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

[Joeneonturbo]

My sister bought a SC with markup while Im patiently wait for my maverick. No copycat here. I HATE the front end of the SC. and the interior is more claustrophobic cockpit style and I’m a big guy. Otherwise yes the interior quality on Hyundai is excellent. But they don’t consider big people.

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[Scott Asheville]

Oooooh. Now i see. So the base doesnt have the dual clutch 8 speed either? See i never looked into santa cruz cuz the styling is too aggressive for my taste… and base price… and box usability, but all the reviews and comparison videos were the Loaded models aparently. Cuz they all had the 2.5turbo with the 5k towing capacity and the dual clutch tranny. Kinda misleading… cuz they would have been comparing trucks that were like 10 thousand dollars apart lol

You saw all those reviews because most automakers (including Hyundai) love to send loaded vehicles in the top trim to car reviewers. The Maverick was an exception because Ford was justifiably proud of delivering the base hybrid for $20k. I think that move on Ford's part still has competitors stunned and unsure how to respond.

 

[Sykotyk]

You saw all those reviews because most automakers (including Hyundai) love to send loaded vehicles in the top trim to car reviewers. The Maverick was an exception because Ford was justifiably proud of delivering the base hybrid for $20k. I think that move on Ford's part still has competitors stunned and unsure how to respond.

Because nothing competes with $20k for what you get. Ford was smart to not play up the loaded maverick because most would have probably moved on to the Ranger or the stalwart F150. Instead, they have the cheapest HYBRID truck on the market and no one can touch it. Even though most will buy options, add-ons or higher trims.

I know I did. But that 20k price... FOR A HYBRID... it's what got me looking an ordering the maverick.

 

[WildHorse]

The maverick is a mini F150. That's part of the look. It does make it a little bland but I didn't want something that makes people look
Though in retrospect, I've gotten a ton of people asking me about the maverick since they hadn't seen one yet.

Edit

Look at the comparison

One looks like an suv, the other looks like a little truck. The 90 degree bend between the rear of the cab and the top of the bed sidewalls is the key factor in the look. Same problem chevy got wrong with the Silverado.

You nailed about the rear cab and the bed sidewalls. They are exact two of key reasons which hold me back to get a SC while the waiting time for Maverick is almost too long to bear.

While you take the black SC as an example, it hide the third point I don't like it. If you look at the side view of a lighter color one, you'll find that the bottom plastic trim has too much turns, especially right behind the front wheel.

In contrast, as you rightly mentioned, Maverick get the design style right to tell people it is not a toy but a baby F-150.

 

[tfarny]

To me the Santa Cruz is Pontiac Aztek level bad styling, I could not ever consider that. Plus I've just never had good luck with Hyndai (although most of my experiences are from way back in the day).
And the Mav bed is already short, to me it feels like the absolute minimum length. I took a bunch of junk to the dump yesterday in the Mav and I wished the bid were 6 inches longer, would have been much easier to load. Shorter bed? A used minivan is more stylish and hauls more.

I do think that if you are looking for a high tech car with a very nice high-end interior the Mav is not your vehicle at all.

 

[WildHorse]

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).

I get your feelings. I'm almost you.

I also took in-person looks on both (several rounds!). SC does look better on person. I definitely agree SC has better build quality ( don't hate me for saying this in this MTC. My first new car is Mustang). You mentioned the "cheapness" examples are evident as long as anyone is willing to take off the "fanboy" glass (again, nothing wrong to be a fanboy. just the opinion of a fanboy won't have much convincing value for non-fanboy).

If I buy SC, I'd only to buy the SEL, the regular, not premium. It seems in my area, I can find SC I want on MSRP.

What makes me to still waiting after a couple of times of almost pulling the trigger to get a SC? 1.) some of the SC design style; 2.) Granger's $3000 of MSRP (in real worth $1500 after the travelling cost etc.) and about $750 FORD rebates; 3.) doubt about SC's resell value, because I also have late-date orders of F-150 Lightning and Cybertruck which I switch, too.

 

[woppinger]

And then there's Chevrolet telling Bolt owners to park outside until the battery is replaced!

And then there's this

https://www.slashgear.com/869177/ford-suv-fires-triggers-warning-to-park-these-models-outside/

I guess caveat emptor always applies.

Indeed...

 

[Scott Asheville]

I thought tonight I'd further my comparative research by visiting the Santa Cruz Forum for the first time. I went straight to the problems section. I was ROTFL after 15 minutes browsing the threads.

The Santa Cruz problem forum is almost indistinguishable from the Maverick problem forum! It's like they're having the same problems with the tiniest of differences. There are people there, just like here, having problems with one of the transmissions. They are having similar radio problems. They're having similar window sealing problems. A few people had their SC in the shop for a month, then the fixed vehicle came home with the same problems. They can't get spare parts. The similarities go on and on and on. Not much difference in the problem types reported that I could see. And of course, there are lots of people blissfully reporting that their Hobbit truck is absolutely perfectly reliable.

If you read our problem section, it's like a clone of their problem section. The Santa Cruz and Maverick are apparently way more alike than any of us thought. I mean all the parts and pieces are different of course, but the types of problems they're seeing are the types of problems we're seeing.

 

[woppinger]

I wonder if Hyundai did that for engineering reasons?

All else being equal it makes the body more torsionally stiff compared to something like the Ford, which is trying to mimic the look of a BOF truck with separate cab/box (as evidenced by a number of posts here, the "mini F150" style is important to many)

 

[WesM]

All else being equal it makes the body more torsionally stiff compared to something like the Ford, which is trying to mimic the look of a BOF truck with separate cab/box (as evidenced by a number of posts here, the "mini F150" style is important to many)

Eh, way I see it, if Ford can get a small truck stiff enough to handle a 1500lb payload... that is plenty stiff enough.

 

[xplorguy]

My, this thread has caused a lot of Mav Forum guys to hit their keyboard! Seems to me, at the end of the day, the Maverick is the clear winner here. Two, no, three main points: Hybrid 40MPG, maximum flexibility to upgrade and make it what you want, and it's very cost effective, amazingly so at MSRP...

Let us keep in mind, the Mav has blown away the SC in sales. Most of us have only seen a handful or less of Mavericks on the street...many potential buyers have never heard of it. Yet Ford sold out the 2022 model year in a few months. If there were more of them on the street and in the showrooms and Ford could build them I would guess they could have sold twice the current production capacity....

Hyundai and Kia are turning out some very nice cars but I am afraid the SC may go the way of the latest 3 door Veloster and be gone in a few years of production..

 

[AzCactusGray]

I looked at a Santa Cruz actually while I was picking up my Maverick. Took it for a test drive for the hell of it. The Ford dealer I dealt with, Jim Click Ford in Green Valley Arizona is also a Hyundai dealer. (By the way they treated me well on the Maverick, no games, no ADM, honored the x plan)
My take on the Santa Cruz was it's a small SUV that happens to have a bed. The styling is certainly interesting. It is somehow both bulbous and angular at the same time. I do agree it does have presence and does look better in person than it does in photographs. The exterior is polarizing, there's no doubt about that. The interior is more SUV like. It is a nice interior in that SUV sedan sort of way, it's cozy, very cozy. Where in the Mavericks interior feels larger than what I would expect, I thought that SC interior felt smaller than what I would expect. Style wise, exterior and interior, I prefer the Maverick. (As does the wife) However, THE REASON I got a Maverick was for the hybrid. Had the Maverick hybrid not been offered, I would not have purchased a Maverick. I will say this again ,the Maverick hybrid is the only Maverick model I had any interest in. Had the Santa Cruz also been offered as a hybrid, I would have given it a further look, but I'm rather sure I would have still gone with the Maverick hybrid... The Maverick looks and feels like a truck, the Santa Cruz looks and feels like a very stylized small SUV with a bed. Thus far I'm very pleased and impressed with my lux Lariat Maverick hybrid.... And I say this having a Jaguar XJR, Lexus RX350, SC430, C5 Corvette, and F150 parked in my driveway.
PS, I say MY Maverick, but that's wishful thinking. The wife has pretty much abandoned her RX 350 and only drives the Maverick. It is now HER Maverick. We're going to be putting the RX350 up for sale.

 

[ITSATRUCK]

The Maverick wins with the hybrid power train and price with it. Eco Boost Maverick wins as it looks like a truck with a little more truck bed space then Santa Cruz.

If you want more SUV like and don't care about fuel economy the Santa Cruz is perfect.

There were 3 Santa Cruz sitting at dealer when I drove by on Friday. I think there going to be a slow mover.

 

[Pacman]

Good write up on the Santa Cruz—thanks! I’ve seen them around. Definitely cool trucks. Looks like we’re in the same area. I live in Fletcher and ordered my Maverick from Four Seasons Ford (now Parks Ford) in Hendersonville. Still waiting.

 

[Dun4791]

I only have one complaint with Santa Cruz. It doesn’t come with a towing package on any trim. I’m still trying to hang in there for a maverick.

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