2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz Facelift Spied With Camouflaged Interior

The heavily camouflaged prototype spied by KindelAuto shows a redesigned front grille, bumper, and headlights. The rear bumper appears to be different as well. The South Korean automaker may have worked its magic on the rear lights as well, but it's pretty hard to tell due to the camo.

Even the dashboard is covered by a camouflage blanket, which suggests minor improvements over the 2024 and earlier models. Considering that Hyundai rolled out a bevy of physical buttons in the facelifted Tucson for model year 2025, we look forward to a similar arrangement for this fellow.

Prospective customers of the 2025 Hyundai Tucson are further presented with dual 12.3-inch screens for the instrument cluster and infotainment system, a front passenger-side parcel shelf, a new steering wheel, and a stubby drive stalk on the right of the steering column instead of a push-button shifter.

The styling alternations pale in comparison to what Hyundai did to the interior. Otherwise put, we're not keeping our fingers crossed for a vastly different Santa Cruz. The oily bits may carry over as well, but there's a case to be made for hybrid assistance.

First and foremost, sister brand Kia updated the Carnival minivan for 2025 with an optional hybrid powertrain built around the Smartstream G1.6T four-cylinder turbo. Kia claims 242 horsepower and 271 pound-feet (367 Nm) of torque, with the electric motor providing up to 72 horsepower.

The standard engine remains the 3.5-liter V6, which is good for 22 miles per gallon (10.7 liters per 100 kilometers) on the combined test cycle. For the Santa Cruz, engine options range from the naturally aspirated Smartstream G2.5 to the turbocharged Smartstream G2.5T, with the latter upgrading to a dual-clutch tranny from the former's torque-converter automatic.

We also have to remember that Hyundai's compact-ish pickup truck is technically closer to the Tucson than the Carnival, meaning that a plug-in hybrid isn't out of the question. However, a plug-in hybrid option wouldn't make sense from a financial standpoint. With the Ford Motor Company selling more units of the Maverick Hybrid than the Maverick EcoBoost, the South Korean competitor is more likely to go hybrid.

As opposed to the Maverick, which is produced in Mexico instead of the United States of America, the Santa Cruz is assembled in Alabama. The Lincoln-based assembly plant further produces the Tucson, Santa Fe, Genesis GV70 luxury crossover, and the zero-emission Electrified G70. Advertised as being a "one-of-a-kind Sport Adventure Vehicle," the Santa Cruz starts at $26,900 for model year 2024.