The release of these two small pickup trucks caused quite the stir in every positive way. Now drivers who love the convenience and versatility of pickup trucks but don’t need a full-size hauler can benefit from either the 2022 Ford Maverick or 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz. What’s unique about both of these small pickup trucks is their beautiful and functional interiors. Since drivers spend most of their time inside the pickup truck, let’s rate the 2022 Ford Maverick vs 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz based on their interior features.
Room for Everyone
The beautiful thing about these two small trucks is they really feel like an SUV on the inside. This means there’s enough room for each passenger to feel comfortable. In the 2022 Ford Maverick, engineers used a unibody design that minimizes the center hump, making a more spacious and comfortable ride for all five passengers. The 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz seats five passengers too and offers slightly more headroom for front and rear seats than the Maverick, but the Maverick wins on front and rear legroom.
It’s worth diving deeper into the rear legroom for these two trucks because pickup trucks are somewhat known for a squished ride in the back. With these truck interiors built like an SUV, it does yield a more comfortable back seat ride. In the 2022 Ford Maverick, the rear legroom is up to 36.9 inches. For the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz, the rear legroom comes out to 36.5 inches. They are almost identical, but the extra half-inch in the Maverick may make a slight difference for taller friends.
So for interior space, these two trucks come out relatively the same. Drivers and passengers won’t be uncomfortable in either, but if you crunch the numbers, the Maverick beats the Santa Cruz. Since you could argue they rank even in this category, that takes us to the next priority of the interior.
Pack the Extra Essentials
Pickup trucks have gotten creative in recent years on interior cargo and organization. The Maverick and Santa Cruz are no different, and each tries to make the best use of every square inch on the inside. Many drivers choose to use the 2022 Ford Maverick or 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz for outdoor adventures, but these interior cargo solutions can work for any scenario.
The 2022 Ford Maverick features a variety of storage options that are strategic and flexible. There’s the standard under seat storage, door pocket storage, and center console that’s designed to even fit a laptop. Beyond the obvious forms of storage organization, the 2022 Maverick aims for a more clutter-free interior with the available wireless charging. With this piece of technology, the 2022 Maverick interior is more useful and organized.
The 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz offers similar interior storage options that truly make a difference in the drive. You’ll find under seat storage and a strategic center console for more organization. What’s unique about the 2022 Santa Cruz is the underfloor storage available in the truck bed. This can operate as a cooler or just more secure storage under the truck bed.
High-Class Technology: Connect & Entertain
When you think of a vehicle’s interior, you probably first think of all the technology available. Who doesn’t like to experience all of the fancy tech features?! So, needless to say, technology is important in any type of vehicle, even small pickup trucks. Good news: the 2022 Ford Maverick and 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz have the advanced technology drivers expect. Here’s an overview of some favorite features.
Both the 2022 Ford Maverick and 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz have a standard 8-inch touchscreen and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility. The Santa Cruz goes a step further by offering an available 10.25-inch screen in the top model, which is something the Maverick doesn’t feature. Both vehicles also offer wireless charging.
Technology upgrades in the 2022 Ford Maverick include a 6.5-inch instrument cluster screen and a B&O Premium Sound System. The 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz has its own instrument cluster screen that exceeds the Maverick’s screen by almost 4 inches. Additionally, the Santa Cruz offers a Bose Premium Sound System that’s in line with the Maverick.
Car technology advances quickly, and manufacturers have to keep up each model year. Ford and Hyundai do this well with the launch of the Maverick and Santa Cruz. While the Hyundai Santa Cruz seems to exceed the Maverick with larger screens, the Ford Maverick certainly holds its own. Ford’s infotainment system, SYNC 3, is very intuitive, which makes a difference no matter the screen size. The 2022 Ford Maverick offers good quality technology features, which may outweigh the Santa Cruz’s extra-large touchscreens.
Advanced Safety Features
Safety technology suites are all the rage these days and come standard in some form in most vehicles. Ford and Hyundai offer their own safety suites in their vehicle lineup, and it makes a difference in the everyday drive. Since every vehicle doesn’t have the same safety suite version, it’s important to compare them side-by-side to understand who has the more complete package.
Starting with the 2022 Ford Maverick, it features Ford’s famous Co-Pilot360. In this suite, there are standard auto high beams, collision assist, automatic braking, and a rear view camera. Optional add-ons include blind spot alert, adaptive cruise control, cross traffic alert, lane departure warning, and lane-keeping aid. This is all in line with what Ford offers on other vehicles in its lineup. It’s a necessary and desired feature in the 2022 Ford Maverick too.
The 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz offers the Hyundai SmartSense suite of advanced safety features. Standard features include collision assist with pedestrian detection, driver attention warning, lane keeping assist, and lane following assist. Just like with the Maverick, there are additional safety features available like the blind spot alert, rear cross traffic alert, and highway driving assist.
Each of these small trucks offers similar standard and available safety features, so there isn’t one that clearly outweighs the other in this category. Advanced safety features have become an important category when discussing interior features because they give drivers an extra layer of protection and peace of mind. The Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz deliver beautifully in this category with their safety suite options.
The Verdict: 2022 Ford Maverick vs 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz
So who wins? The bottom line, both of these vehicles are unique and are sure to make a splash in the industry. The 2022 Ford Maverick and 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz may even start a trend for small pickup trucks across the industry. While both these small trucks have impressive and nearly identical interior features, we would say the 2022 Ford Maverick edges out the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz on the inside.
The 2022 Ford Maverick’s interior is slightly bigger than the Hyundai Santa Cruz, and the technology and safety features to go along with it are icing on the cake. Of course, there’s a lot more to the Maverick and Santa Cruz than just the interior. However, since these small trucks operate a lot like SUVs, the interior features are incredibly important. Next time you find yourself around a 2022 Ford Maverick or 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz, take a peek inside for yourself. You may just come to love this new segment of pickup trucks as much as we do.
