Hyundai was so close with the Santa Cruz

[New2AZ]

I don't mind the look of the Santa Cruz. It could probably handle the truck things I would need (which isn't much). Price and gas mileage is what took it from "in contention" to "nope".
If the Mav hadn't been available as a hybrid I would have passed on it too, to be fair.

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[Paulyz]

When I originally heard of the Mav and Santa Cruz I felt that that Ford nailed the mark while Hyundai was a big question mark as to what they were thinking. After having seen a Santa Cruz in the wild I now understand and see what Hyundai was going for and I think it's really just the front end that makes it looks so big and clunky. If they slimmed down the front and made it less round shaped, and also made it a little more customizable with more vibrant colors etc. I think they would have hit a home run in the other direction and captured more of that "lifestyle" niche. I definitely would have considered a Santa Cruz if this were the case.

To me, the Santa Cruz is an SUV, the Maveric

When I originally heard of the Mav and Santa Cruz I felt that that Ford nailed the mark while Hyundai was a big question mark as to what they were thinking. After having seen a Santa Cruz in the wild I now understand and see what Hyundai was going for and I think it's really just the front end that makes it looks so big and clunky. If they slimmed down the front and made it less round shaped, and also made it a little more customizable with more vibrant colors etc. I think they would have hit a home run in the other direction and captured more of that "lifestyle" niche. I definitely would have considered a Santa Cruz if this were the case.

To me the Santa Cruz is an SUV, the Maverick is a truck.

 

[teh603]

I don't mind the look of the Santa Cruz. It could probably handle the truck things I would need (which isn't much). Price and gas mileage is what took it from "in contention" to "nope".
If the Mav hadn't been available as a hybrid I would have passed on it too, to be fair.

I just saw a Santa Cruz in the wild- a parking lot, actually. It didn't look too shabby. My wife said it looked a bit more luxury than the Maverick, but she did like the whole general design. I could see us maybe ending up in one depending on how thing play out, but we'd probably both prefer the Maverick.

 

[JBL14]

If it looked more like a truck I would have really been interested even at the higher price point because I like their 10/100K warranty. My wifes Hyundai Santa Fe is 10 years old / 150K and has only had two issues in the last 10 years that happened after the warranty ran out. It's a solid car - definitely better materials inside than the Maverick. One issue was a $1K fix and the other a $500 fix.

I keep seeing the 10yr/100,000 mi warranty on Hyundai vehicles mentioned. I've lived a good while now and I cannot remember a single vehicle ( various makes/models) I have ever owned that did not make it to 100,000 mile mark in good shape. Maybe I have just been fortunate.
Twenty and counting on vehicles owned or driven, many Chryslers, GM, Ford's etc...
The warranty seems gimmicky. It seems like all companies could easily offer 10yr/100k.
For me, the major problems always start at 125,000 miles and up.

 

[BasementCrusader]

Used cars in muted and washed- out colors sell higher than ones in bright or vibrant colors. And a lot of buyers- especially here for whatever reason- are buying the car they want to trade in. Same as the housing market- people are buying the house to sell in ten years, not live in for thirty or forty or more.

Complete idiocy, but that's what growing up in such a market- focused society gets us. Everything is about maximizing value instead of just driving the car you really want.

When car prices start reaching house price level, you have to re-adjust accordingly. 13 years ago I took a home loan out for 63k... You can buy an F-150 now for the same price, and are expecting to pay that back in 3 to 10 years. So yes.

 

[MDmaverick]

Had the Santa Cruz been offered as a hybrid for $21,000, I would have been interested.

Totally agree. They already have a solid hybrid system in the Tuscan that the SC is based on.

 

[C J Cox]

As I wrote in another thread:

“This is a perfect vehicle for someone to throw dirty camping gear into the bed instead of the cargo area of their Subaru”

You’ll see Mavericks at Home Depot but I doubt ever a Santa Cruz.

 

[stoptothink]

I keep seeing the 10yr/100,000 mi warranty on Hyundai vehicles mentioned. I've lived a good while now and I cannot remember a single vehicle ( various makes/models) I have ever owned that did not make it to 100,000 mile mark in good shape. Maybe I have just been fortunate.
Twenty and counting on vehicles owned or driven, many Chryslers, GM, Ford's etc...
The warranty seems gimmicky. It seems like all companies could easily offer 10yr/100k.
For me, the major problems always start at 125,000 miles and up.

I've never had an issue getting to 100k miles either, but I know a lot of others do. I have a co-worker who had a total engine failure at 90K+ miles (can't remember the exact cause) and Hyundai gave him a new motor free of charge. A warranty is simply insurance; you most likely will not need it, but it's great to have in the eventuality that you do. These corporations have teams of actuaries who crunch data to determine what warranties they should offer.

 

[Angry Hippo]

That 100,000 mile power train warranty was definitely enough to give me pause before going with the Ford.

Ultimately I gambled that if there are any major problems they'll be identified either in the first 36k or after the first 100k (either scenario in which Hyundai's warranty wouldn't provide any benefit).

 

[Connect]

As I wrote in another thread:

“This is a perfect vehicle for someone to throw dirty camping gear into the bed instead of the cargo area of their Subaru”

You’ll see Mavericks at Home Depot but I doubt ever a Santa Cruz.

I know what you mean but it is kind of funny to me because there is a Santa Cruz I have seen several times at the local Home Depot, but yet to see a Maverick.

I honestly like the overall outward appearance of the SC a little better, it seems 'beefy' in person, I think partly because the bed seems higher etc. But I am not really a fan of the interior with no knobs and the shiny black everywhere. I also don't like how the built in bedcover take a little chunk of space. I do like the idea of the under bed storage.

All in all they are both pretty different in what they were going for but the Maverick comes out on top for me at this time. A big factor also is the Hybrid.... I just don't see how you can go wrong with that. If I had money to waste would I love a full size.....yes absolutely..... but for what I'm trying to do in life the Maverick seems like the perfect compromise

 

[CASD57]

Two different vehicles...several different buyers
Maverick...very trucky and even looks the part, being promoted as an entry-level Pickup and hopefully leads you to a Ranger...F150 etc.
Buyers: Someone who wants a F150 but not the mpg or size, someone who wants to drive a truck and likes how it drives
Maybe someone wants a truck that gets 45mpg?

Santa Cruz.....SUV with a bed and looks the part, being promoted as an Adventure Vehicle, more than just an SUV... Not trying to lead you anywhere, you are right where they want you in a class by itself. Some like to call it a Sport truck...Sport Adventure Vehicle...etc.,

Buyer: Someone who needs more than just an SUV but doesn't want a truck or how it drives, it could be SUV driver that wants the SUV ride but needs a bed for Homeowner projects, it could be someone who wants to pull a 5000lb trailer...
Maybe even someone who wants the knowledge and comfort in a 10yr/100,000-mile drive train warranty


Both Vehicles have a home in the market, It's up to you which vehicle belongs in yours

 

[Chuck Norris]

The only issue I have with the SC is the bed size, it needs to be just a little bit bigger, I think it’s funny how people say the Maverick is more truck like, but that’s just aesthetics. The SC is actually more truck like, higher towing capacity, seems to be built beefier, I also think it looks good, better interior. I do like the price point and gas mileage of the Maverick better though.

 

[WildHorse]

Just came back from a Ford and Hyundai dealer. Took a close look on a Maverick Hybrid Lariat and Santa Cruz SEL Premium. Both are their salesman's vehicles.
I must say SC has better build quality. For example, Mav's real bump, the black plastic underneath is quite flimsy and the gap around the hitch is wide. The paint job isn't great. I'm not saying I'm disappointed but that just justifies why Mav is priced so. On the other hand, just as another post said, SC looks beefier in real than from computer screen. All the materials feel more substantial. The side view is also not as curvy as the computer image suggested. Also SC clothing seats are much better than Mav's clothing seat.
The only thing after the visiting puts Mav over SC is the bed size. It is an important factor. I wish the Hyundai salesman had a bed extender equipped so I could try to put on my bicycle to test. The other thing the Salesman told me was that he wasn't a big fan of SC's all touch screen controls. BTW, he told me 22 SC was not available to order, either.

 

[cavemold]

The base cruz is kinda meh and the bed is shorter than maverick. It is baja suburu look to it but for the money and style maverick is the better choice. You would need spend 40k for the leather santa cruz . To me the maverick is updated 2000s ranger which i like it alot

 

[MLowe05]

I keep seeing the 10yr/100,000 mi warranty on Hyundai vehicles mentioned. I've lived a good while now and I cannot remember a single vehicle ( various makes/models) I have ever owned that did not make it to 100,000 mile mark in good shape. Maybe I have just been fortunate.
Twenty and counting on vehicles owned or driven, many Chryslers, GM, Ford's etc...
The warranty seems gimmicky. It seems like all companies could easily offer 10yr/100k.
For me, the major problems always start at 125,000 miles and up.

At least they're not charging you for it. There are plenty of threads on this forum where people are paying extra for coverage that Hyundai provides on all of the cars. I agree you're not likely to need it, but it's included.

Also, Hyundai cars have 5 year, 60,000 mile bumper-to-bumper warranties. That is a huge improvement over Ford's 3 year, 36,000 mile arrangement. This is where you will see the difference. For example, I've got some very slight sun damage on the headlights (which are adaptive HID) of our 2017 Elantra. It has 57,800 miles and Hyundai is replacing the lights under the factory warranty. They're also replacing a strut mount.

I have owned many cars and almost all of them have had small issues by around 50,000 miles. We've had small electrical and suspension gremlins crop up in almost every car by that point. If you own a Hyundai, you'll still be covered.

I still chose the Maverick. The SC is just not really a direct competitor to a Maverick Hybrid.

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