The small truck segment is a hotbed of activity right now thanks to the launch of the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz. Though these two unibody pickups might not have the hauling capacity of a bigger body-on-frame truck, the theoretical payoff is car-like dynamics and efficiency. But which is best?
Edmunds put the pair through a series of tests to find out which compact truck deserves your dollars, choosing models that offered similar power and performance. That meant skipping the entry-level Maverick Hybrid that comes with a fuel-sipping 37 mpg front wheel-drive drivetrain for which Hyundai currently has no answer. Instead, both test models came with a four-cylinder turbocharged gas engine that drives all four wheels.
The Maverick’s 2.0-liter motor only makes 250 hp and 277 lb-ft to the 275 hp and 310 lb-ft of the 2.5 in the Santa Cruz. But the Hyndai’s extra 361 lbs in weight nixes any real advantage at the drag strip. Thus, the pair posted almost identical numbers to 60 mph, with the Ford nabbing first place by a single tenth posting a time of 6.4 seconds.
The big surprise is how little the Hyundai’s weight penalty and extra 500 cc of capacity hurts it in the real world MPG test. In fact, while the Maverick achieved 27 mpg on a 120-mile test loop, beating its 25 mpg official rating, the Santa Cruz recorded an impressive 29 mpg against a 22 mpg EPA number.
Driven: The 2022 Ford Maverick Is Proof Big Things Come In Small Packages
When it comes to truck stuff, the Hyundai scores another win with a 5,000 lb towing capacity versus 4,000 lb for the Ford, but the Maverick fights back with an optional trailer brake package, a bigger bed payload and lower loading access. Which one you prefer might depend on what you plan to do with it.
But out on the road, Edmunds’ Travis Langness finds the Maverick is pretty bouncy and not much fun to drive. Simply put, it drives like a truck. The Santa Cruz, however, wins praise for its more car-like dynamics, smoother ride, sharper steering and quieter cabin. Langness reckons it looks a feels more like an SUV with its back chopped off, which is pretty much what it is.
And it’s ultimately the Santa Cruz that gets Edmunds’ overall vote based on it being a nicer truck to live with, despite the fact that it cost $40,000 to the $32,000 it would take to bring home the less lavishly equipped Ford. It’s a result that would seem to strengthen the argument that the entry-level $20k Hybrid, which has now been delayed until January 2022, and could sell out soon, is the pick of the Maverick pickup line.