Jonathan Weiss/ShutterstockFor most of its life, the Ranger was the small truck in Ford's lineup. The version that returned to American showrooms for the 2019 model year was not. It came back as a midsize pickup measuring 210.8 inches long, and that growth spurt left an obvious hole underneath it. Ford filled that gap for the 2022 model year with the Maverick, which became the entry-level pickup in a lineup that also includes the Ranger and F-150. Despite Ford's efforts, the modern compact pickup never really caught on: As of 2026, the Maverick is one of only two true compact pickups sold in the United States, alongside the Hyundai Santa Cruz.In that two-truck race, J.D. Power gives Hyundai the edge. The clearest win for the Korean brand comes from J.D. Power's 2026 Initial Quality Study, where the Santa Cruz ranked highest in its segment for initial quality, while the Maverick ranked third. The individual model scores point in the same direction. The Santa Cruz scores higher in terms of quality, driving experience, and reliability, while the Ford Maverick answers with a stronger resale forecast. Both finish with 82 points overall, but the Santa Cruz leads in more areas. Here's a closer look at how these compact trucks compare.AdvertisementAdvertisementRead more: Why Cummins Fans Consider This Engine The Diesel 'Holy Grail'A detailed look at the comparisonJonathan Weiss/ShutterstockJ.D. Power's in-house reviewer did not mince words when comparing the Maverick and Santa Cruz, writing that the updated Maverick "looks and feels less refined and sophisticated than the Santa Cruz." Consumer Reports feels similarly, putting the 2026 Santa Cruz ahead of the Maverick in the small pickup class with a higher overall score.It's not all great for the Hyundai, though. CR's predicted reliability for the Maverick is higher than the Santa Cruz, while owner satisfaction goes Ford's way too — admittedly, not by much. Expert scores, though, are almost equal. Edmunds rates the 2026 Santa Cruz and the 2026 Maverick at 7.6 out of 10 apiece, handing the Ford its Top Rated Truck award for 2026. However, when Edmunds testers compared the two side by side, they picked the Hyundai because of its better interior, comfier ride, and better warranty. U.S. News splits them the other way, ranking the Maverick first among compact pickups at 9.1 out of 10 and the Santa Cruz second at 8.8.Throttle House came to a similar conclusion in its head-to-head, calling both "easier to live with and cheaper than their traditional truck counterparts" before one host took the Ford and the other the Hyundai. We also reached the same coin-flip situation with our comparison of the Santa Cruz and the Maverick, with both trucks ranking quite similarly overall.Why this segment is so smallVanderWolf Images/ShutterstockTwo nameplates barely make a segment, but it's about to get worse for fans of compact pickups. Hyundai plans to end Santa Cruz production, with the automaker initially planning a second-quarter 2027 date before bringing it forward. The automaker will replace the Santa Cruz with a midsize body-on-frame truck before 2030.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe sales math explains the decision. Hyundai sold 25,499 Santa Cruzes in the U.S. in 2025, down 20% from 32,033 in 2024. Ford moved 155,051 Mavericks over the same 12 months, a record for the model and an 18.2% gain. But even the Maverick's impressive sales are nothing compared to Ford's F-Series trucks, which ended 2025 with 828,832 units sold — the best Ford yearly U.S. sales in over half a decade.The forces keeping compact trucks rare are older than either model. The 25% Chicken Tax on imported light trucks, in place since 1964, makes shipping a small pickup into the country a losing proposition. Then came the footprint-based fuel economy formula, which took effect in 2010 and set tougher mpg targets for vehicles with smaller footprints than for larger ones. Add the fat margins full-size trucks carry, and there's little reason for manufacturers to build small. That said, the Maverick's record year in 2025 suggests the appetite is there — it just hasn't been enough to convince anyone else to build one.Want the latest in tech and auto trends? Subscribe to our free newsletter for the latest headlines, expert guides, and how-to tips, one email at a time. You can also add us as a preferred search source on Google.Read the original article on SlashGear.
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