Hyundai doesn’t call the Santa Cruz a truck. It’s a “sport adventure vehicle," and I can’t say that I’m surprised by the spin the South Korean automaker has put on the Santa Cruz because it’s based on the Tucson.
Everyone agrees to the “sport adventure vehicle” handle, from Matt Farah and Zack Klapman of The Smoking Tire to Edmunds reviews editor Travis Langness. But the question is, how good is the Santa Cruz in the real world?
From an exterior design standpoint, you won’t mistake this pickup for anything else on the road except for the compact-sized Tucson. Nice wheels, Easter Eggs in the plastic cladding, plenty of angular lines on the sides, and rear-bumper steps are some of the strongest points of the Santa Cruz, along with the high-tech cabin design that’s dominated by touch-sensitive buttons.
The only problem that concerns the interior comes in the guise of piano-black panel on the dashboard that incorporates the aforementioned buttons. Obviously enough, it’s a magnet for dirt and fingerprints. The sliding rear window is a bit of a surprise, and the Santa Cruz is very spacious for its footprint as well. The tailgate is the centerpiece of the brand-new trucklet, and it’s also available with a lockable tonneau cover for extra peace of mind.
In a similar fashion to the Honda Ridgeline that’s based on the Pilot three-row people carrier, the bed features an underfloor storage compartment. The shape of this compartment and the drain plug makes it perfect for tailgating, but remember that the Santa Cruz’s tailgate holds 500 pounds (227 kilos).
Held in high regard for its car-like handling and the grunt of the optional 2.5-liter turbo four-cylinder engine, the biggest rival of the Ford Maverick also wins in terms of truck-related specs. The payload and towing capacities are rated at 1,748 and 5,000 pounds (793 and 2,268 kilograms) when properly equipped while the Blue Oval’s model offers 1,500 and 4,000 pounds (680 and 1,814 kilograms). Be that as it may, the Hyundai costs a little bit more than the Ford at $23,990 compared to $19,995 right off the bat.
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
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