autoevolution
 

2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz Night Feels Virtually Custom if Sat Low on Huge Wheels

Imagined as the posher rival to Ford’s more affordable and hybridized Maverick, some say about the Hyundai Santa Cruz that it is just another crossover SUV “but with a sandbox strapped to the back.”
2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz Night lowered aftermarket wheels rendering by kelsonik 12 photos
Photo: kelsonik / Instagram
2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz Night lowered aftermarket wheels rendering by kelsonik2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz Night lowered aftermarket wheels rendering by kelsonik2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz Night2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz Night2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz Night2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz Night2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz Night2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz Night2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz Night2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz Night2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz Night
Well, no need for sarcasm, as Hyundai’s cousin riding like a unibody pickup truck on the Tucson architecture took enough of a beating in terms of sales. After the first half of the year, it was lagging not just behind the Maverick, but also behind the larger and more expensive Honda Ridgeline!

Naturally, the South Korean automaker decided to do something about it and opted to tap into the Santa Cruz lifestyle’s dark side, with a new Night version joining the lineup for the 2023 model year roster. Well, that, of course, brought the cool little crossover-based unibody compact pickup truck back on the radar of some people.

Among them is also Nikita Chuicko, the virtual artist better known as kelsonik on social media, who probably thought now is the right CGI time to again play with the Santa Cruz as the latest release bodes well with his signature “Shadow Line” transformations. Alas, since we are dealing with the Santa Cruz Night, the makeover is already inherited from the factory. Still, some subtle CGI points could be made to make a Santa Cruz look even cooler.

For example, the OEM dark chrome grille is now completely black, whereas the custom, personalized atmosphere is supported by the lowered suspension and wrapped up with the best asset – a humongous set of deep-dish-style aftermarket wheels. Interestingly, judging by the rims’ depth, we could also be talking here about staggered tire widths, with the front ones being narrower than the rear ones, in true motorsport fashion.

Now, is this enough to get your CGI approval, or not?


If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)

Editor's note: Gallery includes official images of 2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz Night.

About the author: Aurel Niculescu
Aurel Niculescu profile photo

Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution.
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories