By Edmunds and Dan Julio
If you wanted a medium-sized truck 10 years ago, your choice included an aging Toyota Tacoma or even older Nissan Frontier design. Today, updated versions of the Chevrolet Colorado, Ford Ranger and Honda Ridge Line have revitalized the segment to such a degree that it created a new compact pickup class led by Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz.
They approach lightweight truck utilities from various angles. It offers a highly fuel-efficient hybrid engine, but with robust towing and transport limitations, the Maverick has its resilient ride and barren interior, making it a more common pickup. The Santa Cruz is more refined and comfortable than the truck, with a higher SUV. It can tow more than Ford, but it does not have heavy carrying capacity. The best thing for buyers depends on actually using it.
Electricity and fuel economy
Both the Maverick and Santa Cruz start with a 191 horsepower rated four-cylinder engine. Neither truck is quick, but both are capable. Importantly, Maverick is a hybrid of an impressive 38 MPG pairing and pushed out some extra MPGs in real-life testing. Santa Cruz is not a hybrid, but it costs up to 25 mpg (22 cities/30 expressways). Adding all-wheel drive will cut the estimate for both trucks by 1 mpg.
Both models offer optional turbo engines for improved performance. The Maverick can dash from 0 to 60 mph in 6.6 seconds with a 250 horsepower four-cylinder, while the Santa Cruz is quick (6.8 seconds) with a 281 horsepower engine. The turbo truck also matches more evenly with the pump. Turbo Maverick earned a total of 23-25 mpg estimated by the EPA. We’ve seen this in real-life testing, but Santa Cruz actually outperformed the 29 mpg EPA rating and the 21-22 mpg test.
Winner: Maverick
Towing and payload
A properly equipped Maverick can tow anything enough for up to 4,000 pounds, small pop-ups and travel trailers, or some dirt bikes with trailers and fuel, but you’ll need an expensive turbo engine to do so. (The hybrid is limited to £2,000.) The Santa Cruz is rated at £5,000, which is more robust on the turbo engine, or £3,500 on the base engine. Comparing heavy trucks, 1000 pounds isn’t that much, but it’s a significant advantage for compact pickups.
The Maverick’s 1,500-pound payload capacity (combined with fuel, passengers and bed weight) eliminates the Santa Cruz 1,411-pound rating, while the Ford’s slightly longer bed improves utility. Maverick also offers trailing packages for factory hitches, wire harnesses and trailer brake controllers. For Santa Cruz, aftermarket components must be sourced. Because both tracks are capable in a variety of ways, this choice comes down to a specific use case.
Winner: Tie
Off-load function
Neither truck offers serious off-road hardware, but Maverick is approaching. Both can handle rutted trails or fireloads thanks to optional all-wheel drive, body armor scale and ground clearance of approximately 8.5 inches. The Santa Cruz XRT trim includes all-terrain tires, front-to-hooks and surround view monitors for improved visibility, while the Maverick trem is perfect for dirt work.
The tremor comes with even higher ground clearance, specially tuned suspension and lock rear differential, underbody skid plates, and modes that optimize speed and traction over different terrain. However, expensive tremors ($42,690) are not the only way to get off-roaded. The optional FX4 package on Maverick XLT trim offers some of the same features and offers less money.
Winner: Maverick
Comfort, technology, value
If you expect a truck-like ride, Maverick won’t be disappointed. Swinging along the basic work tracks, the street-oriented robot trims only exceptions. The Santa Cruz feels more like a Mercedes in comparison, with a softer, more controlled ride typical of a crossover. The theme continues in the cabin. The cabin feels fresher and more luxurious than the spread of Maverick’s plastic.
Both trucks come with a large touchscreen, 13.2 inches on the Maverick and 12.3 inches on the Santa Cruz. However, Hyundai’s additional standard and optional driver AIDS takes priority, including adaptive cruise control. You can also get more comfort for optional creatures on Santa Cruz, including ventilated seats and leather upholstery. Both trucks cost roughly the same, starting at $29,840 for Maverick (including destinations) and $30,200 for Santa Cruz. The latter luxury features dominate here.
Winner: Santa Cruz
Edmunds says
If you want typical truck muscles or great fuel economy, get a Maverick. If you need to tow a classy crossover comfort or heavy load, get a Santa Cruz.
This story was provided to the Associated Press by the car website Edmunds.
Dan Julio is a contributor to Edmunds.
