
But the Santa Cruz features self-leveling rear shocks that will make handling noticeably more confident when the truck is fully loaded. At 1,400 pounds, the Santa Cruz is technically able to carry less weight than a Maverick, with its 1,500 pound capacity. The four-foot bed adds real versatility for outdoorsy types, making it a cinch to carry gear like bikes without the need to destroy your fuel economy by putting them on the roof. The Maverick’s bed is a little longer at 54.4 inches, but the Santa Cruz’s 48.4-inch bed features a waterproof storage area underneath, and high trim levels include a locking tonneau cover that rolls away into a hidden compartment when it’s not needed. Both use eight-speed automatic transmissions. Where Ecoboost Mavericks make a decent 250 horsepower, high trim-level Santa Cruz’s make 280. Over the Maverick, the Santa Cruz offers superior performance, more off-road traction, and a more versatile bed. Unlike the Maverick, there is no hybrid version of the Santa Cruz grabbing headlines with crazy impressive fuel economy. When it hit the market last year, the Santa Cruz was overshadowed by the stylish Ford Maverick. Like the Maverick, the Santa Cruz is a compact, economy car-based pickup that’s available with either front- or all-wheel drive.

That car needed to be able to haul everything from outdoors equipment to photography gear, handle a run to the hardware store for construction supplies, and he wanted that car to be affordable. Like many people, Stuart needed an efficient, practical vehicle that would work just as well in a parking lot at Trader Joe’s as it would on a road trip, or driving down a dirt road. Providing 1 lux of illumination at 2474 feet, they’re the cheapest, easiest way to increase your ability to see through the dark. “I gave up after three months.” Since he so often drives through remote areas, Stuart has increased his safety by adding a $450 pair of Lightforce Striker LED driving lights to the front of his Hyundai. “The EV tech is there, but the infrastructure is not,” Stuart says.
SANTA CRUZ TRUCK SPECS INSTALL
The Home Owners Association at his condominium blocked attempts to install a fast charger there, and he found even SoCal’s relatively prolific supply of public chargers too often obstructed by other drivers, or simply out of order. “I loved my Bolt, but it was a pain to charge,” says Stuart. Since he cares about the future of our planet, Stuart tried to make that a Chevy Bolt EUV, but found the day-to-day reality of charging an electric vehicle too frustrating. But that truck is too large and inefficient to make much sense commuting around SoCal, or living day-to-day life in congested Newport Beach. His primary work and adventure truck is a Ford Super Duty, which he bought on my advice to haul his heavy Four Wheel Camper off-road. Working as a wildfire photographer while commuting between Newport Beach and Joshua Tree to fix up an old cabin, Stuart has very high, and often conflicting vehicle needs. Look closely and you can see Stuart’s chihuahua, Kit, likely consuming a toy squeaker. “It’s genuinely fun to drive around town, handles about 80 percent of the truck duties I need, and it performs admirably on washboarded dirt roads,” Stuart tells me, hopping out of his Santa Cruz after an 1,100-mile drive from his cabin in Joshua Tree, California, to visit me in Bozeman, Montana. Not only is that significantly lower than the average transaction price for a new car right now- $49,388-but the loan is much cheaper than the 9.34 percent that’s currently average for used car sales. He just paid $34,000 for a certified pre-owned 2022 Santa Cruz SEL Premium Launch Edition, with 11,000 miles on it, and got an interest rate of 6.44 percent from the dealer.

SANTA CRUZ TRUCK SPECS DRIVERS
One of those adventurous drivers is my buddy Stuart Palley. If you need to buy a new or lightly used car right now, I think it might be the best option out there for outdoorsy types. Plus, it’s an appealing vehicle with a broad set of capabilities that will serve a diverse group of adventure-seeking drivers. The Hyundai Santa Cruz is widely available in both the new and used markets without any markups, finance rates for one are relatively low, and the truck itself starts at only $25,450. And, on top of that, interest rates are high.īut there may be one worthy vehicle bucking those trends. Fashionable cars-of-the-moment like Ford’s Bronco and Maverick are sold out for the foreseeable future, attracting huge markups, or both. At the same time, pandemic-fueled interest in outdoor recreation has caused demand for adventure-capable vehicles to soar.

Restricted materials supply is limiting production volumes, forcing automakers to focus near-exclusively on high-margin luxury cars. Right now is a challenging time to buy a new car.
