--- title: "How much can a Hyundai Santa Cruz tow? How about the Ford Maverick?" url: "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2022/03/how-much-can-a-hyundai-santa-cruz-tow-how-about-the-ford-maverick/" publisher: "Pickup Truck + SUV Talk" content_signal: "search=yes, ai-input=yes, ai-train=no" author: "Erica Mueller" published: "2022-03-03T11:00:24+00:00" modified: "2026-01-28T19:21:57+00:00" image: "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/C5652DDA-C743-44AB-ABF4-9A17CE6E05F7.jpg" --- # How much can a Hyundai Santa Cruz tow? How about the Ford Maverick? By Erica Mueller Published: 2022-03-03T11:00:24+00:00 Updated: 2026-01-28T19:21:57+00:00 ![Featured image]() Truck fans make fun of compact trucks all the time. If the vehicle has a unibody frame there’s no way it can be a “real truck” and it certainly can’t tow, right? Wrong. We’re here to [answer a viewer’s question](): how much can a Santa Cruz tow? Publisher Tim Esterdahl will also cover the [Ford Maverick]() since it is the only other compact truck in the U.S. market and is frequently compared to the [Hyundai Santa Cruz](). ### Numbers vs real life Does it have more payload than your typical full-size truck? Is it capable of pulling a small camper or boat? Do you really need a full-size truck to tow relatively small trailers? On paper, the Hyundai Santa Cruz or Ford Maverick could handle a pretty large camper, but [towing safely]() is about so much more than just the numbers. Esterdahl breaks this all down in his video explaining why the height (or lack thereof) of a compact truck matters, how combined gross vehicle weight comes into play and how to calculate your total weight to make sure you don’t overload your truck. ### How much can the Hyundai Santa Cruz tow? In [this video](), Esterdahl looks at the Hyundai Santa Cruz Limited AWD which has better towing numbers than the front-wheel-drive truck. He is also taking into account an added maximum tow kit which comes with trailer brakes and an upgraded transmission cooler. For this truck, the max tow rating is 5,000 pounds and the max payload rating is 1,609 pounds. So yes, this little compact truck can tow quite a bit. But should it? That depends on your load and driving conditions. Having just driven the Santa Cruz myself, I can’t imagine using it to tow anything large. Maybe a small utility trailer or a popup camper, but that’s honestly not why I’d buy a compact truck. What do you think? Would you plan to tow with your Santa Cruz or Maverick? [Embedded video]() **Related posts** - [A towing primer: GCWR, GVWR, tongue weight explained]() - [Unibody trucks make a comeback?]() - [Ford Maverick vs Hyundai Santa Cruz pricing]() ## Structured page information ~~~json [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Article", "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2022/03/how-much-can-a-hyundai-santa-cruz-tow-how-about-the-ford-maverick/#article", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2022/03/how-much-can-a-hyundai-santa-cruz-tow-how-about-the-ford-maverick/" }, "author": { "name": "Erica Mueller", "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/#/schema/person/28ea7673f6c33cc560979055b335c167" }, "headline": "How much can a Hyundai Santa Cruz tow? 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