2025 Ford F-150 vs 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz

The 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz was a unique blend of a unibody crossover and a compact pickup truck, offering a distinctive design that set it apart from traditional pickups. Available in two trims in Canada, the Santa Cruz Ultimate, which was tested, featured a design that was both intentional and eye-catching, with elements like protruding fenders and a sharply raked C-pillar. The interior, while not overly luxurious, provided high-quality materials and a cohesive design, with a funky four-spoked steering wheel and a trim that spanned the driver and passenger spaces.

In contrast, the 2025 Ford F-150 Tremor SuperCrew was a robust and off-road-focused version of the F-150, offering a mix of body-colour and black exterior details with Active Orange accents. The Tremor's design was distinguished by exclusive wheels and a "TREMOR" decal on the cargo bed. Inside, the black interior featured orange accents and stitching, with optional leather upholstery adding a touch of sophistication. The cabin was industrial in appearance, yet it did not feel inferior to its rivals, offering digital instrumentation and a touchscreen infotainment system with numerous knobs and buttons for ease of use.

The 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz was equipped with a turbocharged 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine, delivering 282 horsepower and 311 lb-ft of torque through an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission. This powertrain provided a peppy performance, with smooth shifts and paddle shifters for more control. The Santa Cruz excelled in maneuverability, making it ideal for city driving and tight parking spaces. Its AWD system, with a centre locking differential and hill-descent control, offered decent off-road capabilities, although its ground clearance and geometry limited its performance on more challenging terrains.

The 2025 Ford F-150 Tremor, on the other hand, boasted a 5.0-litre V8 engine producing 400 horsepower and 410 lb-ft of torque, paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission. This setup provided a maximum towing capacity of 4,490 kilograms and a payload capacity of 780 kilograms. The Tremor's off-road capabilities were enhanced by its 4WD system, off-road-tuned suspension, and various driving modes. Despite its size, the Tremor offered a fun and quiet driving experience on trails and highways, although its all-terrain tires limited handling on twisty roads.

The 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz offered a towing capacity of 2,268 kilograms with a braked trailer and a robust cargo hauling capability in its small bed. The bed featured lockable underfloor storage, tie-down points, and a sliding tonneau cover, although the latch was finicky. Inside, the rear seats folded up for taller items, but rear legroom was limited to 926 mm. Heated front seats were standard, with ventilated seats available on the Ultimate trim.

The 2025 Ford F-150 Tremor provided ample interior space with oversized, power-adjustable seats and a spacious rear bench. The cabin featured perforated leather, heated and ventilated seats, and a heated steering wheel. Storage was plentiful, with a Mobile Office package transforming the centre console into a workstation. The Pro Access tailgate and a hard tonneau cover added functionality to the cargo bay, while a retractable rear step made bed access easier.

The 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz featured a 10.25-inch infotainment display with wired smartphone compatibility, lacking wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The system was intuitive, but the absence of a physical volume knob was a drawback. Charging options were limited, with USB-A ports available, and wireless charging offered only on the Ultimate trim.

In contrast, the 2025 Ford F-150 Tremor came with dual 12-inch displays, offering impressive usability despite their smaller size. The infotainment system, paired with a 14-speaker Bang & Olufsen audio system, provided excellent performance, with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Additional features included a widescreen head-up display, off-roading cameras, and trailering assistance features.

The 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz offered a comprehensive set of advanced driver-assistance systems, including forward collision avoidance, blind-spot collision avoidance, and adaptive cruise control. The Ultimate trim featured Hyundai’s Highway Drive Assist and a blind-spot view monitor. The Santa Cruz received a five-star front crash rating from NHTSA, although it had not been rated by IIHS for 2024.

The 2025 Ford F-150 Tremor boasted an impressive array of safety features, including new oncoming-traffic detection, evasive steering assist, and BlueCruise hands-free driving technology. BlueCruise was accurate and trustworthy, although not infallible. The F-150 earned high marks in crash tests from both NHTSA and IIHS, making it a safe choice for consumers.