The humble, unibody pickup is often overlooked in favor of its brawnier, pricier siblings. But thanks to this week’s reveal of the Ford Maverick, the segment is finally receiving some much deserved attention.
Today, we’re taking stock of how Ford’s latest truck compares to its two closest rivals — the Honda Ridgeline and Hyundai Santa Cruz — as well as a few slightly larger midsize pickups that one might cross-shop against it. Like the Maverick itself, the category of “compact” pickup is pretty small these days, though if this truck’s sales are as hot as the interest is for it right now, don’t be surprised to see other brands get in the game.
First, let’s begin with a recap of the Maverick’s most pertinent specs.
The Honda Ridgeline is a unibody truck with a crew cab, and, well, that’s about all it shares in common with the Maverick. The Ridgeline has a bed that’s 10 inches longer, comes with all-wheel drive standard and its only engine, a V6, offers 30 more horsepower than the Maverick’s most powerful motor (though, interestingly, a little less torque). It can also tow more than double what the Maverick can from the outset.
The tradeoff to all this, of course, is a much higher base price than Ford’s offering, with the Ridgeline starting at over $16,000 more than the Maverick before you add any options. Though, if you’re interested in the Maverick in large part for its hybrid powertrain and excellent projected fuel economy, you’re never going to get that from the bigger, V6-powered Ridgeline, no matter what you spend.
Though it may look very different visually, the Santa Cruz is all but certain to be the Maverick’s closest competitor based on size and pricing expectations. It’ll be four inches shorter overall — with a bed two inches shorter than that of Ford’s pickup — though Hyundai’s towing capacity is more impressive across the board. The Santa Cruz’s base engine figures to match the Maverick’s in terms of horsepower, while at the top end, the Santa Cruz will best even the Ridgeline with similar power and roughly 50 more lb-ft of torque, an impressive advantage.
Hyundai’s biggest deficit here, as far as we can tell, will be fuel economy. Without a hybrid option, the Santa Cruz and its most efficient, base powertrain is only projected to muster a combined 23 MPG — 14 MPG fewer than the Maverick.
Obviously the Colorado is quite a different truck than the Maverick. But there aren’t many compact pickups out there, so it stands to reason someone might entertain a midsize, body-on-frame workhorse like this, as an alternative to what Ford’s just introduced. The base WT trim (that stands for Work Truck) isn’t really geared toward regular consumers, so the LT crew cab, starting at a shade under $31,000 if you forgo the larger engine and 4WD, is the closest counterpart to the Maverick.
For that money, you’re getting a truck with a longer bed and more interior space, that can tow a little more, too. On the flip side, you’re once again missing out on the Maverick’s fuel economy. The Colorado also doesn’t include a safety suite on par with the previous trucks in this list as standard; that’ll set you back another $700 if you want it.
Finally, we have the new Nissan Frontier, set to arrive later this summer. Another bigger, body-on-frame truck in comparison to the Maverick, the 2022 Frontier’s real appeal lies is in its power and, to a lesser extent, its techy amenities.
The 310 HP, 3.6-liter V6 here is actually the same as the one you’ll find in the existing Frontier, and it also contributes to a healthy maximum towing capacity and payload — more than tripling what the Maverick can pull sans towing package, and beating the Maverick with the towing package by half and then some. Don’t expect phenomenal fuel efficiency, of course, though it shouldn’t be very far off the Ridgeline or turbocharged Santa Cruz, if the existing Frontier’s numbers are any indication.
If this comparison highlights anything, it’s that you really can’t compare the Maverick to much. It’s so cheap, and supposedly so efficient in hybrid form, that there’s really nothing like it on the market that serves as a direct alternative on paper. The Ridgeline is unquestionably better equipped, with a more robust powertrain and all-wheel drive as standard, but it’s also a hell of a lot more expensive and considerably larger. The Santa Cruz looks to be closer in price, but a combined 23 MPG is a tough pill to swallow for a truck with the shortest bed of any here and one of the weakest base engines.
That puts the Maverick in the sweetest of spots, potentially with a little corner of truck world all to itself. If you’ve been patiently waiting for the triumphant return of the small truck, the future is looking very bright.
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