The 2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz Managed to Beat 1 Ford Truck
Everyone knows that America loves trucks, but do you know which trucks are more popular than others? The Hyundai Santa Cruz could surprise you as an underdog. While the 2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz didn’t set any sales records, it did beat one Ford truck.
2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz vs. 2023 Ford Ranger: Which truck is better?
The 2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz and 2023 Ford Ranger don’t stack up apples to apples. The Santa Cruz is a compact truck with a unibody design and AWD. The Ranger is a midsize truck with a body-on-frame construction.
Each truck is designed to meet various driving needs. While determining which one is better gets muddy, we can celery see which truck is more popular.
The 2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz sold 36,675 models and the 2023 Ford Ranger moved 32,334 models. So, the Santa Cruz beat the Ranger by 4,341 models. Plus, the GMC Canyon only sold 22,458 trucks.
We can congratulate the Santa Cruz for outselling two mid-size trucks. However, the 2023 Ford Maverick sold 94,085 models and the 2023 Toyota Tacoma sold 234,768 models.
So, the Santa Cruz has more ground to cover to climb the ranks, but it’s making good progress. The Maverick benefited from growing its sales after increasing production and the Santa Cruz is now working to produce more models.
Also, 2023 was weird. Supply chain constraints and rising inflation impacted vehicle sales. Plus, the 2023 Ranger exited production pretty early to make room for the redesigned 2023 model.
Then the United Auto Workers (UAW) strike really hurt Ford factories in America. The Maverick is assembled in Mexico, so it wasn’t impacted by the strike.
There may have been more Santa Cruz models available for people to buy. But the Santa Cruz is also more refined than the Ford Ranger with a smoother ride and quieter interior.
Plus, the Santa Cruz has a more modern design with advanced tech and an upscale build quality. The 2023 Ranger shows its age with a heavy reliance on hard plastics.
But the Ranger can tow up to 7,500 lbs and carry a payload of up to 1,905 lbs. The Santa Cruz can tow up to 5,000 lbs and carry a payload of up to 1,753 lbs. The Ranger has a much larger bed as well.
So, the Santa Cruz might be more comfortable and convenient, but the Ranger is better for work. The 2024 Ranger was redesigned, so it might make a comeback soon.
