Towing capabilities on the Maverick are pretty subpar all around. My 2004 Ranger 2.3L rwd tows nearly 4,000 with 100 less hp. Both could improve on power outlets and rear seat design. If Hyundai comes out with a AWD hybrid, it would be an absolute game changer. I’ve found myself searching for deals on them now
Sorry you feel that way mate. Hopefully you come around one day. Thanks for taking the time to read the post though! Any feedback is appreciated.
Insert Bud Light reference here.)
Great write up but as this shows maverick is still cheaper.Personally I've owned both the SC and the Maverick and got rid of the Maverick and I find this evaluation off point. First of all the numbers you came u with are not oranges to oranges. In my case I have the SEL AWD wth the tow package and found it cheaper by $1000 then a Maverick XLT Ecoboost AWD with 4k tow. I use those in my comparison because although the Ecoboost is more powerful engine, they both have 8 speed transmissions and both have comparable payloads, both have cloth interiors, both have reasonably close towing capability ( 3500 to 4000 pounds with eh SC having more safety equipment as standard. If you were to compare the SC Limited with the turbo to the Maverick you might come up with the following whih someone on the SC forum came up with:
"Anyone else tired of the Ford Maverick biased reviews between it and the Santa Cruz? I have seen so many apples to oranges comparisons between the Hyundai & the Ford that I am starting to think that either Ford is subsidizing the You tubers or they simply do not do their homework first? ( ignorance or laziness? ) I'll address some common oversights in favor of the Ford Maverick, that they have used ( so at the end of their comparison review ) they can pronounce the Maverick as the better of the two compact pick-up trucks.
1. It just looks like a truck and the Hyundai is just based on a Tucson SUV.
Styling aside, since that is something subjective to each reviewer...
( the Santa Cruz is longer & wider than the Tucson platform just like the Maverick - which is also based on an SUV platform, the Ford Escape, only they conveniently omit this detail )
Maverick: 200"L x 73"W x 69"H
Santa Cruz: 195"L x 75"W x 67"H
2. The Maverick has an adjustable tailgate so you can support 4 x 8 sheets of plywood stacked on top of the wheel wells. - btw: so does the Santa Cruz. ( on it's damped tailgate with remote open vs the Ford's undamped tailgate & no remote open feature )
3. The Maverick has a much bigger bed than the Santa Cruz's 4'ft bed.
( the Santa Cruz bed dimension is: 52.1" x 42.5" between the wheel wells. The Maverick bed dimension is 54.4" x 42.6" between the wheel wells. so it's only 2.3" longer! Also the side corner steps that the Maverick lacks go overlooked as does the lockable in-bed storage ( only available on the Santa Cruz ) that the Ford lacks plus the Maverick only comes with a Spray-on liner vs the Santa Cruz's composite bed, doesn't seem to get mentioned much either. ( I agree that the roll-up Tonneau cover does subtract 10" from the bed length if installed, but it can be removed or not even optioned ) These comparisons with an open bed Maverick verses a Santa Cruz with the Tonneau cover are comparing apples to oranges.
4. The Maverick has a lot more rear seat room than the cramped Santa Cruz Back seat. ( rear seat leg room is 36.9" on the Ford and 36.5" on the Hyundai ) they also overlook or gloss over the fact that while the Ford's rear seats also fold up, it's not a 60/40 split, its the whole seat or nothing and you can't remove it's under-seat tray either.
5. Pricing. Yes, I agree the Ford has a lower starting price for the cheap/base model but comparing a Hyundai SC Limited to a Maverick XL or XLT is again apples to oranges, once you get a loaded Maverick Lariat AWD with comparable features* ( *see attached photos of pricing ) and keeping in mind that besides a 10.25" info-tainment screen and 10.2" digital gauge cluster screen ( neither available on the Ford ) plus heated/cooled front seats, dual rear A/C vents & USB charge ports, Lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control, Surround View Monitor SVM with Blind-spot View Monitor BVM ( high resolution compared to the low resolution screen on the Ford ) a real shift lever vs a rotary gear select dial and too many other features ( also not available on the Ford ) though the Santa Cruz is more expensive than the Maverick, a true comparison should also ask:
"How much do you comparatively get for your money?"
If the You tube automotive review channels want to truly compare apples to apples on these two new compact pick-up trucks, then lets keep these two models compared as equal as possible:
Maverick Lariat AWD - the 2.0L EcoBoost® in-line 4-cylinder engine has 250 horsepower and has a torque rating of 277 lb. Towing capacity is rated at 4000 lbs. 22 mpg city, 29 mpg highway, and 25 mpg combined.
Santa Cruz Limited AWD - the 2.5L in-line 4-cylinder Turbo engine has 281 horsepower and has a torque rating of 311 lb. Towing capacity is rated at 5000 lbs. 19 mpg city and 27 mpg highway, and 22 mpg combined.
Now here is your honest's to
Yes it does but not by any $5k and the SC still has more features than the Maverick like Solar glass, 360 degree cameras, the ability in seeing the bliss on coming traffic on large windows in it's center console to name a few....and lets not forget less recalls, longer warranty, free maintenance service for three years, less TSB's as well but with that said the SC doesn't offer a Hybrid...which is a big deal in favor of the Maverick if MPG is your main thing..
I had a Kia Soul turbo with the DCT. It never let me down, but I never put it into a challenging scenario either. I would sometimes (rarely) get caught at a stop sign where it had guessed the wrong gear upon stopping, and it took a half second of hesitation to find the right gear. TFL put one of the older dry clutch DCTs through a trail challenge and it overheated in seconds. It was made for street use in relatively unchallenging situations (not requiring lots of slip). They moved to a wet clutch DCT recently. I wonder if Hyundai is moving away from the DCT, as they just swapped it out for a conventional automatic on the Tucson (on which the SC is based).I'm a Hyundai guy for the last 3 vehicles before the Mav so I am team H. So i am going to defend that dual clutch transmission. I pounded 174K on my 1.6T Tucson with nearly no problems. Transmission worked fine. No need to get rid of that trannie. (
That said, the SC is just a Tucson without the back. It's over priced, doesn't deliver the fuel economy and doesn't feel like a truck. It should be restricted to the beach with Subaru Baja's. It's trying to be everything to everybody without accomplishing what the Mav did. Create a new truck market segment. No thanks!
I dunno if I 100% agree. They're different on the surface. But underneath they're awfully similar. I strongly suspect if the Hyundai had the Maverick body and the Maverick had the Hyundai body, then all the members of the SC forum would be here, and everyone here would be there.
But that's actually what I'm saying as well. I would guess that the majority of Maverick owners and would-be owners find the Mav appealing because it resembles a small truck. I suspect that's why there's this strong aversion to the SC from a lot of us, because to small truck fans it doesn't look right. It's really not about the numbers.
I regret to say that in one way you are correct but in other ways you are wrong. You are right in the fact Ford advertises the Maverick as a Truck whereas Hyundai advertises the Santa Cruz as a Sport Activity Vehicle. So that alone makes them different. But here is where the competition begins between the two...payload , bed size, towing capability, HP.......all those important when weighing in to the competition angle. I would add looks like a truck but in reality that is meaningless other than personal taste. I would add some folks don't consider it a two vehicle race...Edmunds for instance threw those two into the small Truck category along with the Honda Ridgeline, Chevy Colorado, Nissan and Jeep Gladiator. They rated the best to worst in that category. With all that said I find no reason to not have a section on Maverick and the Competition. It's only going to get bigger.
There's no question about this statement. The SC has missed the boat with the lack of a Hybrid. However, there's one other issue that everybody seems to over look. That is the fact that I have been able to get SCs, which I have gotten two off. While the closest I've gotten to a Maverick is being on a waiting list. All of these comparisons are meaningless if one of vehicles is not available.
I think you must be talking about the Hybrid Maverick as the Ecoboost seems to be available without much of a waiting list if you don't mind getting screwed by the dealers which also leans more heavily towards a Maverick than a Santa Cruz...at least thats my opinion. Never saw such out and out thievery as I've seen on the Maverick by dealers...and that seems to be the case by Ford dealers on more than the Maverick...geez glad I ordered mine from a dealer that just wanted MSRP when I had my Hybrid.
