2023 Small Truck Sales Report: Ford Maverick Asserts Dominance Over Hyundai Santa Cruz

In line with the gross sales report revealed by the Ford Motor Firm for america market, the Maverick moved 94,058 examples of the breed in 2023. By comparability, the Hyundai Santa Cruz lags behind with merely 36,675 deliveries to its identify. That is 1 % higher than the gross sales quantity for 2022 versus 26.5 % higher for the Maverick.

As a result of the Santa Cruz and Maverick are each unibodies primarily based on compact crossovers, the Honda Ridgeline additionally deserves a point out. A mid-size pickup truck with underpinnings from the Honda Pilot, the V6-only Ridgeline bought 52,001 examples in 2023 versus 42,762 in 2022. As for the way it stacks up in opposition to body-on-frame midsizers such because the just lately redesigned Tacoma, that is a narrative for one more time.

What makes the Maverick so interesting over the Santa Cruz? One can’t ignore the $23,815 beginning value, which makes the Maverick essentially the most reasonably priced new truck in america as of January 2024. The hybrid powertrain, which grew to become elective for the 2024 mannequin yr, is one other robust level. Stylistically associated to the Ranger and F-Sequence, the Maverick additionally has that macho look the crossover-like Hyundai Santa Cruz merely can’t compete in opposition to.

The Santa Cruz’s entrance finish is method too just like the Tucson, whereas the Maverick does not provide any indications about its relation to the Escape and Bronco Sport. All three function the so-called C2 platform, which helps each torsion beam and multilink rear suspension. The Maverick Hybrid is a FWD-only affair with a torsion beam, whereas the Maverick EcoBoost ranges as much as a multilink setup so long as you pony up for the all-wheel-drive system.

Similarly to the Bronco Sport, the Maverick EcoBoost comes with two distinct all-wheel-drive techniques. The Tremor bundle upgrades to a twin-clutch rear drive unit with a differential lock function, particularly the GKN-supplied rear drive unit of the range-topping Bronco Sport Badlands. The GKN unit can divert the out there torque to both rear wheel.

The Tremor bundle additional sweetens the cope with a suspension raise that improves floor clearance by one inch. Prospects who do not want this sort of functionality off the overwhelmed path are higher off with the FX4 bundle, which incorporates all-terrain rubber, underbody skid plates, Mud/Rut and Sand driving modes, hill descent management, and bedside graphics.

Over at Hyundai, the South Korean automaker provides a 2.5-liter naturally aspirated I4 with a torque-converter automated or a 2.5-liter turbocharged I4 with a dual-clutch transmission. Marketed as a “one-of-a-kind Sport Journey Automobile” as an alternative of a unibody truck, the Santa Cruz begins at $26,650.

Its most succesful iteration but is the XRT, which slots between the blacked-out Evening grade and the range-topping Restricted. The XRT replaces the SEL Premium grade, begins at $39,850, and consists of XRT-specific large fender cladding. The manufacturing facility tires measure 245/60 R18, mirroring the size of the tires fitted to the extra reasonably priced SEL and SE grades.