Based on the N3 platform that underpins the Hyundai Tucson and Santa Cruz, the all-new Kia Sportage wouldn’t look bad as a truck. Rendered by SRK Designs with a bed out back, the compact-sized sport adventure vehicle would obviously help the South Korean brand’s sales in many parts of the U.S. where mid-sized workhorses are deemed too large.
Such a truck would target urban dwellers, specifically those who want to stand out from the crossover crowd. But on the other hand, a badge-engineered sibling of the Santa Cruz would hurt Hyundai’s sales against the more affordable Ford Maverick. There are a couple of reasons that explain this difference, starting with the country where Ford makes the Maverick.
Instead of the United States, the Blue Oval chose Mexico for the Escape- and Bronco Sport-twinned pickup. And secondly, the U.S.-built Santa Cruz features more standard goodies as well as a torque-converter automatic compared to a continuously variable transmission for the Maverick. What’s more, the Santa Cruz has a higher payload and a higher towing capacity.
Based on the year-to-date sales figures, the Maverick is slightly ahead of the South Korean challenger with 7,228 examples to its name versus 7,042 units. Analyzing the sales figures for the Ranger and F-150 pickups also reveals that unibody trucks like the Maverick and Santa Cruz don’t pose a threat to the traditional segments and their body-on-frame construction.
With such a limited number of customers, at least for the time being, morphing the Sportage into a Santa Cruz twin doesn’t make sense. Alas, potential customers are left to pick either the Santa Cruz or the Maverick.
Regarding the all-new Sportage, the fifth generation still doesn’t have a price tag. The outgoing Sportage currently retails from $24,090 for the 2022 model year, while the redesigned Hyundai Tucson is $25,350 sans taxes.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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