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Ford Maverick vs. Hyundai Santa Cruz | Small-Truck Comparison Test | Price, Towing, Specs & More
Nothing shocking here - about what you'd expect. The Mav is the winner for bargain hunters in my opinion. Looking for a car with some truck-ish functionality? Then go Santa Cruz. Surprised by the MPG he got in the Santa Cruz.
Seemed a bit biased for the Hyundai, like for roominess, they are so close that its very unlikely you'd feel a difference... 1.5 cubic feet... c'mon:
He also downplayed one of the strengths of the Maverick interior which is going to be resistance to scratches, getting dirty, and the crazy amount of storage features built in everywhere including basic things like sunglass holder that the Maverick has which the SC lacks. Its true the SC does have better underseat storage configuration and 60/40 is nice, but no armrests was a huge fail although it can be remedied aftermarket.
Lastly, he downplayed the flexibility Ford provides in making the Maverick your own, with a lot more configurability and accessories.
That said, the review did bring some new useful information such as track testing numbers (not surprising, I figured they'd be very close):
And the "nut squash" test, where it appears reaching toward the back of the beds he would have squished his balls on the tailgate of the Santa Cruz yet comfortably rested them on the tailgate of the Maverick:
That said, we still need a head to head comparing mainstream $ to $ trims, like say a Maverick XLT Luxury hybrid w/ spray in liner vs a Santa Cruz SEL AWD.
| Maverick (F/R) | Santa Cruz (F/R) |
| 40.3 / 39.6 | 40.7 / 40.1 |
| 42.8 / 36.9 | 41.4 / 36.5 |
| 57.3 / 55.6 | 57.6 / 56.1 |
| 55.4 / 54.1 | 54.5 / 53.5 |
| 100.3 | 101.8 |
He also downplayed one of the strengths of the Maverick interior which is going to be resistance to scratches, getting dirty, and the crazy amount of storage features built in everywhere including basic things like sunglass holder that the Maverick has which the SC lacks. Its true the SC does have better underseat storage configuration and 60/40 is nice, but no armrests was a huge fail although it can be remedied aftermarket.
Lastly, he downplayed the flexibility Ford provides in making the Maverick your own, with a lot more configurability and accessories.
That said, the review did bring some new useful information such as track testing numbers (not surprising, I figured they'd be very close):
And the "nut squash" test, where it appears reaching toward the back of the beds he would have squished his balls on the tailgate of the Santa Cruz yet comfortably rested them on the tailgate of the Maverick:
That said, we still need a head to head comparing mainstream $ to $ trims, like say a Maverick XLT Luxury hybrid w/ spray in liner vs a Santa Cruz SEL AWD.
Most tests I've seen had it under 7. Not sure why Motor Trend was so high. When I test drove one, I wouldn't doubt it was a mid 6 car.
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No brake boosting? Here's another side-by-side review from TruckKing:
Their tl;dw breakdown though was "Hyundai drives like a car, Maverick drives like a truck, that's all you need to know", and that's a bit of a concern as until these two back-to-back reviews I had not heard anyone saying that the Maverick doesn't drive with car-like handling. And these are the upgraded AWD IRS versions of the Maverick, which in theory should be the more plush of the options. I had thought if anything the 20" wheels on the Limited trim Hyundai would have hurt it in ride comfort over the 18" that come standard on all other trims.
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I believe most were brake torqueing. In terms of handling, in my short test drive, I didn't get the vibe it handled like a truck. It handled more like an SUV. I'm coming from a Chevy Trax and Chevy Avalanche. It's much closer to the Trax than the Avalanche. I also had a 2016 Fusion and felt the steering was similar to the Fusion but the Fusion had a better ride. My Avalanche was pretty old so it's probably not the best comparison. I haven't heard many people say the Maverick drives more like a truck.
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I watched this yesterday. I don't believe he mentioned that the SC cover eliminated some space in the bed, or I just missed it. He also mentioned no navigation. Did mention that you can use your phone but not blue tooth for navigation. For me that isn't a deal breaker. Plus, you are getting a truck that can be under $30K for those little negatives. Oh and the Maverick comes in a hybrid where the SC doesn't. Big plus for me.
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To be fair it's like calling the Maverick a faster truck when it was tested to be .1 second quicker 0-60. You certainly won't notice the 1.5 cubic feet of difference just as you won't notice the 1.5 cubic feet of more room. To me, the differences are so negligible that it's a draw.
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What stuck out to me is the Santa Cruz weighs almost 400 pounds more and you only get 1.5 more cubic feet of space.
Yeah, very neck and neck, except at the very low end XL which doesn't exist on the Hyundai (the SE is more like a XLT) and the Limited which doesn't exist on the Maverick (even the First Edition doesn't quite add all the Limited features).
I was also just thinking, why is it that "trucks ride like trucks" and the answer is usually simply that the rear suspension is oversprung. Sedans with even modest weight put on a hitch will sag pretty severely, making them very poor towing platforms, whereas trucks put in heavier spring rates out back to combat this at the cost of being too harsh when the bed is empty and there's no weight on the hitch.
The FWD Mavericks with only their 2K lb tow rating may have a more softly sprung rear suspension, and feel a bit more plush even though its the cheaper torsion beam style. The SC may be getting away with softer springs as well since their self-leveling rear suspension is standard, which lets it only add spring rate when needed under load (it pumps up a air-spring inside the shock when the rear is sagging).
So being on the fence, I'm also a regular on the Santa Cruz forums as I'm a big fan of both of these, and one thing that stuck out for example is how the SC guys say the hood is ridiculously heavy and overbuilt and require serious muscle to lift, whereas the Maverick guys say the hood is featherweight but so thin that some even see flutter under certain conditions on the highway. So Ford clearly was adopting Mazda's "gram strategy" and it paid off, but on the other hand the SC is probably more resistant to door dings and what not. Personally, I prefer lighter.
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Yea and the SC has a bit more HP... and yet does not impress overall!
I was surprised at his overall negative tone towards the Mav, especially when it came to the ride quality. That's one of the main things that people have been praising on the Mav, members and YouTubers alike, so this dude was just bashing it left and right.
I'm glad I watched it, but it did seem very biased against the Mav.
I'm glad I watched it, but it did seem very biased against the Mav.
First reviewer was biased, but TruckKing I think are pretty impartial, and they also noted the ride quality difference. I also usually trust Car and Driver, especially since they sing the Maverick's praise very strongly giving it an excellent 9/10 score, and choose it over the Santa Cruz: https://www.caranddriver.com/ford/maverick
However, they too noted that the Maverick's ride quality was quite stiff:
But like most they were testing a 4K tow package AWD variant, I'm really curious if the 2K rated FWD variant may be softer, as I'm mostly interested in the Hybrid anyway.Car&Driver said:
For the Santa Cruz, Car&Driver likewise noted that its strength was "calm ride and composed handling", unlike the Maverick where ride quality was in the negative category.
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