Full-time four-wheel drive is optional on the Santa Cruz. Full-time four-wheel drive gives added traction for safety in all conditions, not just off-road, like the only system available on the Ranger.
The Santa Cruz has a standard blind spot warning system that uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. A system to reveal vehicles in the Ranger’s blind spot costs extra.
To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Santa Cruz has standard Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning and Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. Ford charges extra for Cross Traffic Alert on the Ranger and the Ranger’s Cross Traffic Alert does not include automatic braking.
For better protection of the passenger compartment, the Santa Cruz uses safety cell construction with a three-dimensional high-strength frame that surrounds the passenger compartment. It provides extra impact protection and a sturdy mounting location for door hardware and side impact beams. The Ranger uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.
Both the Santa Cruz and the Ranger have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras and available around view monitors.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Hyundai Santa Cruz is safer than the Ford Ranger:
|
Santa Cruz |
Ranger |
|
Driver |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Neck Injury Risk |
22.8% |
29% |
Neck Stress |
196 lbs. |
281 lbs. |
Leg Forces (l/r) |
36/164 lbs. |
144/203 lbs. |
|
Passenger |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Neck Stress |
125 lbs. |
152 lbs. |
Leg Forces (l/r) |
61/48 lbs. |
210/102 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Hyundai Santa Cruz is safer than the Ford Ranger:
|
Santa Cruz |
Ranger |
|
Front Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
37 |
43 |
Chest Movement |
.7 inches |
1.2 inches |
Abdominal Force |
86 lbs. |
195 lbs. |
|
Into Pole |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
275 |
302 |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Santa Cruz, with its four-star roll-over rating, is 6.4% to 11.5% less likely to roll over than the Ranger, which received a three-star rating.