The 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz and Ford Maverick are compact pickup vehicles that aren’t afraid of exhausting work. They’re additionally fairly pleasant to your gas funds and have beginning costs far under the bigger midsize and full-size vehicles.
For the 2025 mannequin yr, the Santa Cruz receives up to date styling, a bigger touchscreen, and wi-fi smartphone integration. In the meantime, the Maverick debuts the Lobo street-truck and Tremor off-road trims, new styling, and improved tech. The usual engine is a hybrid, with the choice of a 238-horsepower turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder.
Let’s have a look at the highlights of the Hyundai Santa Cruz and Ford Maverick to see how they examine.
2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz
The 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz begins at $30,245, together with a factory-to-dealer supply payment. It is available in 5 trims: SE, SEL, SEL Exercise, XRT, and Restricted. The bottom engine is a 191-hp 2.5-liter 4-cylinder paired to an 8-speed automated. You’ve got a alternative of front-wheel (FWD) or all-wheel drive (AWD), the latter of which provides about $1,500 to the underside line.
Hyundai Santa Cruz Highlights
Non-obligatory turbocharged engine: The bottom engine retains the Santa Cruz’s value low, although we recommend not less than making an attempt the non-obligatory turbocharged engine. Its 281-hp output considerably improves acceleration and towing capability. Plus, it’s practically as fuel-efficient as its unjuiced stablemate.
All-terrain XRT mannequin: The Hyundai suits the Santa Cruz XRT with commonplace all-wheel drive, darkish exterior trim, fender flares, alloy wheels with orange heart caps, and aspect steps. It comes with the peppier turbo engine, too.
Intelligent cargo mattress: The 4-foot-3-inch cargo mattress measures 27 cubic ft in capability and has a lockable in-bed trunk that may function a cooler. The higher trims have an built-in locking tonneau cowl to maintain valuables safe and hidden from prying eyes.
Verify this week’s Truthful Buy Value or see the Hyundai Santa Cruz fashions on the market close to you.
2025 Ford Maverick
The 2025 Ford Maverick was launched for the 2022 mannequin yr. Immediately, it made a press release, due to its versatility and easy-going driving nature. The 2025 replace brings new styling and two new trim ranges. As well as, the hybrid is now accessible with all-wheel drive, and hybrid-powered Maverick vehicles can now be geared up to tow 4,000 kilos, similar to with the fuel engine. Just like the Hyundai Santa Cruz, the Maverick makes use of a unibody chassis based mostly on a compact SUV. This development means the experience is smoother and the dealing with extra agile than what you’d get in a standard body-on-frame truck. Pricing begins at $29,840, together with supply fees. The Maverick’s base value can be roughly the identical no matter engine, besides the fuel engine is bundled with all-wheel drive for a $125 added cost. There are 5 trims: XL, XLT, Lobo, Lariat, and Tremor.
Ford Maverick Highlights
Gasoline economic system: The hybrid 4-cylinder engine affords a formidable EPA-rated 38 mpg mixed metropolis/freeway gas economic system — downright phenomenal for a small truck. Behind the wheel, this engine feels greater than succesful in metropolis and freeway driving. As well as, all-wheel drive is now accessible, and the hybrid has a towing capability of as much as 4,000 kilos.
Tremor trim: The Maverick holds the benefit for anybody who desires to enterprise off-road. The brand new Maverick Tremor will get you a beefed-up suspension, extra underbody skid plates, 17-inch wheels with all-terrain tires, and locking all-wheel drive.
KBB trophy cupboard: We’d be doing ourselves a disservice if we didn’t level out that the Maverick earned our Compact Truck Finest Purchase of 2025 Award. We famous its truck-like versatility and compact automobile gas economic system, to not point out its affordability and all-terrain prowess.
Verify this week’s Truthful Buy Value or see the Ford Maverick fashions on the market close to you.
Similarities
The Hyundai Santa Cruz and Ford Maverick occupy a small area of interest of the truck world, although we predict they go above and past expectations. As a result of their our bodies are based mostly on compact SUVs, they’ve easy-going driving manners and don’t guzzle fuel.
Specs
Specification desk displays the everyday configuration of automobiles proven.
Pricing
The Kelley Blue Ebook Truthful Buy Value for any particular person used car can differ vastly in line with mileage, situation, location, and different elements.
The costs right here mirror what consumers are presently paying for automobiles and New 2025 Ford Maverick automobiles in typical situation when buying from a dealership.
These costs are up to date weekly. The producer’s prompt retail value (MSRP) quoted contains the vacation spot payment, however doesn’t embody tax, license, doc charges, and choices.
Conclusion
The Hyundai Santa Cruz is a good pickup for individuals who in all probability by no means thought-about a truck within the first place. It has a unusual car-meets-truck design that conjures up reminiscences of the Chevrolet El Camino or Subaru Brat (we’ll allow you to resolve). Nevertheless, by way of truck functionality, the Hyundai is somewhat too beholden to its small SUV roots. The Ford Maverick doesn’t have the max towing capability of the Hyundai Santa Cruz, although it comes throughout because the extra versatile and customizable alternative right here. We additionally love its excellent economic system in its hybrid format.
