2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz vs. 2024 Ford Ranger

Can’t decide between the 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz and the 2024 Ford Ranger? Both are excellent vehicles with great performance and features. But we’re here to show you why we personally love the Santa Cruz!

At Chris Crain Hyundai, we want to help you find your next Hyundai Santa Cruz. Let’s examine the big differences between the two vehicles and help you find the right one for your needs.

2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz

Design

The Hyundai Santa Cruz is known for its unique crossover design - not quite a truck and not fully an SUV; the Santa Cruz is a vehicle designed like no other. It’s similar to the crossover vehicles of the past, like the Subaru Baja or the Chevrolet El Camino, but with far more features, power, and capabilities than previous crossover iterations. 

The Santa Cruz blends the versatility of a truck with the comfort and aesthetics of a modern crossover. It’s an appealing vehicle for city and suburban drivers who want the functionality of a pickup without the rugged, traditional truck look.

But make no mistake—despite being a truck/SUV crossover, the 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz is sleek and compact, making it very easy to maneuver. This compact design is very important for city drivers with limited parking spaces. 

Features

Like all Hyundai vehicles, the 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz is equipped with advanced tech features, including a large infotainment screen and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. These features are designed to appeal to both tech-savvy consumers and casually curious customers.

Capabilities

The Santa Cruz comes standard with an inline 4-cylinder engine and Front-Wheel Drive (FWD) drivetrain. An optional All-Wheel Drive (AWD) drivetrain offers even more power and off-road capabilities. The Santa Cruz can tow up to 3,500 lbs or up to 5,000 lbs with the Night trim edition.

But all that power doesn’t mean you sacrifice fuel efficiency – the Santa Cruz gets 22 city/26 hwy MPG on the FWD version, and 21 city/25 hwy on the AWD edition.

Finally, the Santa Cruz starts at a very reasonable price of $26,000 for the SE trim. The Santa Cruz is a much more affordable entry-level truck for most consumers compared to the Ford Ranger.

2024 Ford Ranger

Design

The 2024 Ford Ranger builds upon the classic design of the original Ford Ranger, a very popular midsize truck from the 80s until the early 2010s. Ford brought the truck back with a brand new design and slightly larger frame in 2019. The newest iteration of the Ford Ranger is a classic truck design, with a medium-sized truck bed and roomy truck cab. The design is classic, but unlike the Santa Cruz, it looks more like a traditional truck than a crossover vehicle. Because of its larger size, the Ford Ranger struggles more than the Santa Cruz with tight spaces and limited parking.

Features

If you love technology features, the 2024 Ford Ranger definitely has robust features to please any truck fan. The Ford Ranger is also Apple Carplay and Android Auto ready, so you can bring your apps and music wherever you go. If you love good sound systems, the Ford Ranger comes equipped with a Bang & Olufsen system, which features 10 speakers and a subwoofer. The B & O Sound System comes standard on certain trim levels, including the Lariat and Raptor.

Capabilities

The 2024 Ranger offers a variety of engine choices, including a standard turbocharged 2.3-liter EcoBoost inline-4 engine, which delivers robust power and efficiency. For towing and hauling, the 2024 Ford Ranger features some nice capabilities to make towing easier, such as the Pro-Trailer Backup Assist and the Trailer Brake Controller that slows down your trailer nicely and easily when you apply your truck brakes.

The 2024 Ford Ranger has a 2.3-liter turbocharged I-4 engine and 21 city and 25 highway MPG. It has four trim options—XL, XLT, Lariat, and Raptor—and starts at $32,670, making it a more expensive option than the Hyundai Santa Cruz.

Visit Chris Crain Hyundai for Your New Santa Cruz

Chris Crain Hyundai in Conway, Arkansas, wants to be your choice for your next 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz. 

Schedule a test drive to see how the 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz compares to the 2024 Ford Ranger. You can also contact us today for more information!