The Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz compact pickup trucks are hugely popular with car consumers. While the Santa Cruz has multiple strengths, there is one key factor that gives the Maverick an advantage. The 2023 Ford Maverick has one great thing that the 2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz doesn’t: an efficient hybrid powertrain.
Unlike the 2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz, the 2023 Ford Maverick offers an efficient hybrid powertrain
Pickup trucks have a reputation for being heavy gas guzzlers. However, the 2023 Ford Maverick challenges this perception with its standard hybrid powertrain. While the price of gasoline is not as high as it is in 2022, it is still one of the highest costs of vehicle ownership. The Maverick Hybrid helps ease this financial burden with its fuel-efficient hybrid powertrain. Maverick owners can save a great deal of money at the pump in the long run.
By contrast, the 2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz does not offer a hybrid powertrain. All Santa Cruz models run entirely on gas.
2023 Maverick Has Better Fuel Economy Than 2023 Santa Cruz
The most obvious benefit of the hybrid powertrain in 2023 Ford Maverick is its high fuel economy. It combines a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with an electric motor, delivering an estimated 42 mpg city/33 highway. Not counting electric vehicles, this is the highest fuel economy ever for a pickup truck.
Maverick also offers an all-gas model with an available 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine. While the all-gas Maverick isn’t as efficient as the hybrid model, its estimated 23 mpg city/30 highway fuel economy is still respectable for a truck.
By comparison, 2023 hyundai Santa Cruz has a choice of a standard 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine or an available turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine. It gets an estimated gas mileage of up to 21 mpg city/27 highway.
Compared to the Santa Cruz, the Maverick Hybrid gets 21 more mpg in the city and six more mpg on the highway. Even if they opt for the all-gas Maverick, drivers will still benefit from better fuel economy.
Another benefit of the Maverick Hybrid is comfort. With lower fuel consumption, you won’t have to stop at gas stations as often as the Santa Cruz.
The Ford Maverick is also more affordable than the Hyundai Santa Cruz
In addition to its efficient hybrid powertrain, another advantage of the 2023 Maverick is its affordability. It starts at $22,195 MSRP, which is the lowest starting price for a truck in the United States.
No other new pickup truck sold in America comes close to matching the Maverick’s affordability. This includes the 2023 Santa Cruz, which starts at $25,450 MSRP. While the Santa Cruz is the second cheapest truck in the US, it costs $3,255 MSRP more than the Maverick.
With its efficient hybrid powertrain, the 2023 Ford Maverick has something important that the 2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz doesn’t. This results in significant savings for truck drivers at the fuel pump. On top of that, with its low starting price, the Maverick is more affordable than the Santa Cruz.