I took a look at a Santa Cruz today - I was very impressed

[Scott Asheville]

This posting is for those of you on the forum who, like me, are still not quite sure about the Maverick (and like me, you might have one on order). But maybe you haven't looked at the Santa Cruz in person because you don't like the styling or think it's too expensive.

This is NOT intended as some kind of antagonistic posting to troll Maverick owners. Folks, I have a Maverick on order and a Ford Ranger in my driveway. I'm a lifelong Ford truck guy (well, I'm wavering).

I placed my order 3 Sep of last year. I ordered a Maverick because I preferred the conventional styling, the slightly longer bed, and the really powerful Ecoboost engine with a conventional automatic. I like my little luxuries, so the bottom line for the XLT ECO 360 LUX SIBL, including delivery, is $30,500. But I've been kind of wincing at how cheap Ford went on everything. I've seen the truck in person, and it definitely does not impress. And the postings here just reinforce that constantly.

- EDIT BY OP - I was wrong in the next para. The equivalent build SC is $400 more than my Maverick build, not $2,000 cheaper.

So I decided that darn it, I was gonna go check out the competition. I went to look at a similarly equipped Santa Cruz SEL that costs about $2,000 LESS than the Maverick I have on order. Long story short, it impressed.

• The Santa Cruz is way more appealing in person than in pictures. I liked it a lot. It has presence. A neighbor has one and loves it. It looks good going down the street.
• I was impressed by little things, like a composite bed and sound insulation under the hood. And a waterproof storage compartment in the bed.
• Closing the doors, hood, or tailgate on the Maverick vs the Santa Cruz just screams "CHEAP". I'm not being a troll here, the quality difference just jumped out at me in a big way. I don't necessarily hate cheap. My crude 2010 Ranger is cheap, and I've loved that cheap hunk of junk for 102,000 safe and reliable miles.
• The CP360 safety features I want, like blind spot, etc - they're all standard on the Santa Cruz.
• All the rotary shift haters will roll their eyes, but I wish the Santa Cruz didn't have a conventional shift lever. It looks like an antique.
• The interior just blew the Maverick out of the water. Except for the stupid piano black. I mean there was no comparison - these vehicles are not in the same league. The higher quality of the rear view camera really stood out. The software just blows the Ford out of the water.
• The bed had higher sides and was a half foot shorter. I don't care about the length, but I prefer the Maverick sides. Easier for a boomer to reach into the bed.
• The paint quality really impressed. Again, quality of materials jumped out at me everywhere I looked.
• I loved the little foot step indents in the bumper
• Same bed cubbies and lighting as the Maverick
• A bit smaller in the rear seat. Which is a non-issue for me as I really want a two door trucket in the first place.
• Mileage wasn't all that different from the Eco I ordered. And again, you give up a lot of horsepower on the lower trim Santa Cruz trucklets. So not for those who thirst after horsepower.

Bottom line is that I walked away seriously impressed with the lower trim Santa Cruz SEL. I have no build date for my constrained Maverick order and I need a Hobbit Truck sooner than later. And I walked away from the in-person review thinking "I can save $2,000 and get the same functionality sooner and with a ten year warranty". On the other hand, I'm thinking "Or I could stick with the Maverick and have all that horsepower and no piano black (but cheap hard plastics)". I'm thinking it over.

Bottom line. If you're wavering like me, I'd say go test drive a Santa Cruz in one of the lower trims (SE or SEL). You might find yourself pleasantly surprised. I'd love to hear the impressions of others who actually physically compared the two cars (sorry, trucks).

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[Dano]

This posting is for those of you on the forum who, like me, are still not quite sure about the Maverick (like me, you might have one on order). But maybe you haven't looked at the Santa Cruz in person because you don't like the styling or think it's too expensive.

This is NOT intended as some kind of antagonistic posting to troll Maverick owners. Folks, I have a Maverick on order and a Ford Ranger in my driveway. I'm a Ford guy (well, I'm wavering).

I placed my order 3 Sep of last year. I ordered a Maverick because I preferred the conventional styling, the slightly longer bed, and the really powerful Ecoboost engine. I like my little luxuries, so my order's bottom line for the XLT ECO 360 LUX SIBL, including delivery, is $30,500. But I've been kind of wincing at how cheap Ford went on everything. I've seen the truck in person, and it definitely does not impress. And the postings here just reinforce that constantly).

So I decided that darn it, I was gonna go check out the competition. I went to look at Santa Cruz SEL that costs about $2,000 LESS than the Maverick I have on order. Long story short, it impressed.

• The Santa Cruz is way more appealing in person than in pictures. I liked it a lot. It has presence. A neighbor has one and loves it.
• I was impressed by little things, like a composite bed and sound insulation under the hood. Closing the doors, hood, or tailgate on the Maverick vs the Santa Cruz just screams "CHEAP". I'm not being a troll here, that just jumped out at me in a big way. My Ranger is cheap, and I've loved that cheap hunk of junk for 102,000 miles.
• The safety features I wanted, like blind spot, etc - standard on the Santa Cruz SEL.
• All the rotary shift haters will roll their eyes, but I wish the Santa Cruz didn't have a conventional shift lever. Antique.
• The interior just blew the Maverick out of the water. Except for the stupid piano black. I mean there was no comparison - these vehicles are not in the same league. The higher quality of the rear view camera really stood out.
• The bed had higher sides and was a half foot shorter. I don't care about the length, but I prefer the Maverick sides.
• The paint quality impressed.
• I loved the little foot steps in the bumper
• Same bed cubbies and lighting as the Maverick
• A bit smaller in the rear seat. Which is a non-issue for me as I really want a two door trucket in the first place.

Bottom line is that I walked away seriously impressed with the lower trim Santa Cruz SEL. I have no build date for my constrained Maverick order and I need a Hobbit Truck sooner than later. And I walked away from the in-person review thinking "I can save $2,000 and get the same functionality sooner and with a ten year warranty". On the other hand, I'm thinking "Or I could stick with the Maverick and have all that horsepower and no piano black (but cheap hard plastics)". I'm thinking it over.

Bottom line. If you're wavering like me, I'd say go test drive a Santa Cruz in one of the lower trims (SE or SEL). You might find yourself pleasantly surprised. Or not. I'd love to hear the impressions of others who actually physically compared the two cars (sorry, trucks).

Any idea about order to delivery timeframe?

 

[Scott Asheville]

I'm gonna make a call or two about that today. The great news in my area (WNC) is that apparently the factory shipped several truckloads to local dealers this week. So my local dealers suddenly have a few Santa Cruz on the lot.

Until now. all you could find were the $42,000 versions. And even the mid trims were marked up $10,000 if they were sitting on the lots. Those markups are starting to drift down to the $5,000 or less range. The Santa Cruz doesn't seem to have the endless demand the Maverick has. It kind of looks like Hyundai might be catching up on building to meet demand? But I don't know that.

 

[mrbill]

This posting is for those of you on the forum who, like me, are still not quite sure about the Maverick (and like me, you might have one on order). But maybe you haven't looked at the Santa Cruz in person because you don't like the styling or think it's too expensive.

This is NOT intended as some kind of antagonistic posting to troll Maverick owners. Folks, I have a Maverick on order and a Ford Ranger in my driveway. I'm a lifelong Ford truck guy (well, I'm wavering).

I placed my order 3 Sep of last year. I ordered a Maverick because I preferred the conventional styling, the slightly longer bed, and the really powerful Ecoboost engine with a conventional automatic. I like my little luxuries, so the bottom line for the XLT ECO 360 LUX SIBL, including delivery, is $30,500. But I've been kind of wincing at how cheap Ford went on everything. I've seen the truck in person, and it definitely does not impress. And the postings here just reinforce that constantly.

So I decided that darn it, I was gonna go check out the competition. I went to look at a similarly equipped Santa Cruz SEL that costs about $2,000 LESS than the Maverick I have on order. Long story short, it impressed.

• The Santa Cruz is way more appealing in person than in pictures. I liked it a lot. It has presence. A neighbor has one and loves it. It looks good going down the street.
• I was impressed by little things, like a composite bed and sound insulation under the hood. And a waterproof storage compartment in the bed.
• Closing the doors, hood, or tailgate on the Maverick vs the Santa Cruz just screams "CHEAP". I'm not being a troll here, the quality difference just jumped out at me in a big way. I don't necessarily hate cheap. My crude 2010 Ranger is cheap, and I've loved that cheap hunk of junk for 102,000 safe and reliable miles.
• The CP360 safety features I want, like blind spot, etc - they're all standard on the Santa Cruz.
• All the rotary shift haters will roll their eyes, but I wish the Santa Cruz didn't have a conventional shift lever. It looks like an antique.
• The interior just blew the Maverick out of the water. Except for the stupid piano black. I mean there was no comparison - these vehicles are not in the same league. The higher quality of the rear view camera really stood out. The software just blows the Ford out of the water.
• The bed had higher sides and was a half foot shorter. I don't care about the length, but I prefer the Maverick sides. Easier for a boomer to reach into the bed.
• The paint quality really impressed. Again, quality of materials jumped out at me everywhere I looked.
• I loved the little foot step indents in the bumper
• Same bed cubbies and lighting as the Maverick
• A bit smaller in the rear seat. Which is a non-issue for me as I really want a two door trucket in the first place.
• Mileage wasn't all that different from the Eco I ordered. And again, you give up a lot of horsepower on the lower trim Santa Cruz trucklets. So not for those who thirst after horsepower.

Bottom line is that I walked away seriously impressed with the lower trim Santa Cruz SEL. I have no build date for my constrained Maverick order and I need a Hobbit Truck sooner than later. And I walked away from the in-person review thinking "I can save $2,000 and get the same functionality sooner and with a ten year warranty". On the other hand, I'm thinking "Or I could stick with the Maverick and have all that horsepower and no piano black (but cheap hard plastics)". I'm thinking it over.

Bottom line. If you're wavering like me, I'd say go test drive a Santa Cruz in one of the lower trims (SE or SEL). You might find yourself pleasantly surprised. I'd love to hear the impressions of others who actually physically compared the two cars (sorry, trucks).

Nice- I looked too, but I ordered the hybrid so its over two time the mileage, and I ordered base XLT, so it was thousands less too, the santa cruise is about the same mileage as my 2019 f150 20-26- then mine is at sticker - all our santa cruise here are $6000 plus over sticker- so I wait!!! and wait!!! 7 months and counting -

 

[Scott Asheville]

I have to retract that you can easily order a Santa Cruz. Talked with my local dealer, and they said that Hyundai has paused customer ordering for "a few months". I won't swear to that, as it came from a dealer.

On the other hand, at least with my local dealer, I did verify no MSRP markups for local buyers. Oddly, they are advertising $3K to $6K markups online. And they have 3 Santa Cruz on the lot in various trims, and a steady stream of incoming Hobbit trucks that aren't spoken for.

 

[LeersMav]

This posting is for those of you on the forum who, like me, are still not quite sure about the Maverick (and like me, you might have one on order). But maybe you haven't looked at the Santa Cruz in person because you don't like the styling or think it's too expensive.

This is NOT intended as some kind of antagonistic posting to troll Maverick owners. Folks, I have a Maverick on order and a Ford Ranger in my driveway. I'm a lifelong Ford truck guy (well, I'm wavering).

I placed my order 3 Sep of last year. I ordered a Maverick because I preferred the conventional styling, the slightly longer bed, and the really powerful Ecoboost engine with a conventional automatic. I like my little luxuries, so the bottom line for the XLT ECO 360 LUX SIBL, including delivery, is $30,500. But I've been kind of wincing at how cheap Ford went on everything. I've seen the truck in person, and it definitely does not impress. And the postings here just reinforce that constantly.

So I decided that darn it, I was gonna go check out the competition. I went to look at a similarly equipped Santa Cruz SEL that costs about $2,000 LESS than the Maverick I have on order. Long story short, it impressed.

• The Santa Cruz is way more appealing in person than in pictures. I liked it a lot. It has presence. A neighbor has one and loves it. It looks good going down the street.
• I was impressed by little things, like a composite bed and sound insulation under the hood. And a waterproof storage compartment in the bed.
• Closing the doors, hood, or tailgate on the Maverick vs the Santa Cruz just screams "CHEAP". I'm not being a troll here, the quality difference just jumped out at me in a big way. I don't necessarily hate cheap. My crude 2010 Ranger is cheap, and I've loved that cheap hunk of junk for 102,000 safe and reliable miles.
• The CP360 safety features I want, like blind spot, etc - they're all standard on the Santa Cruz.
• All the rotary shift haters will roll their eyes, but I wish the Santa Cruz didn't have a conventional shift lever. It looks like an antique.
• The interior just blew the Maverick out of the water. Except for the stupid piano black. I mean there was no comparison - these vehicles are not in the same league. The higher quality of the rear view camera really stood out. The software just blows the Ford out of the water.
• The bed had higher sides and was a half foot shorter. I don't care about the length, but I prefer the Maverick sides. Easier for a boomer to reach into the bed.
• The paint quality really impressed. Again, quality of materials jumped out at me everywhere I looked.
• I loved the little foot step indents in the bumper
• Same bed cubbies and lighting as the Maverick
• A bit smaller in the rear seat. Which is a non-issue for me as I really want a two door trucket in the first place.
• Mileage wasn't all that different from the Eco I ordered. And again, you give up a lot of horsepower on the lower trim Santa Cruz trucklets. So not for those who thirst after horsepower.

Bottom line is that I walked away seriously impressed with the lower trim Santa Cruz SEL. I have no build date for my constrained Maverick order and I need a Hobbit Truck sooner than later. And I walked away from the in-person review thinking "I can save $2,000 and get the same functionality sooner and with a ten year warranty". On the other hand, I'm thinking "Or I could stick with the Maverick and have all that horsepower and no piano black (but cheap hard plastics)". I'm thinking it over.

Bottom line. If you're wavering like me, I'd say go test drive a Santa Cruz in one of the lower trims (SE or SEL). You might find yourself pleasantly surprised. I'd love to hear the impressions of others who actually physically compared the two cars (sorry, trucks).

Great info ....... for those with EB/ICE..... Hybrid order owners will turn their heads once Hyundai intros the SC with a hybrid set up. I believe most (if not all) Maverick Hybrid owners are pretty satisfied.

If you need to get a vehicle sooner than later, purchase both and sell the one you don't like. There's going to be a marketplace for both due to low production (due to parts & chip shortages).

 

[Scott Asheville]

I agree with you Mr.Bill. If you're ordering a hybrid Maverick, there's currently nothing even remotely comparable for the cost. That hybrid is a steal.

I think the only folks that ought to consider the Santa Cruz are those like me looking for the lux and 360 packages. Or those who are chafing at the Maverick cheap bits.

 

[Chance301]

I currently have a 2021 Hyundai Sonata Limited hybrid and have been most impressed with it. Really liked the Santa Cruz but went with the Maverick because of the hybrid. I ordered the Mav in July and don’t have a build date yet. Told my Hyundai dealer to order me a Santa Cruz hybrid the moment they become available. Probably have it before I ever see the Maverick!

 

[Snax]

Until Hyundia makes a $21,000 hybrid truck, I'm not interested. That said, the SC does have an enviable warranty and some nice tech--but it does come at a price.

 

[cannon]

Aesthetics are objective, but I just have to say It looks like something I'd have drawn when I was 15. Same with the new Civics, CH-r's, etc. They remind me of the era of body kits.

 

[Scott Asheville]

I had the same styling reaction when I saw the Santa Cruz online. My first thought was "that's not gonna age well". My second thought was that they unleashed a sixth-grader to style the car. But having seen several in person, I found myself really liking them. They have a presence in person that they don't have in photos or videos.

I can say that over 9 months I'm warming to the Santa Cruz and finding the Maverick increasingly bland. But boring can be a virtue. Nobody is gonna squint at a Maverick and ask if it's from the Spawn video game.

 

[Scott Asheville]

It could be worse. We could be talking about the Cybertruck.

 

[Thoron99]

I've seen a few SC driving around/in parking lots here (but only one wild Maverick). Have to say that they don't look as bad in person, at lest on the outside. (haven't been in one)

Last time I checked the Hyundai dealer here had a couple in stock but at $4k markup, at least according to their website.

 

[Old Hickory Trojan]

Until Hyundia makes a $21,000 hybrid truck, I'm not interested. That said, the SC does have an enviable warranty and some nice tech--but it does come at a price.

They need that warranty after the latest safety recall with their engines starting to flame up on specific models including the Santa Cruz and it's not the first time.

 

[Scott Asheville]

That's a very good point about the fires!

https://www.consumerreports.org/car...ehicles-outside-due-to-fire-risk-a1002120529/

There are 200,000+ vehicle fires in the USA every year. I'll look into that recall and see if it applies the 2.5 non-turbo in the Santa Cruz SEL. But generally Hyundai has the highest quality ratings in the industry (Ford is well down the list). I'm usually not worried about things like this where there's already been a recall. Because that problem has been identified and solved. It's always the problem that hasn't been recalled that worries me.

All manufacturers have problems like that. For example, Ford was exposed for deliberately selling dangerous vehicles by the Detroit Free Press just a few years back.

https://www.freep.com/in-depth/mone...-focus-fiesta-transmission-defect/1671198001/

And then there's Chevrolet telling Bolt owners to park outside until the battery is replaced! That cost Chevy a pretty penny. Guest the Bolt program didn't make any money.

I guess caveat emptor always applies.

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