Just don't think the Santa Cruz looks like a truck.

[Raymundo76]

I’ll “weigh” in with my n of 1. My son asked me to help him pick up vinyl plank flooring since I have a “truck” (Santa Cruz). He ordered 1000 ft2. upon arrival at the big box store, I discovered (my son is the poster boy of understatement) The flooring was heavy for vinyl-probably 35-40lbs per box. We loaded 23 boxes and that was enough-actually too much. The IRS took on pretty negative camber despite the “load-leveling“. We only had about 5 miles to drive but I was a bit uncomfortable the whole trip. So taking the top estimate of 40 lbs per box I had ~900lbs in the bed. The second trip we split the boxes up and I took 15 or estimate of 600 lbs which was comfortable.

I don’t think there is any way the Santa Cruz is 1/2 ton bed capacity.

Which SC do you have; and is it stock?

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[Grozk72]

SEL turbo. Totally stock. The capacity is the only negative thus far. It will be interesting to compare to my Maverick which is due at the dealer sometime in the next 2-3 weeks (waiting on truck transport).

 

[MesaMav]

No. She was already the EX, got the car, and then rolled it. (there is a GOD)

My ex girlfriend wasn't an ex when she asked, and I quote "marry me and put the house in my name". Exactly like that. (The house was paid off)
She became my ex in the time it took to finish my beer.

 

[cavemold]

I got to see one today on way home, didn’t like the looks of it at all

Same it looks worst in person

 

[cavemold]

My ex girlfriend wasn't an ex when she asked, and I quote "marry me and put the house in my name". Exactly like that. (The house was paid off)
She became my ex in the time it took to finish my beer.

Smart man!

 

[Raymundo76]

My ex girlfriend wasn't an ex when she asked, and I quote "marry me and put the house in my name". Exactly like that. (The house was paid off)
She became my ex in the time it took to finish my beer.

What can I say; I didn't see Jose Cuervo (sp) until it was too late.

 

[Scott Asheville]

FWIW, I passed a Santa Cruz tonight, sage green. It was super hot in that color. Made me embarrassed to be driving my drab Maverick. Kidding about that. But seriously, every car has a hot color in which it looks best. For the SC, I think it's that green. For the Maverick, so far my favorite on the open road is cactus gray (which I didn't get). Cyber Orange is a close follow up. Cool color in real life.

 

[Old Hickory Trojan]

I’ll “weigh” in with my n of 1. My son asked me to help him pick up vinyl plank flooring since I have a “truck” (Santa Cruz). He ordered 1000 ft2. upon arrival at the big box store, I discovered (my son is the poster boy of understatement) The flooring was heavy for vinyl-probably 35-40lbs per box. We loaded 23 boxes and that was enough-actually too much. The IRS took on pretty negative camber despite the “load-leveling“. We only had about 5 miles to drive but I was a bit uncomfortable the whole trip. So taking the top estimate of 40 lbs per box I had ~900lbs in the bed. The second trip we split the boxes up and I took 15 or estimate of 600 lbs which was comfortable.

I don’t think there is any way the Santa Cruz is 1/2 ton bed capacity.

Carry weigh for the SC is 1411. Add your weight and any passengers you have and then add the weight of the cargo. The guys on Youtube put 900 lb hay bale in the rear of it with almost half hanging on the lowered tailgate and the two guys in the cab estimated they weighed 150 pounds each for about 1200 pounds. When they weighed it they came in at something like 1255 and took the truck up a hill with a decent grade in the dirt and it did well. The rear of the truck had dropped 3 inches before they started the engine. Both marvelled at how well it did and plan to try the same test they did on a Maverick with cut logs in the rear in the future (they would have done the ;og test but they had the damn hard tonneau cover that took up space in the bed so they loaded the hay bale instead. They plan on doing the logtest without the hard tonneau to utilize the whoe bed the next time.. The Maverick carry weight max includes passengers as well...put two 150 pounders in the front of the cab and the bed is at 1200 pounds recommended weight. Just sayin until both are tested equally no one can say what the carry weight of the SC is other then the 1411 Hyundai reports.

 

[dwkfb69]

I too looked at the Santa Cruse and the Ridgeline... if pushed came to shove I'd take the Honda over the Hyundai... BUT I've been a Ford guy forever and love what the Mavrick has to offer... just hoping my Tremor arrives on schedule...

 

[TonyS]

Santa Cruz:
Roof rails
Ventilated seats available
Higher tow rating available
Higher end interior
Factory retractable tonneau
Bed cooler / trunk
Factory t slots
Rear ac vent available
Remote release tailgate
Soft open tailgate

These are just some of the things Santa Cruz offers you can't get on Maverick. Plenty of advantages on Maverick hence why I have on order but it's not so one sided.

Your points are accurate enough. But get the higher tow rating and factory retractable tonneau the Santa Cruz gets pretty pricey.

I cannot decide if I like the looks of the Santa Cruz or not. Sometimes I see one and think it looks kinda cool in an offbeat way. Sometimes I look at it and think it just looks off beat and odd. I like the looks of the Maverick. It simply looks like a small truck. I do like the looks of the Santa Fe interior. Which is why I purchased a Maverick XL. To get close to a "normal" mostly black/gray interior.

But I love the MPG on my Mav Hybrid - and that can't be obtained with the Santa Cruz in any trim.

 

[TonyS]

From under the car, I see no significant difference between my FWD Ecoboost Maverick and any other bargain FWD car that I've owned over the previous 35 years or so. This isn't a knock on the Maverick. I like the car and suspect that it'll make it to 150000 - 200000 miles without too much fuss (that's 3.5-4 years for me). Everything underneth the front looks just like a Focus. The rear suspension on the FWD is very simple and looks fragile. It may well not be over the long term, but it's not confidence inspiring the first time you pull the rear wheels. I suspect they had some ride height issues because there is some very sketchy machining on the lower arms to remove about 1/4'" or so of material. The machined area went unfinished and is starting to corrode, so I plan to clean that up and seal it the best I can. I am in and out of cattle facilities every day, so this car get driven through a lot of caustic material. Bottom line is that there just really aren't any truck bits on a Maverick apart from ride height items.

You point is well taken regarding the Avalanche, Ridgeline, Ranchero and El Camino. The only one of those that has clear truck DNA is the Avalanche. The Ridgeline is just a bigger car masquerading as a truck, and the GM twins are cars with beds.

It seems to me that a better way to think of the Maverick is that it's a ute as are common in Australia. Thanks to @bbhaag for referencing the C2 platform details.

Don't get me wrong. I am happy with the Maverick for what it is, and that is a cheap disposable efficient car. Nothing more and nothing less. I'm disappointed in Ford for representing this for something it clearly isn't, and that is a fully rugged, durable long lived truck. It's a great choice for 99% of the folks who buy an F150 and drive it around town, but for hard work or towing you'll want something else.

I'm sure you are right about what you say. But I also feel you are to a large degree stating the obvious. The Maverick is not the truck for hard work or (heavy) towing. And Ford doesn't market it as such. The pictures are of people heading to the home improvement store and getting mulch or flowers or maybe a small amount of wood.

It looks like a truck - just a small truck. And a SMALL, fuel efficient small truck is all the truck I and a lot of people want and need. IDC if it shares a platform and parts with some of Ford's cars. Looking like a truck is plenty good enough. If the shared platform worked towards keeping the price down, I'm all for it.

You are not the first person to mention though some unfinished machined parts underneath. I'll have my mechanic take a look and ask if he recommends any rustproofing. My Mav lives in a garage but no reason to let rust get started.

 

[Elduchey]

Just had my first chance to climb around a Santa Cruze at the LA auto show this weekend and I gotta say, it's a super nice car/truck inside and out.
The interior is more luxurious than the Mavs but I didnt care much for the all touch screen controls. I like my knobs damnit...
Seats are comfortable and there is more than enough leg room for a six footer in the back behind a six foot driver.
The bed is clever but lacks the customization that the Mav lets you play around with. The Cruze does have a in bed compartment with a drain plug that is either for wet gear or a makeshift cooler.

All in all, it's a cool vehicle but you would forget that you were driving a truck until you got out and realized it had a bed.

One thing that really stuck with me is the weight of the hood. I popped it so I could take a look at the engine and thought for sure I was pushing against struts. That hood is mysteriously heavy for some reason.

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