If you wanted a midsize truck 10 years ago, your choices included an aging Toyota Tacoma or an even older Nissan Frontier design. Today, renewed versions of the Chevrolet Colorado, Ford Ranger and Honda Ridgeline have revitalized the segment enough to have spawned a new compact pickup class, led by the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz .
They approach light-duty truck utility from different angles. Although it offers a wildly fuel-efficient hybrid engine, the Maverick, with robust towing and hauling limits, plus its bouncy ride and barren interior, is a more conventional pickup. The Santa Cruz is classier and more comfortable, more SUV than truck. It can tow more than the Ford, but it lacks the heavy hauling strength. The best one for buyers really comes down to intended use.
Power and fuel economy
Both the Maverick and Santa Cruz start with four-cylinder engines rated at 191 horsepower. Neither truck is quick, but both are capable. Importantly, the Maverick is a hybrid that delivers an impressive 38 mpg combined, and we even squeezed out a few extra mpg in our real-world testing. The Santa Cruz isnt a hybrid but gets up to 25 mpg combined (22 city/30 highway). Adding all-wheel drive shaves the estimates for both trucks by 1 mpg.
Both models offer optional turbo engines for better performance. The Maverick can dash from 0 to 60 mph in 6.6 seconds with its 250-horsepower four-cylinder, while the Santa Cruz is nearly as swift (6.8 seconds) with its 281-horsepower engine. The turbo trucks are also more evenly matched at the pump. The turbo Maverick gets an EPA-estimated 23-25 mpg combined, which we confirmed in our real-world testing, while the Santa Cruz actually outperformed its 21-22 mpg combined EPA rating with 29 mpg in our tests.
Winner: Maverick
Towing and payload
Properly equipped, the Maverick can tow up to 4,000 pounds, plenty for a small pop-up or travel trailer, or a couple of dirt bikes with a trailer and fuel, but doing so requires the pricier turbo engine. (The hybrid is limited to 2,000 pounds.) The Santa Cruz is rated at a more robust 5,000 pounds with its turbo engine or 3,500 pounds with its base engine. One thousand pounds isnt much when comparing big trucks, but its a sizable advantage for a compact pickup.
The Mavericks 1,500-pound payload capacity fuel, passengers and bed weight combined edges out the Santa Cruzs rating of 1,411 pounds, and the Fords slightly longer bed improves utility. The Maverick also offers a trailering package hitch, wiring harness and trailer brake controller from the factory. For the Santa Cruz, youd need to source aftermarket components. Since both trucks are capable in different ways, this choice comes down to specific use cases.
Winner: tie
Off-road capability
Neither truck offers serious off-road hardware, although the Maverick comes close. Both can handle a rutted trail or fire road thanks to optional all-wheel drive, a measure of body armor, and roughly 8.5 inches of ground clearance. The Santa Cruz XRT trim includes all-terrain tires, front tow hooks and a surround-view monitor to enhance visibility, but the Maverick Tremor trim is the best choice for dirt work.
The Tremor comes with even higher ground clearance, a specially tuned suspension and locking rear differential, underbody skid plates, and modes that optimize speed and traction for different terrain. But the pricey Tremor ($42,690) isnt the only way to go off-road. The optional FX4 package for the Maverick XLT trim offers several of the same features for less money.
Winner: Maverick
Comfort, tech and value
If you expect a truck-like ride, the Maverick doesnt disappoint. It jostles along like a basic work truck, its street-oriented Lobo trim the only exception. The Santa Cruz feels like a Mercedes by comparison, with a softer, controlled ride more typical of a crossover. The theme continues in the cabin, which feels fresher and more upmarket than the Mavericks plastic expanse.
Both trucks come with large touchscreens 13.2-inch in the Maverick, 12.3-inch in the Santa Cruz underpinned by clean user interfaces and responsive software. But the Hyundais extra standard and optional driver aids, including adaptive cruise control, give it an edge. You can also get more optional creature comforts with the Santa Cruz, such as ventilated seats and leather upholstery. Both trucks cost nearly the same, with the Maverick starting at $29,840 (including destination) and the Santa Cruz at $30,200. The latters classier features give it an edge here.
Winner: Santa Cruz
Edmunds says
Get the Maverick if you need typical truck muscle or excellent fuel economy. Get the Santa Cruz if you want classier crossover comfort or need to tow heavier loads.
____________
This story was provided to The Associated Press by the automotive website Edmunds .
Dan Frio is a contributor at Edmunds.
十年前，如果你想要一辆中型卡车，你的选择要么是已显老旧的丰田Tacoma，要么是更老的日产Frontier设计。而今，雪佛兰Colorado、福特Ranger和本田Ridgeline的升级版已经足够振兴这一细分市场，并催生了一个新的紧凑型皮卡类别，由福特Maverick和现代Santa Cruz引领。
他们从不同的角度接近轻型卡车的实用性。虽然Maverick提供了极为省油的混合动力发动机，但它的强壮拖曳和承载极限，加上其颠簸的驾驶体验和空旷的内饰，更像是一款传统的皮卡。相比之下，Santa Cruz则更为优雅和舒适，更像SUV而非传统卡车。它的拖曳能力超过福特，但缺乏重载能力。对于买家来说，最好的选择还是取决于其预期用途。
动力和燃油经济性
Maverick和Santa Cruz都装备了191马力的四缸发动机。虽然这两款卡车都不算迅速，但都具备足够的性能。重要的是，Maverick作为一款混合动力车，其综合油耗达到了令人印象深刻的38英里每加仑（mpg），甚至在我们的实际测试中还能挤出几英里每加仑的额外油耗。而Santa Cruz虽然不是混合动力车，但其综合油耗也达到了25英里每加仑（城市22英里/公路30英里）。此外，加上四轮驱动后，两款车的油耗估计都减少了1英里每加仑。
这两款车型均提供可选的涡轮增压发动机以提升性能。Maverick 搭载250马力的四缸发动机，可以在6.6秒内从0加速到60英里/小时；而Santa Cruz 则同样迅速（6.8秒），其搭载了281马力的发动机。在燃油效率方面，涡轮增压卡车也更加均衡。Maverick的涡轮增压版在EPA（美国环境保护局）估计的燃油经济性为23-25英里/加仑（合每升约0.4-0.45升），我们在实际测试中证实了这一点；而Santa Cruz 在我们的测试中实际上超越了其EPA评级的21-22英里/加仑，达到了29英里/加仑。
获胜者：独立派
牵引能力和有效载荷
如果配备得当，Maverick可以拖动高达4000磅的货物，这对于小型弹出式或旅行拖车，或者一辆带有拖车和燃料的两辆越野摩托车来说绰绰有余，但这样做需要更昂贵的涡轮发动机（混合动力车型的拖动限制为2000磅）。而Santa Cruz在配备涡轮发动机时可以拖动5000磅的货物，或在其基础发动机上可拖动3500磅的货物。当与大型卡车相比时，1000磅的拖动能力并不算多，但对于紧凑型皮卡来说，这是一个明显的优势。
福特Maverick的1500磅有效载荷（包括燃料、乘客和床重）比雪佛兰Santa Cruz的1411磅有效载荷更高，而且福特Maverick的稍长货箱提升了实用性。福特Maverick还提供了从工厂出厂的拖车套件——拖车钩、电线束和拖车制动控制器。而雪佛兰Santa Cruz则需要购买后市场组件。由于这两款卡车在功能上有所不同，因此这一选择取决于具体的使用场景。
获胜者：平局
越野能力
尽管Maverick（悍马）在这方面的表现接近标准，但两款卡车都不具备专业的越野硬件。得益于可选的全轮驱动、一定程度的车身装甲和大约8.5英寸的离地间隙，它们都能应对崎岖小径或消防道路。其中，Santa Cruz XRT版配备了全地形轮胎、前拖钩和全景监视器以增强视野，但若要处理土方工作，Maverick Tremor版则是最佳选择。
Tremor车型拥有更高的离地间隙、特别调校的悬挂系统、锁定式后差速器、底盘防护板以及针对不同地形优化的速度和牵引力模式。但价格昂贵的Tremor（$42,690）并不是唯一一款适合越野的车型。Maverick XLT版本的可选FX4套件以更低的价格提供了许多相同的功能。
获胜者：叛逆者
舒适、技术和价值
如果你希望体验到像卡车一样的驾驶感受，Maverick不会让你失望。它的驾驶体验就像是一辆基础的工作卡车，其以街道为导向的Lobo版为唯一例外。相比之下，Santa Cruz则给人一种奔驰的感觉，其更柔软、更受控制的驾驶体验更像是跨界车的典型。这种主题在车内继续保持，其感觉比Maverick的塑料空间更为清新和高端。
这两款卡车都配备了大型触控屏，Maverick为13.2英寸，而Santa Cruz为12.3英寸，其背后是清晰的用户界面和响应灵敏的软件。但现代汽车（Hyundai）的额外标准及可选驾驶员辅助功能，包括自适应巡航控制，使其具有优势。此外，Santa Cruz还可以提供更多可选的舒适配置，如通风座椅和皮革内饰。两款卡车的价格相近，Maverick起价为29,840美元（含运费），而Santa Cruz为30,200美元。后者的更高级的功能使其在此处具有优势。
胜者：圣塔克鲁斯
Edmunds 认为
如果你需要典型的卡车动力或出色的燃油经济性，请选择Maverick。如果你想要更高级的跨界舒适性或需要拖拽更重的负载，请选择Santa Cruz。
这个新闻故事由汽车网站Edmunds提供给美联社。
Dan Frio是Edmunds的投稿人。
全部评论 （0）