The fastest-selling new car in the U.S. last month, the Santa Cruz is a Tucson with a bed and some quirky detailing here and there. Described as a sport adventure vehicle rather than a proper truck, the Santa Cruz is offered with an eight-speed gearbox and two four-cylinder motors.
Manufactured in Alabama, the compact pickup develops 191 horsepower and 181 pound-feet (245 Nm) as standard. Adding a turbo to the 2.5-liter engine ramps up those figures to 281 horsepower and 311 pound-feet (422 Nm), which is more than adequate for a vehicle of this heft and footprint. What’s more, peak torque is developed from 1,700 through 4,000 revolutions per minute as opposed to 4,000 rpm for the free-breathing mill.
Over the quarter mile, the Honda Ridgeline cannot help but settle for second place on every single attempt. As a brief refresher, the mid-size truck based on the Pilot crossover develops 280 horsepower and 262 pound-feet (355 Nm) of torque. Because it’s naturally aspirated, the 3.5-liter V6 delivers the maximum amount of torque relatively high in the rev range at 4,700 rpm.
In the first quarter-mile race, the Ridgeline launches better off the line because free-breathing engines feature better throttle response than force-fed powerplants. The programming of the automatic transmission shouldn’t be ignored either, but nevertheless, remember that both pickups were developed for regular driving scenarios instead of straight-line brawls.
The broader torque curve helps the Hyundai gap the Honda without breaking a sweat, and the same thing happens in the second race in Sport Mode. From a roll, not even Sport Mode with manual shifting mode can help the more ponderous Ridgeline against the lighter (and torquier) Santa Cruz.
To whom it may concern, a brand-new Santa Cruz starts at $23,990 while the Tucson on which it’s based costs $25,350 excluding freight. The Ridgeline is $36,890 for the 2022 model year, which makes it costlier than mid-size trucks with body-on-frame construction, including the Jeep Gladiator.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News