Compare the2025 Hyundai Santa CruzVS 2024 Ford Maverick

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Hyundai Santa Cruz have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Ford Maverick doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

With its standard front crash prevention, the Hyundai Santa Cruz is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Ford Maverick, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

	Santa Cruz	Maverick
Overall Evaluation	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
	Crossing Child - DAY
12 MPH	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH	AVOIDED	-24 MPH
	Crossing Adult - NIGHT
12 MPH Brights	-11 MPH	-11 MPH
12 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH Brights	-21 MPH	-18 MPH
25 MPH Low beams	-15 MPH	-11 MPH
	Parallel Adult - NIGHT
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	-13 MPH
25 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
37 MPH Brights	-33 MPH	-8 MPH
Warning Issued-Brights	1.7 sec	1.5 sec
37 MPH Low beams	-35 MPH	-3 MPH
Warning Issued-Low beams	1.7 sec	1.3 sec

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Santa Cruz SEL/SEL Premium/Limited has standard Parking Collision Avoidance Assist that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Maverick doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Santa Cruz’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the Maverick.

The Santa Cruz XRT/Limited has a standard Surround View Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Maverick only offers a rear monitor and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the front or sides.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Santa Cruz has standard Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning and Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. Ford charges extra for Cross-Traffic Alert on the Maverick and the Maverick’s Cross-Traffic Alert does not include automatic braking.

Compared to metal, the Santa Cruz’s plastic fuel tank can withstand harder, more intrusive impacts without leaking; this decreases the possibility of fire. The Ford Maverick has a metal gas tank.

Both the Santa Cruz and the Maverick have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, rearview cameras and available all wheel drive.

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Hyundai Santa Cruz is safer than the Maverick:

	Santa Cruz	Maverick
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	123	146
Neck Tension	245 lbs.	357 lbs.
Neck Compression	-89 lbs.	89 lbs.
Shoulder Deflection	-.87 in	.67 in
Pelvis	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
Pelvis Force	1004 lbs.	1272 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	70	295
Neck Tension	67 lbs.	178 lbs.
Neck Compression	-45 lbs.	45 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	.83 in	2.2 in
Shoulder Force	178 lbs.	580 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.26 in	1.81 in
Torso Deflection Rate	5 MPH	12 MPH
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

The Hyundai Santa Cruz achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2024 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The Maverick is not a “Top Safety Pick” for 2024.

Warranty

The Santa Cruz comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Maverick’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Santa Cruz 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Ford covers the Maverick. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Maverick ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

The Santa Cruz’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the Maverick’s (7 vs. 5 years).

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Santa Cruz for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Hyundai will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Ford doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Maverick.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Santa Cruz first among midsize pickups in their 2024 Initial Quality Study. The Maverick was rated second.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are better in initial quality than Ford vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in initial quality, above the industry average. With 17 more problems per 100 vehicles, Ford is ranked 9th.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Ford With 41 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Hyundai higher than Ford.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Ford vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Hyundai 11 places higher in reliability than Ford.

Engine

The Santa Cruz’s optional 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 31 more horsepower (281 vs. 250) and 34 lbs.-ft. more torque (311 vs. 277) than the Maverick’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Hyundai Santa Cruz turbo 4 cyl. is faster than the Ford Maverick turbo 4 cyl.:

	Santa Cruz	Maverick
Zero to 30 MPH	2.2 sec	2.3 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	6 sec	7 sec
Zero to 80 MPH	9.8 sec	12.4 sec
Passing 45 to 65 MPH	3 sec	3.8 sec
Quarter Mile	14.5 sec	15.4 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	98.2 MPH	88.9 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Santa Cruz gets better mileage than the Maverick:

			MPG
Santa Cruz
	AWD	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	21 city/29 hwy
		Limited 2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	19 city/27 hwy
Maverick
	AWD	Tremor 2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/24 hwy

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Hyundai Santa Cruz uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Maverick requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

The Santa Cruz has 3.9 gallons more fuel capacity than the Maverick Hybrid’s standard fuel tank (17.7 vs. 13.8 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Santa Cruz has 1.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the Maverick 2.0 EcoBoost’s standard fuel tank (17.7 vs. 16.5 gallons).

Transmission

The Santa Cruz offers an available sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The Maverick doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

Brakes and Stopping

The Santa Cruz stops much shorter than the Maverick:

	Santa Cruz	Maverick
60 to 0 MPH	119 feet	137 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Santa Cruz has larger tires than the Maverick (245/60R18 vs. 225/65R17). The Santa Cruz’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Maverick (245/60R18 vs. 235/65R17).

The Santa Cruz’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Maverick’s standard 65 series tires. The Santa Cruz Limited’s tires have a lower 50 series profile than the Maverick’s optional 60 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Santa Cruz has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Maverick. The Santa Cruz Limited’s 20-inch wheels are larger than the 18-inch wheels optional on the Maverick.

Suspension and Handling

For superior ride and handling, the Hyundai Santa Cruz has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Maverick has a rear torsion beam axle, with a semi-independent rear suspension.

The Santa Cruz has a standard automatic rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The Maverick doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Santa Cruz is 1.3 inches wider in the front and 2.1 inches wider in the rear than on the Maverick.

The Santa Cruz SEL 4x4 handles at .83 G’s, while the Maverick XLT Tremor pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

Chassis

The Santa Cruz is 4 inches shorter than the Maverick, making the Santa Cruz easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Passenger Space

The Santa Cruz has .4 inches more front shoulder room, .6 inches more rear legroom and .5 inches more rear shoulder room than the Maverick.

Cargo Capacity

The Hyundai Santa Cruz has a standard tailgate assist feature, which prevents the heavy tailgate from falling with a crash and causing injury. It allows adults and children to easily open and close the tailgate with one hand to better facilitate loading and unloading. The Ford Maverick doesn’t offer a tailgate assist.

The Hyundai Santa Cruz has a standard rear cargo step, which allows for much easier access to the cargo area. The Ford Maverick doesn’t offer a rear cargo step.

Towing

The Santa Cruz’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Maverick’s (3500 vs. 2000 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Ford Maverick is only 4000 pounds. The Santa Cruz 4x4 offers up to a 5000 lbs. towing capacity.

Ergonomics

The Santa Cruz SEL/XRT/Limited’s front power windows open fully with one touch of the switches, and the driver’s window also automatically closes, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Maverick’s power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully. Only its driver’s window opens automatically.

On a hot day the Santa Cruz’s driver can lower the front windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Maverick can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Santa Cruz’s standard Proximity Key allows you to unlock the doors from either front door handle, unlock the tailgate, and start the engine, all without removing the key from the pocket or purse. Intelligent Access is only offered on the Maverick Lariat, and doesn’t offer a sensor on the tailgate.

The Santa Cruz Limited’s standard wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield. The Maverick’s intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

Consumer Reports rated the Santa Cruz’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the Maverick’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Santa Cruz’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Maverick’s headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

The Santa Cruz has standard power remote mirrors. The Maverick XL doesn’t offer either a remote driver side or passenger side mirror. The driver will have to roll down the windows and reach across the car to adjust the mirrors.

The Santa Cruz’s optional rear view mirror has an automatic dimming feature. This mirror can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on it, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Maverick doesn’t offer the luxury of an automatic dimming rear view mirror.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Santa Cruz Limited keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Maverick doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

Both the Santa Cruz and the Maverick offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Santa Cruz SEL/XRT/Limited has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Maverick doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

Compared to the Ford Maverick, the Hyundai Santa Cruz eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries with its optional integrated Homelink® universal remote controlled from the rear view mirror.

Recommendations

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Santa Cruz second among midsize pickups in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Maverick isn’t in the top three.