![]() While the turbo Maverick isn’t exactly pokey, the Santa Cruz feels scads quicker, with its responsive Sport mode, snappy paddle shifters, and quick-reacting dual-clutch automatic. When equipped with Hyundai’s optional 2.5L turbocharged engine, the Santa Cruz makes 277 horsepower and 311 pound-feet of torque to the Maverick’s 250 and 277. ![]() Alex Kwanten Maverick Versus Santa Cruz: On the Pavementīehind the wheel, the top-trim Santa Cruz leaves the equivalent Maverick in the dust. The Maverick is longer and taller than the Santa Cruz, but narrower, and its boxy shape makes it look a little smaller than the Hyundai. These are exceptional vehicles, and if small is the future of trucks, we’re here for it. And while it’s no secret that the Ford Maverick is our car of the year, we were amazed by how close this matchup ended up being. So how to decide between the two? Fortunately, we were able to bring both trucks together, as we recently did with the Santa Cruz and the Honda Ridgeline, to evaluate them side-by-side. One is a paved-surface handling champ that impresses even on the track, while the other is more of a go-anywhere truck that emphasizes off-road and towing functionality. One looks boxy and affable, the other is squinty, low and mean. Yet despite the many similarities, it’s tough to imagine a pair of segment-mates more different in character. And of course, each truck is equipped with a diminutive bed, brimming with cargo-wrangling functionality to make up for its tidy dimensions. Both offer optional all-wheel drive (AWD), and a choice of two four-cylinder engines. Both are pint-sized, crossover-based, unibody pickups built on front-drive architecture. With the 2022 Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz re-launching the compact truck segment, it’s hard not to utter both trucks in the same breath. The Santa Cruz is taut and sleek, with a feature-rich, carlike interior and impressive on-road performance. Ford and Hyundai take entirely different approaches to the front-drive, unibody compact truck: the Maverick is boxy, upright, and utilitarian, with simplified infotainment and a more functional bed.
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