2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz vs 2025 Ford Maverick
Top 3 Differences Between the Santa Cruz and Ford Maverick in Phoenix
The compact truck marketplace attracts a wide range of shoppers from urban dwellers seeking a versatile daily driver to outdoor enthusiasts needing a capable weekend adventurer.
What unifies these shoppers? They are looking for the best technologies for their automotive dollar. They want a truck that is clever enough to do more with less. Finally they want to find the best value. Here’s what you should know if you are comparing Santa Cruz vs Maverick trucks.
Technology: Innovation Where It Matters
The Hyundai Santa Cruz demonstrates a commitment to innovation with its advanced technology features, many of which are not available on the Ford Maverick.
Hyundai's Digital Key, for example, allows you to leave your physical key at home and use your smartphone to lock, unlock, and start your Santa Cruz. For 2025, Hyundai is also introducing an available fingerprint scanner, adding another layer of convenience and security – a feature not found on any other truck.
While both trucks offer adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go capability, the Santa Cruz takes it a step further with a navigation-based interface that enhances the system's performance and predictability. Hyundai's blind spot monitoring also includes steering assist to actively help prevent collisions, and the rear cross-traffic alert features active assistance as well – features not available on the Maverick.
For added convenience and safety, the Santa Cruz offers an available surround view camera for parking, providing a 360-degree bird's-eye view of the vehicle's surroundings. It also boasts an exclusive live-feed blind-spot camera that displays a video feed of your blind spot within the instrument cluster when you signal a lane change.
With these advanced technology features, the Santa Cruz elevates the driving experience, offering greater convenience, safety, and peace of mind. For a closer look at the Hyundai compact truck, check out this 2025 Santa Cruz Review.
Utility: More than a Truck Bed
While the Maverick boasts a slightly longer bed, the Santa Cruz takes the lead in cargo versatility and functionality. Both trucks offer a multi-function tailgate that expands cargo-carrying capacity, but the Santa Cruz comes standard with a suite of features that enhance convenience and practicality.
Right from the start, the Santa Cruz bed impresses with its integrated utility track system, allowing you to easily adjust tie-down points to secure cargo of various shapes and sizes. It also features a unique in-bed trunk with a drain plug, perfect for storing muddy gear, wet clothes, or keeping beverages and perishable items cool.
Accessing the bed is a breeze thanks to the built-in bed steps integrated into the rear bumper – a feature not found on the Maverick. And while both trucks offer tonneau covers, the Santa Cruz has the advantage with its available retractable tonneau cover, which effortlessly transforms the bed into a secure, weatherproof, and lockable trunk, providing up to 27 cubic feet of covered storage.
Beyond the bed itself, the Santa Cruz offers additional cargo flexibility. The rear seat cushions tip up, revealing valuable hidden storage space beneath, while the Maverick's rear seats simply fold down.
In short, the Santa Cruz provides a more thoughtful and versatile cargo solution, with features designed to enhance convenience and accommodate a wider range of hauling needs.
Value: The Santa Cruz Delivers More for Your Money
The Hyundai Santa Cruz not only offers a compelling combination of features and performance, but it also delivers exceptional value, backed by industry accolades and a comprehensive warranty.
Hyundai was recently named the 2025 Best Automaker Brand for the Money by Money Magazine, a testament to the brand's commitment to providing high-quality vehicles at competitive prices. The Santa Cruz itself has also earned prestigious awards, including the top spot in the Midsize Pickup segment in the J.D. Power 2024 U.S. Initial Quality Study. This recognition highlights the Santa Cruz's superior build quality and reliability.
Furthermore, Hyundai has been named the Top Mass-Market Brand in the J.D. Power 2024 U.S. Tech Experience Index for the fifth consecutive year, demonstrating the brand's leadership in innovative and user-friendly technology.
Beyond these accolades, Hyundai stands behind the Santa Cruz with an exceptional warranty program. The Santa Cruz boasts a 5-year/60,000-mile limited warranty and an outstanding 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty, providing long-term peace of mind and protection against unexpected repair costs. This comprehensive coverage surpasses Ford's standard warranty offerings for the Maverick, further solidifying the Santa Cruz's value proposition.
In summary, the Santa Cruz offers a compelling combination of performance, features, and value, backed by industry-leading warranties and a commitment to quality and innovation.
Bonus: Valuable Ownership Benefits
The 2025 Ford Maverick in Phoenix has benefits that don’t match up with its rival. Ford limited warranties end by year 3 and powertrain warranties end by year 5.
In complete contrast, Hyundai limited warranties go for up to 5 years. That’s two years longer than the Maverick. Likewise, the powertrain warranties go for up to 10 years, making it five years longer than the Ford truck.
Helping with maintenance, Hyundai provides up to three years of complimentary maintenance. This saves you money on oil changes and other basics. It is like an ongoing rebate on your Santa Fe purchase.
Furthermore, Hyundai provides three years of Blue Link services. This means that the Santa Cruz owner can use their app as a remote starter. Plus this can be used via Amazon Alexa at home.
Conclusion
With big awards on its shelf and lots of positive reviews, the 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz belongs first on anyone’s shopping list. The fact that it has the best warranties in the business is just icing on the cake.
For fun -- and some hands-on research -- schedule a test drive and discover the Santa Cruz truck for yourself.
REVIEWS
“When it's not doing truck tasks, the Santa Cruz delights with a refined ride, a quiet, handsome cabin, and plenty of desirable convenience and tech features.”
Car and Driver
“The Santa Cruz is fun to drive in ways you wouldn't expect a pickup truck to be.”
EdmundsMost new vehicles include a “Protection Package” (sometimes referred to as the “No Bull Protection Package”) inclusive of highly-demanded, popular items designed to protect your investment such as lifetime window tint, door-edge guards & handle-cup guards. Price of the “Protection Package” is $618 at this dealership for Cars, Vans, CUVs and SUVs. Actual vehicle sale price and payments may vary for various reasons - including but not limited to - applicable manufacturer rebates, special limited time offers, dealer incentives, taxes, fees, and buyer's credit qualifications, dealer installed accessories, market product (or vehicle) scarcity and $599.00 dealer doc fee.
Financing on approved credit. Must qualify for some offers. Some offers may not be available with special financing, lease and some other offers.
For In-Transit Inventory, any date of arrival is estimated. The actual date of delivery may vary due to circumstances beyond Hyundai and the dealer’s control. Please contact your local Hyundai dealer for availability details.
Although every reasonable effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained on our website, absolute accuracy cannot be guaranteed. Dealer cannot be held liable for data that may be listed incorrectly. While we make every effort to ensure the data listed here is correct, there may be instances where some of the factory rebates, rates, incentives, options or vehicle features may be listed incorrectly as we receive data from multiple data sources. All vehicles are subject to prior sale. Not responsible for typographical errors. Equipment added by the dealer or the purchaser will increase the overall transaction amount.
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| Vehicle inspection | 173-point inspection | 117-point inspection |
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