Compared: 2024 Ford Maverick vs. 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz
These two small trucks pack a big punch.
Ford | Hyundai
Look out, midsize trucks, there's a smaller game in town. Offering as much utility as most truck owners need without sacrificing on-road manners, these little trucks are proving popular with city dwellers who want to get away for the weekend. Two prominent nameplates are the 2024 Ford Maverick and 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz.
Ford
Maverick and Santa Cruz Both Offer Decent Towing and Hauling Abilities
While neither truck offers a body-on-frame pickup truck's towing and hauling capabilities, the Maverick and the Santa Cruz shouldn't be ashamed of their numbers. The Maverick wins the payload game with a slightly longer bed that can carry 1,500 pounds. Compare that with the 1,411 pounds the Santa Cruz can haul.
Hyundai
When it comes to towing, the base Maverick can drag 2,000 pounds. That number rises to 4,000 pounds when you add all-wheel drive (AWD) and the tow package. The Santa Cruz can do better when properly equipped. The base rating here is 1,650 pounds, going up to 3,500 pounds when the trailer has trailer brakes. Add AWD to your Santa Cruz and you can tow up to 5,000 pounds.
Ford
Maverick Offers More Off-Road Chops, but Santa Cruz Has More Tech
One feature the Maverick has that the Santa Cruz can't match is the option of an off-road package. Choose the Tremor to get a 1-inch lift, better all-terrain tires, an off-road-tuned suspension, a differential locker, and drive modes for mud, sand, and slippery terrain.
Hyundai
The Santa Cruz goes all in on technology with an available 10.3-inch infotainment screen and a Blind-Spot View Monitor that streams a video feed directly to the digital gauge cluster.
Ford
Maverick Costs Less Than Santa Cruz
The Ford Maverick is available with two engines: a turbocharged four-cylinder with 250 horsepower that can be paired with front-wheel drive (FWD) or AWD, or a hybrid option with a total output of 191 horsepower and FWD only.
Hyundai Santa Cruz buyers have their choice of two engines as well. Lower trim levels get a non-turbocharged four-cylinder that makes 191 horsepower, and buyers can choose from FWD or AWD. Upper trims get a turbocharged version with 281 horsepower and standard AWD.
The Maverick pulls ahead in fuel economy, especially in the hybrid model. Expect up to 42/33/37 mpg city/highway/combined with the hybrid. The non-hybrid is rated at 23/30/26 mpg with FWD and 22/29/25 mpg when equipped with AWD. The off-road-oriented Tremor, slips to just 20/24/21 mpg.
Hyundai
The Hyundai Santa Cruz can manage 22/26/23 mpg with its standard engine and FWD, though that slides to 21/25/23 mpg with AWD. The turbo version checks in at just 19/27/22 mpg.
The Maverick starts at a lower price. Look to spend about $25,000 for a base model, adding $1,500 for the hybrid powertrain or about $2,000 for AWD. The top Lariat trim starts at just under $36,000 as a hybrid with FWD and just over $36,000 with the gas engine and standard AWD.
The Santa Cruz starts at around $28,000, and AWD is a $1,500 premium on the lower two trims. The top Limited trim goes big, starting at about $42,000.
All vehicle pricing includes MSRP plus destination charges (set at the time of publication), and will be rounded to the nearest thousand.
Written by humans.
Edited by humans.
Emme HallEmme Hall loves small convertibles and gets out to the canyons in her 2004 Mazdaspeed Miata whenever she can. You can also find her in the dirt in her lifted (yes, that's right) 2001 Mazda Miata, or racing air-cooled Volkswagens in races like the Baja 1000. She's taken first place twice in the Rebelle Rally — once driving a Jeep Wrangler and then a Rolls-Royce Cullinan the second time. She was also the first driver to take an electric vehicle to the Rebelle Rally when campaigning the Rivian R1T to a top-five finish.
Related articles
View more related articles