At press time, only three pickup trucks intended for the US market feature unibody construction. And not surprising in the least, Ford continues to dominate this particular segment with the Maverick. The Dearborn-based automaker moved 39,890 units in the first quarter of 2024 compared to 32,015 examples from January 2023 through March 2023.
That's 24.6 percent better than before, and with a bit of luck, the small truck might reach 100,000 sales for the full calendar year. Back in 2023, the Maverick posted 94,058 deliveries in the United States of America compared to a disappointing 36,675 for the crossover-ish Hyundai Santa Cruz.
Considering that Hyundai refreshed the Santa Cruz for MY25 at the 2024 New York Auto Show, chances are that sales will improve this year. However, that appears to be wishful thinking. According to Hyundai's Q1 2024 sales report, Santa Cruz moved 8,417 units compared to 9,307 in the first three months of 2023, which is 10 percent worse.
Hyundai may have improved the styling, interior, and tech, but the much-rumored hybrid is nowhere to be seen. Had the South Korean automaker looked over Maverick Hybrid versus Maverick EcoBoost sales, Hyundai might have gifted the Santa Cruz with the Tucson's 1.6-liter turbo hybrid setup.
Said powertrain is rated at 231 ponies and 258 pound-feet (350 Nm), whereas the 2025 Hyundai Tucson Plug-In Hybrid belts out 268 horsepower and the very same peak torque as the hybrid. Somewhat curious for an electrically-assisted vehicle, both the hybrid and plug-in hybrid use a torque-converter automatic rather than an eCVT.
Photo: Ford
Maverick Hybrid also rocks an electronically controlled continuously variable transmission, whereas Maverick EcoBoost shares its eight-speed automatic with the Bronco Sport and Escape. Ford says that Maverick Hybrid sales were up 77 percent (namely 19,660 units) in the first quarter of 2024.
The Honda Ridgeline deserves to be mentioned as well because it's twinned with the family-sized Pilot and two-row Passport. A mid-size truck rather than a compact, Ridgeline dropped 12.6 percent in the first quarter of 2024 (from 12,918 to 11,296 sales).
The root cause – or causes – for this decline aren't exactly clear, but if you ask me, Honda needs to redesign and rethink the Ridgeline as soon as possible. First and foremost, $39,750 right off the bat is way too much compared to a body-on-frame midsizer such as the Chevrolet Colorado. Secondly, the second-gen Ridgeline went on sale in 2016 as a 2017 model with a single-overhead-camshaft sixer that boasts VTEC on the intake valves only. The Pilot, by comparison, leveled up to a DOHC free-breathing V6 with Variable Timing Control for all 24 valves.
Foregoing Variable valve Timing and lift Electronic Control for VTC is only natural in a three-row crossover. Let me put it this way: smooth pull from idle to redline or the noticeable switchover of VTEC in a vehicle with no sporting credentials whatsoever? Obviously enough, Variable Timing Control makes more sense in this application.
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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