The small truck wars are raging and one contender is coming from an unlikely place. Hyundai isn’t a brand associated with building trucks, but its Santa Cruz shirks the company’s commitment to building cars and SUVs. Unfortunately for Hyundai, the Blue Oval has also targeted the segment with the Ford Maverick. And the Maverick outsold the Santa Cruz in 2022 by almost double.
Which is better: the Santa Cruz or the Maverick?
Both the Hyundai Santa Cruz and the Ford Maverick are competent small trucks. Consumers have obviously taken note because they have been selling at a fairly fast rate. Although these are two compact trucks, they seem to be aimed at different buyers.
The Santa Cruz may be seen more as a lifestyle vehicle. Essentially a crossover with a pickup bed. Though it’s worth noting that Hyundai’s truck can tow more than the Ford Maverick. But when you look at the Santa Cruz, it just doesn’t look like a traditional truck.
On the other hand, the Ford Maverick builds on what the Blue Oval has learned from decades of producing popular trucks. It now offers a Tremor off-road package and has the look of a pickup, even if it’s smaller than something like the Ford Ranger.
Ford Maverick outsells Hyundai Santa Cruz
Now that 2022 has come to a close, we can take a look at the total sales of these two trucks. According to cox automotiveFord was able to move nearly 75,000 Maverick trucks through 2022. Meanwhile, Hyundai sold roughly 36,000 Santa Cruz trucks.
That means the Maverick was able to outsell the Santa Cruz by almost double. Now, it’s worth noting that sales numbers don’t necessarily prove the best vehicle. At a slight price increase over Ford’s pickup, Hyundai’s compact pickup appears to have a nicer interior.
With a base price starting around $20k, Ford had to cut back somewhere. And the Maverick feels like a budget car. Although, it is quite peculiar, which is something that doug demuro he was sure to mention in his review of this truck.
Do you want a Maverick? good luck buying one
If you’ve been thinking about buying or ordering a Ford Maverick, you’ve probably noticed that these small trucks aren’t easy to buy. Almost as soon as Blue Oval opened orders for the 2023 Maverick, it was like it had to close them almost immediately.
This lack of supply has been a huge pain point for Ford. And it doesn’t look like the supply issues will be fully resolved any time soon.
A quick look at Hyundai dealerships near me seems to show plenty of Santa Cruz models available. And that makes sense, considering the fact that Hyundai’s small truck hasn’t been as popular as its direct competitor from Ford.
At the end of the day, it’s nice to see brands really offer small trucks again. And seeing Hyundai take some design risks only brings more diversity to this segment. For now, it looks like the Maverick will continue to be the winner in terms of sales.