Photo: kolesa.ru / Nikita Ghuicko
It’s been five years since the Santa Cruz blurred the line between crossovers and unibody pickups at the Detroit Auto Show. A compact concept with forward-looking styling for the segment, Hyundai has confirmed the Santa Cruz is coming to the United States in 2021 at the automaker’s plant in Alabama.
Because the Santa Fe mid-size crossover is also made there, it shouldn’t come as a surprise if the two share a few underpinnings. This gets us to the renderings from Russian motoring publication Kolesa, featuring the bigger brother’s front grille and intricate lights. It’s definitely different from existing unibodies such as the Honda Ridgeline, but better still, this design proposition simply works.
Not only does it feature the South Korean automaker’s corporate design language but the creases on the sides and plastic cladding around the wheel arches bring the point home. The rear end, however, is up for debate.
Not only do the full-width taillights from the Sonata look out of place on a pickup truck but the baseball cap-styled roof spoiler is weird in this application. Heck, it was weird even when the MINI Coupe was around. The double-tipped exhaust system is a nice touch indeed, and this leads us to the engine bay.
Unless Hyundai has a different mill in the pipeline, the 2.4- and 2.0-liter motors from the Santa Fe should be more than enough in a compact model. The larger of the two is a free-breathing unit with 185 horsepower (188 PS) and 178 pound-feet (241 Nm) of torque on deck, spinning the front or all four wheels with the help of an eight-speed automatic transmission with Shiftronic technology.
The Two-Oh engine is a little punchier at 235 horsepower (239 PS) and 260 pound-feet (353 Nm) of torque. More importantly, maximum torque is delivered from 1,450 rpm to 3,500 rpm versus the 2.4-liter motor's 4,000 revs. The 2.5-liter turbo from the Sonata could be another candidate for the Santa Cruz.
Not only does it feature the South Korean automaker’s corporate design language but the creases on the sides and plastic cladding around the wheel arches bring the point home. The rear end, however, is up for debate.
Not only do the full-width taillights from the Sonata look out of place on a pickup truck but the baseball cap-styled roof spoiler is weird in this application. Heck, it was weird even when the MINI Coupe was around. The double-tipped exhaust system is a nice touch indeed, and this leads us to the engine bay.
Unless Hyundai has a different mill in the pipeline, the 2.4- and 2.0-liter motors from the Santa Fe should be more than enough in a compact model. The larger of the two is a free-breathing unit with 185 horsepower (188 PS) and 178 pound-feet (241 Nm) of torque on deck, spinning the front or all four wheels with the help of an eight-speed automatic transmission with Shiftronic technology.
The Two-Oh engine is a little punchier at 235 horsepower (239 PS) and 260 pound-feet (353 Nm) of torque. More importantly, maximum torque is delivered from 1,450 rpm to 3,500 rpm versus the 2.4-liter motor's 4,000 revs. The 2.5-liter turbo from the Sonata could be another candidate for the Santa Cruz.
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