Compare the2025 Hyundai Santa CruzVS 2024 Ford Ranger

Full-time four-wheel drive is optional on the Santa Cruz. Full-time four-wheel drive gives added traction for safety in all conditions, not just off-road, like the only system available on the Ranger.

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. Only the Ranger XLT/Lariat offers Cross Traffic Alert and the Ranger’s Cross Traffic Alert does not include automatic braking.

For better protection of the passenger compartment, the Santa Cruz uses safety cell construction with a three-dimensional high-strength frame that surrounds the passenger compartment. It provides extra impact protection and a sturdy mounting location for door hardware and side impact beams. The Ranger uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the Santa Cruz and the Ranger have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras and available around view monitors.

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 Ranger has not yet been evaluated by the IIHS for 2024.

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 Ranger’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 Ranger. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Ranger ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

The Santa Cruz’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the Ranger’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 Ranger.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Santa Cruz first among midsize pickups in their 2024 Initial Quality Study. The Ranger isn’t in the top three.

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.

The Santa Cruz’s optional 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 11 more horsepower (281 vs. 270) and 1 lbs.-ft. more torque (311 vs. 310) than the Ranger’s standard 2.3 turbo 4-cylinder.

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

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

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

The Santa Cruz has a standard locking fuel door which locks and unlocks with the power locks. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the Ranger. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

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 Ranger doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

For better stopping power the Santa Cruz’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Ranger:

The Santa Cruz stops much shorter than the Ranger:

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 Ranger’s standard 70 series tires. The Santa Cruz Limited’s tires have a lower 50 series profile than the Ranger’s optional 65 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 Ranger. The Santa Cruz Limited’s 20-inch wheels are larger than the 18-inch wheels optional on the Ranger.

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 Ford Ranger has a solid rear axle, with a non-independent rear suspension.

The Santa Cruz has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Santa Cruz flat and controlled during cornering. The Ranger’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

The front and rear suspension of the Santa Cruz uses coil springs for better ride, handling and control than the Ranger, which uses leaf springs in the rear. Coil springs compress more progressively and offer more suspension travel for a smoother ride with less bottoming out.

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

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Santa Cruz is .9 inches wider in the front and 1.1 inches wider in the rear than on the Ranger.

The Santa Cruz SEL 4x4 handles at .83 G’s, while the Ranger XLT 4x4 pulls only .72 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Santa Cruz’s turning circle is 2.9 feet tighter than the Ranger’s (39.6 feet vs. 42.5 feet).

The Hyundai Santa Cruz may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 400 to 450 pounds less than the Ford Ranger.

The Santa Cruz is 1 foot, 2.9 inches shorter than the Ranger, making the Santa Cruz easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Santa Cruz is 7.2 inches shorter in height than the Ranger, making the Santa Cruz much easier to wash and garage and drive (lower center of gravity).

Unibody construction lowers the Santa Cruz’s center of gravity significantly without reducing ground clearance. This contributes to better on the road handling and better off-road performance and stability. In addition, unibody construction makes the chassis stiffer, improving handling and reducing squeaks and rattles. The Ranger doesn’t use unibody construction, but a body-on-frame design.

The Santa Cruz has 3.5 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Ranger (101.8 vs. 98.3).

The Santa Cruz has .6 inches more front shoulder room and 1.9 inches more rear legroom than the Ranger.

A low lift-over bed design makes loading and unloading the Santa Cruz easier. The Santa Cruz’s bed lift-over height is 31.6 inches, while the Ranger’s liftover is 34 inches.

The Hyundai Santa Cruz has a standard tailgate assist feature, which allows for much easier access to the cargo area. A Integrated Box Side Step costs extra on the Ford Ranger.

The power windows standard on both the Santa Cruz and the Ranger have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Santa Cruz is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Ranger prevents the driver from operating the rear windows just as it does the other passengers.

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 Ranger’s passenger windows don’t open or close automatically.

The Santa Cruz has a standard Proximity Key that 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. Only the Ranger Lariat offers Intelligent Access.

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 Ranger doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

Both the Santa Cruz and the Ranger 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 Ranger doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Hyundai Santa Cruz, based on reliability, safety and performance.

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 Ranger isn’t in the top three.

The Hyundai Santa Cruz outsold the Ford Ranger by 13% during 2023.