-truck” vehicles w a bed, and the sales numbers are tepid at best).

I’d gladly fork over $35K if I can get a Timberline or Tremor trim, GOAT mode, AT tires, 2” lift, etc, whereas I wouldn’t even bother looking at a Santa Cruz.

Hyundai has said “It’s not a truck”, how much more clear could they be?

Hyundai is going after the skinny-Jean wearing, soy-latte drinking urban crowd BY THEIR OWN WORDS.

The Santa Cruz is a more stylized Subaru Baja, but wo the light off-road Subaru chops..
I basically want the same Maverick as you, but just to clarify, the Santa Cruz can be optioned with 18 in wheels for a more off (dirt) road focused build.
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dp4616

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Santa Cruz is ugly IMO but looks great everywhere else. up to 5k towing, bed is pretty legit. Cant wait to see Maverick.
 

zeketolliver

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I wonder why Ford silenced the unofficial media blitz. It seems like the Maverick was generating a lot of buzz, and now it's all been silenced. I have to question the wisdom of silencing the buzz and allowing the Santa Cruz to get an advanced foothold on the market.

I have to wonder if Ford will put ANY marketing behind the Maverick, or if it is just going to be a quiet, cheap release.

I also wonder if they're having trouble getting the price down to $20k as has been rumored.

Of course, it could be they are letting Hyundai set the bar, so they can quietly tweak their designs to directly compete against the Santa Cruz.
 

CACTI_HYBRID

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I wonder why Ford silenced the unofficial media blitz. It seems like the Maverick was generating a lot of buzz, and now it's all been silenced. I have to question the wisdom of silencing the buzz and allowing the Santa Cruz to get an advanced foothold on the market.

I have to wonder if Ford will put ANY marketing behind the Maverick, or if it is just going to be a quiet, cheap release.

I also wonder if they're having trouble getting the price down to $20k as has been rumored.

Of course, it could be they are letting Hyundai set the bar, so they can quietly tweak their designs to directly compete against the Santa Cruz.
Kinda late to tweak the design I'd think as we hear Mavericks are already on the production line in Hermosillo. Tweak the price perhaps. I see Hyundai hasn't yet announced price so this will be interesting to watch.
 

MarcusBrody

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Kinda late to tweak the design I'd think as we hear Mavericks are already on the production line in Hermosillo. Tweak the price perhaps. I see Hyundai hasn't yet announced price so this will be interesting to watch.
Yep, at this point any refinements in design that aren't emergency fixes are likely being added to the list for the midcycle refresh a few years from now. Auto design has a really long lead time. They might be able to make some smaller changes with the parts spec, but overall design has likely been finalized for a while.
 

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CACTI_HYBRID

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One would think that tons of research, market surveys, and sample groups are conducted to try and better grasp who the prospective buyers are and what they really want. Then again, I've seen companies put out some really bonehead designs because some high-level execs decided they knew better. Tweaks and new options in subsequent years show a company is responsive to public reaction. There is no pleasing everyone. But let's hope Ford really did their homework before going to production on the Maverick.
 
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CACTI_HYBRID

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Art Vandelay

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The Aztek did well in market research
That's actually not true. The funny thing is that Bob Lutz later said that when it was presented to focus groups they hated it. Of course GM being GM at that time and making some of the worst cars in their history still decided this is what their customers wanted. It was really part of a long string of comical miscalculations by GM. It's no surprise they ended needing a government bailout less than a decade later.

Bob Lutz, who took over the top product job at GM in the aftermath of the Aztek, has claimed that the design was presented to focus groups who felt about the thing the way we all felt about it when we first saw it: They hated it. Well, actually Lutz claimed that the market-research respondents said, “I wouldn’t take it as a gift.” So convinced were the powers that be of the essential rightness of the vehicle, though, that this didn’t kill the Aztek, either.

https://www.caranddriver.com/featur...he-story-of-a-vehicle-best-forgotten-feature/
 
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theek

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What if Ford screwed up things like towing capacity and payload and Hyundai has them completely beat? That would explain silence.
 
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Old Ranchero

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What if Ford screwed up things like towing capacity and payload and Hyundai has them completely beat? That would explain silence.
that's all kinds a wrong for multiple reasons. Ford came out publicly they were livid about all the leaks around the time the Hermosillo pictures leaked with implied heavy penalties for any factory, supplier, vendor, etc. that allowed another leak. It stopped then and the silence is deliberate on Ford's part. Lest you forget, there is a huge worldwide shortage of chips to make vehicles and it's across the board with all makes.The delays in production for the Bronco was a wake up call for Ford brass and screwed their entry to market plans and I'm sure they don't want to repeat that with the Maverick which is a brand new segment vehicle for them and there's probably been growing pains on the new production lines.

Also, this isn't a 2 horse race between Santa Fe and Maverick. They aren't in the same segment and have different target audiences so no reason to rush it when Hyundai hasn't even put 1 in a showroom yet and no real world testing and reporting from magazines even about the actual drivability and capability of any of them.

last but not least, how many people have you seen state "If I can't have X, then I'm buying Y for sure" My impression is people here would rather hold on to what they have and hold off purchasing any of them until Maverick is at least out and selling and features, pricing is all revealed before making a decision. There might be 1 or 2 that prefer the Santa Cruz already and would buy before even seeing the real Maverick when released. In my case if Maverick doesn't have enough of what I want, I'll wait for the new Ranger and test drive some 2021 and 2022 Nissan Frontiers to widen my options. If I'm still not sold, I'll probably have to find a nice restored 1964/65 Falcon Ranchero with V-8 and manual :cool:
 

MontanaEd

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If I'm still not sold, I'll probably have to find a nice restored 1964/65 Falcon Ranchero with V-8 and manual :cool:
When I was in high school in the '80s my auto shop teacher had a '64 Ranchero. My project was an engine rebuild on a '74 Jeep Cherokee. I'd go in after school to work on the Jeep and the teacher would be in the shop working on that Ranchero. It was his daily driver and at that point he was having to make parts for it. The Ranchero is a sweet little ride, but I think the Santa Cruz, a new Ranger, the Maverick, or a Frontier would all be less trouble as a daily driver. But I could be wrong.
 

theek

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My problem remains is that the only truck that fits in my driveway is the short wheelbase Frontier, and I'm not buying a goddamn Nissan due to the horrible dealers around here.
 

Old Ranchero

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When I was in high school in the '80s my auto shop teacher had a '64 Ranchero. My project was an engine rebuild on a '74 Jeep Cherokee. I'd go in after school to work on the Jeep and the teacher would be in the shop working on that Ranchero. It was his daily driver and at that point he was having to make parts for it. The Ranchero is a sweet little ride, but I think the Santa Cruz, a new Ranger, the Maverick, or a Frontier would all be less trouble as a daily driver. But I could be wrong.
notice I said a RESTORED Ranchero ;) You ever see what Gas Monkey Garage can do updating a classic with a modern crate motor, new trans, new suspension, brakes and electrical system? I did as much restoration/upgrades as I could on my 1964 in 1979, but too old, tired, and smart for that now, lol. It's still the perfect car/truck utility vehicle for my needs today and with none of the tech babysitter junk added on :p
 
 




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