Photo: Kleber Silva on Behance
Last year, the chief operating officer of Kia in Australia confirmed that “work has begun” on a pickup truck for 2022 or 2023. Expected to roll out with single- and dual-cab options, the body-on-frame workhorse will likely share its underpinnings with the Hyundai equivalent that doesn’t even have a name, at least not right now.
Before the mid-size workhorses enter the scene, Hyundai plans to roll out the Santa Cruz in 2021 with a unibody construction instead of a ladder-frame architecture and similar underpinnings to the Santa Fe. Half crossover and half truck, the newcomer will inevitably be joined by a half-brother with Kia badging and different styling.
Brazilian rendering artist Kleber Silva imagined the yet-to-be-named crosstruck with design elements from the Stonic, a subcompact utility vehicle that bears the signature of Peter Schreyer of Volkswagen New Beetle and Audi TT fame. The dual cabin eats a lot of space from the cargo area, but then again, this isn’t a work truck. The real deal won’t be a poser either because this segment will be crowded.
Volkswagen and Ford are both developing unibody pickups on compact car platforms, and bragging rights are certain to extend to towing and payload capacities as well. In the case of the Santa Cruz, our best guesstimate for the time being is the Santa Fe that’s much obliged to tow 3,500 pounds (1,588 kilograms).
The mid-size crossover should also be our yardstick for engine and transmission options. In the United States where the Santa Cruz will be manufactured, the Santa Fe comes standard with a 2.4-liter aspirated four-cylinder and it’s also available with a 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder that packs a rather respectable 235 horsepower.
An eight-speed automatic transmission that Hyundai calls Shiftronic is standard across the board, and HTRAC all-wheel drive is an extra regardless of trim level. This system features a variable-torque-split clutch and active torque control between the front and rear axles, which is the norm for all-wheel drive these days.
Turning our attention back to the Kia “Santa Cruz” crossover-truck thingy, chances are the newcomer will be revealed a few months after the Hyundai with a starting price of around $25,000. So far, no spy photos of the Kia have been snapped.
Brazilian rendering artist Kleber Silva imagined the yet-to-be-named crosstruck with design elements from the Stonic, a subcompact utility vehicle that bears the signature of Peter Schreyer of Volkswagen New Beetle and Audi TT fame. The dual cabin eats a lot of space from the cargo area, but then again, this isn’t a work truck. The real deal won’t be a poser either because this segment will be crowded.
Volkswagen and Ford are both developing unibody pickups on compact car platforms, and bragging rights are certain to extend to towing and payload capacities as well. In the case of the Santa Cruz, our best guesstimate for the time being is the Santa Fe that’s much obliged to tow 3,500 pounds (1,588 kilograms).
The mid-size crossover should also be our yardstick for engine and transmission options. In the United States where the Santa Cruz will be manufactured, the Santa Fe comes standard with a 2.4-liter aspirated four-cylinder and it’s also available with a 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder that packs a rather respectable 235 horsepower.
An eight-speed automatic transmission that Hyundai calls Shiftronic is standard across the board, and HTRAC all-wheel drive is an extra regardless of trim level. This system features a variable-torque-split clutch and active torque control between the front and rear axles, which is the norm for all-wheel drive these days.
Turning our attention back to the Kia “Santa Cruz” crossover-truck thingy, chances are the newcomer will be revealed a few months after the Hyundai with a starting price of around $25,000. So far, no spy photos of the Kia have been snapped.
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