First expected to be a V6, the turbo diesel in the Genesis GV80 will actually come in the guise of a straight-six engine under the Smartstream nomenclature. The mid-sized crossover with the 3.0-liter powerplant will also feature an eight-speed automatic, and this combo is likely to trickle down to the Santa Cruz.
Hyundai presented the crossover truck as a concept no fewer than five years go at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The design still looks as fresh as it did back then, and before you ask, the answer is no. Hyundai doesn’t plan to offer the Smartstream I6 turbo diesel engine on the stateside model.
At the launch of the GV80 in South Korea, the head of research and development told CarSales.com.au that the 3.0-liter engine with 274 horsepower (278 PS) “will have so many applications.” Albert Biermann used to work at BMW as the big kahuna of the M go-faster division, hence his appreciation of all things inline-six. “It just makes the smoothest power,” and having driven a previous-gen 6 Series Convertible in 640d xDrive specification, I wholly agree with Biermann.
Because the powerplant meets the latest emissions standard (Euro 6 Step II), the plant will, therefore, be offered in Europe and Australia. The United States, on the other hand, could get the 2.5-liter T-GDi four-cylinder gasoline engine as standard in the Santa Cruz. The 3.5-liter T-GDi V6 twin-turbo gasser is another possibility, though only if Hyundai can make a case for a high-performance variant.
Biermann further told Car Sales that the I6 is compatible with 48-volt electrification, a technology that Hyundai already offers in the Tucson with the 1.6- and 2.0-liter CRDi turbo diesels. Unlike the body-on-frame truck we’ve been hearing for a couple of years now, the Santa Cruz will be a unibody that will slot underneath the mid-sized pickup segment (think Ranger, HiLux, L200). This means the crossover truck won’t be a proper workhorse, but nevertheless, remember how many units of the Honda Ridgeline are sold yearly in the states!
Ford and Volkswagen are two other automakers that are currently developing unibody utes, namely the Courier and Tanoak. These models are underpinned by the Ford C2 and Volkswagen MQB platforms, respectively, which means that they'll have plenty in common with the Escape and Tiguan crossovers.
At the launch of the GV80 in South Korea, the head of research and development told CarSales.com.au that the 3.0-liter engine with 274 horsepower (278 PS) “will have so many applications.” Albert Biermann used to work at BMW as the big kahuna of the M go-faster division, hence his appreciation of all things inline-six. “It just makes the smoothest power,” and having driven a previous-gen 6 Series Convertible in 640d xDrive specification, I wholly agree with Biermann.
Because the powerplant meets the latest emissions standard (Euro 6 Step II), the plant will, therefore, be offered in Europe and Australia. The United States, on the other hand, could get the 2.5-liter T-GDi four-cylinder gasoline engine as standard in the Santa Cruz. The 3.5-liter T-GDi V6 twin-turbo gasser is another possibility, though only if Hyundai can make a case for a high-performance variant.
Biermann further told Car Sales that the I6 is compatible with 48-volt electrification, a technology that Hyundai already offers in the Tucson with the 1.6- and 2.0-liter CRDi turbo diesels. Unlike the body-on-frame truck we’ve been hearing for a couple of years now, the Santa Cruz will be a unibody that will slot underneath the mid-sized pickup segment (think Ranger, HiLux, L200). This means the crossover truck won’t be a proper workhorse, but nevertheless, remember how many units of the Honda Ridgeline are sold yearly in the states!
Ford and Volkswagen are two other automakers that are currently developing unibody utes, namely the Courier and Tanoak. These models are underpinned by the Ford C2 and Volkswagen MQB platforms, respectively, which means that they'll have plenty in common with the Escape and Tiguan crossovers.