In the relatively new compact pickup truck segment, the 2024 Ford Maverick and 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz are really the only two entrants, which subsequently makes them natural competitors. Indeed, both of these mini trucks are based on car-like crossover platforms, but one stays a little closer to its car roots than the other.
Obviously, we think the 2024 Maverick is superior to the 2024 Santa Cruz, but the margin by which the Maverick outsells the Hyundai certainly backs up that opinion. Let’s see why the Maverick is so much more popular.
Key Takeaways
- The Hyundai Santa Cruz is, for better or worse, the more car-like choice among these two small pickups, with a high-quality interior and a comfortable ride.
- Though the Santa Cruz’s cargo bed is slightly smaller than the Maverick’s, it has an extremely useful in-floor storage box and an available locking tonneau cover.
- The Maverick has a more conventional truck appearance and costs less than the Santa Cruz at every trim level from basic to luxury.
- Of the two trucks, the Maverick is the only one boasting a hybrid powertrain that delivers an impressive 42 mpg city and 33 mpg highway.
The 2024 Maverick is more, well, truck-like.
Of course, styling is subjective, but the Maverick sports bodywork that’s more traditional and boxier, like its big brothers the Ranger and F-150. On the other hand, the Santa Cruz appears more like a compact SUV with a cargo bed grafted on.
In spite of their differing aesthetic, both are four-door crew cab pickups that can seat five adults. Likewise, the size of the cargo beds is similar, at 4.5-feet long for the Maverick and 4.3-feet long for the Santa Cruz.
However, giving credit where it’s due, the Santa Cruz does have a very useful covered cargo compartment underneath the rear floor of the bed — not unlike the Honda Ridgeline — that adds to its overall usefulness.
Which of these small trucks has more power?
The Santa Cruz comes standard with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder making 191 horsepower and 181 pound-feet of torque. Automotive journalists have commented that the model’s base engine makes for sluggish performance, so if your budget permits, you’ll want to seek out a Santa Cruz with the upgraded 2.5-liter turbocharged engine with 281 horses and 311 pound-feet of torque, which is more suited to doing actual pickup truck stuff.
Under the Maverick’s hood, buyers will find a spunky 250 horsepower 2.0-liter four-cylinder with 277 pound-feet of torque as standard equipment. That powerplant beats the Santa Cruz’s standard engine hands down, but is less robust than the Hyundai’s optional mill.
For buyers that are focused on fuel economy, the Maverick also offers a hybrid powertrain at an additional cost of $1,500 on most trim levels. The hybrid combines a 2.5-liter four-cylinder with an electric motor for a combined output of 191 horsepower, which makes it slightly less peppy for the benefit of stellar fuel economy that destroys the Santa Cruz’s. How good is the fuel economy? Try 42 mpg in the city and 33 mpg on the highway. Note that the hybrid Maverick is front-wheel drive only, not all-wheel drive.
The Maverick is less expensive.
The 2024 Ford Maverick starts at $25,410 and ranges up to $39,945 depending on the trim level and options. That’s compared to the 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz which begins at $28,275 and escalates to $42,695 for the luxurious Limited model, which makes the Santa Cruz more expensive at every price point from basic to top shelf.
In a nutshell, the Maverick costs less and has a hugely popular hybrid option for a mere $1,500 upcharge. To be fair, The Santa Cruz’s cabin is a bit more plush and feature rich, but overall, it's tough to deny the Maverick as this competition's winner and one of the better values among any new vehicle. Stop by our showroom today in beautiful Tarpon Springs to see the Maverick for yourself and maybe take this truck for a test spin.