Cedar City Ford – Which compact pickup is better for everyday driving in Santa Clara, UT: the 2025 Ford Maverick or the 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz?
Choosing the right compact pickup often comes down to one question — which truck fits your everyday routine without asking you to compromise on capability or comfort? If you are comparing Ford’s Maverick® to Hyundai’s 2025 Santa Cruz, focusing on daily usability is the clearest way to see differences that matter for errands, commuting, and weekend projects around Santa Clara, UT.
Start with powertrains and traction. Maverick® brings something the Santa Cruz does not — a hybrid, now available with AWD for 2025. That combination gives you smooth, responsive acceleration in town and sure-footed traction when the weather turns, or the road to your trailhead gets sloppy. Prefer a punchier feel? The available 2.0L EcoBoost® delivers confident power and pairs well with off-road hardware. Hyundai counters with a naturally aspirated four-cylinder and a turbocharged option, both with HTRAC AWD, but it does not offer a hybrid choice. For drivers who split time across school runs, hardware store trips, and after-work adventures, Ford’s breadth of options simply covers more ground.
Interior tech and everyday convenience matter just as much. The Maverick® offers the largest standard center screen in its class, making maps and camera views easier to see at a glance. The interface is clear and responsive, and the cabin itself is full of clever storage touches — door pockets for bottles, versatile bins, and practical cubbies that keep clutter under control. Hyundai has updated the Santa Cruz with larger displays and a sleeker dash for 2025, a welcome improvement, but Ford’s balance of screen size and straightforward controls keeps you focused on driving, not diving into menus.
Where compact pickups really earn their keep is the bed. Ford’s FLEXBED® Storage System is more than a marketing term — its slots, tie-downs, and accessory-friendly layout let you divide, secure, and adapt the bed to whatever the day brings. The standard Multi-Position Tailgate locks half-closed to help you haul longer items flat with the wheel wells. Santa Cruz offers a versatile bed and useful accessories, yet its approach feels more crossover-inspired, whereas the Maverick®’s bed is engineered first and foremost for truck tasks.
If you plan to explore dirt roads or rocky trailheads, the Maverick®’s available FX4 and TREMOR® packages add off-road focused hardware and traction modes that instill confidence on less-than-perfect surfaces. Hyundai’s Santa Cruz XRT dress-up is a visual statement, but Ford equips the Maverick® with mechanical upgrades that make a real difference when the pavement ends.
Ultimately, the best compact pickup is the one that reduces friction in your day. The Maverick® does this by blending usable tech, worker-bee bed solutions, and powertrain choices that match the way you live — whether your routine is mostly paved or punctuated by dirt and snow. That is why Cedar City Ford often recommends Maverick® to shoppers who want a right-sized truck that feels at home in tight parking, on the highway, and at the trailhead.
From morning carpools to weekend projects, everyday life demands a truck that is smart, adaptable, and easy to live with. The Maverick® lineup checks those boxes with features that stay useful long after the novelty wears off.
For shoppers serving Ivins, Santa Clara, and Hurricane, we are happy to walk you through trim-by-trim differences and help you tailor a Maverick® to your daily routine.
Want a quick summary of everyday advantages? Here is what stands out for daily life:
- Hybrid with available AWD for 2025
- Largest standard center screen in its class
- FLEXBED® with accessory-friendly slots and tie-downs
- Standard Multi-Position Tailgate that locks half-closed
- Available FX4 and TREMOR® off-road packages
When a compact pickup makes your day easier — from errands to adventures — you notice it. The Maverick® does just that by investing in thoughtful features where you will use them most.
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