Photo: Kleber Silva on Behance
Loosely related to the Santa Fe, the Santa Cruz wouldn’t look out of place with styling from the crossover from Montgomery, Alabama. Imagined by Kleber Silva with a roof rack and full-width taillights, the newcomer certainly stands out in the crowd.
As far as unibody trucks are concerned, the most obvious choice for 2020 is the Honda Ridgeline. Not exactly pretty nor capable when compared to a ladder-frame workhorse like the Ford Ranger, the pickup from Lincoln, Alabama also happens to be pricey.
$33,900 before destination charge is a lot of money, and this gets us back to the Santa Cruz. Hyundai will make the unibody truck in Alabama as well, and thanks to more compact dimensions and a four-pot engine as standard, the Santa Cruz may start at just $25k.
The most obvious candidate under the hood is the 2.4-liter powerplant from the Santa Fe, and chances are that the Santa Cruz will be available with a 2.0-liter turbo as well. That’s still not enough to challenge the Ranger in terms of pricing or output, but as far as unibodies are concerned, Hyundai will definitely undercut the Ridgeline.
What about towing capacity? Well, we don’t know too much in this regard. When properly equipped, the Tucson is much obliged to pull 2,000 pounds while the Santa Fe with the 2.0-liter engine option improves to 3,500 pounds. With clever tinkering to the chassis, it’s obvious that the Santa Cruz will be adequately capable for its size.
Though it won’t mirror the exterior design of the Santa Fe down to a T, the newcomer will benefit from a split setup for the headlights and daytime running lights. Spied prototypes also appear similar to the Santa Fe from the A-pillar back to the rear doors, but there are obvious styling differences between the two models under the camouflage. For example, the side mirrors attach to the A-pillars in the case of the Santa Cruz while the Santa Fe wears them on the front doors.
If you are wondering what kind of customer the Santa Cruz is aimed at, Hyundai has the answer to that question. To the point, this model targets Millennials who need the day-to-day versatility of an open bed with the attributes of a CUV and none of the trade-offs of a ladder-frame pickup.
A crosstruck, if you will.
$33,900 before destination charge is a lot of money, and this gets us back to the Santa Cruz. Hyundai will make the unibody truck in Alabama as well, and thanks to more compact dimensions and a four-pot engine as standard, the Santa Cruz may start at just $25k.
The most obvious candidate under the hood is the 2.4-liter powerplant from the Santa Fe, and chances are that the Santa Cruz will be available with a 2.0-liter turbo as well. That’s still not enough to challenge the Ranger in terms of pricing or output, but as far as unibodies are concerned, Hyundai will definitely undercut the Ridgeline.
What about towing capacity? Well, we don’t know too much in this regard. When properly equipped, the Tucson is much obliged to pull 2,000 pounds while the Santa Fe with the 2.0-liter engine option improves to 3,500 pounds. With clever tinkering to the chassis, it’s obvious that the Santa Cruz will be adequately capable for its size.
Though it won’t mirror the exterior design of the Santa Fe down to a T, the newcomer will benefit from a split setup for the headlights and daytime running lights. Spied prototypes also appear similar to the Santa Fe from the A-pillar back to the rear doors, but there are obvious styling differences between the two models under the camouflage. For example, the side mirrors attach to the A-pillars in the case of the Santa Cruz while the Santa Fe wears them on the front doors.
If you are wondering what kind of customer the Santa Cruz is aimed at, Hyundai has the answer to that question. To the point, this model targets Millennials who need the day-to-day versatility of an open bed with the attributes of a CUV and none of the trade-offs of a ladder-frame pickup.
A crosstruck, if you will.
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