After A Week With The 2026 Hyundai Santa Cruz, These Are My Favorite FeaturesAutoblogChase BierenkovenTue, September 22, 2026 at 11:00 AM UTCAdd us on GoogleAutoblog and Yahoo may earn commission from links in this article.The Hyundai Santa Cruz must invent or fail. It does, after all, compete with the Ford Maverick, which has routinely outsold the little truck. Hyundai does its best to make it stand out, and plenty of features are such that they'd give the Ford a run for its money if buyers looked a little harder. After spending a week with the Maverick-fighter, I've come away with a few impressions on the best features in the latest Hyundai Santa Cruz. Here they are.The Santa Cruz Has A Surprising Amount Of Under-Seat StorageChase BierenkovenSometimes you need to keep a few items out of the way. Under the seats of the Santa Cruz, you'll find a surprising amount of storage. This cubby runs the length of the rear seats and has a bit of a rise to it that'll keep smaller items separate. It's not too tall, and you could easily store a few lengths of PVC or something of that ilk in here without mixing it in with other cargo. Alternatively, these simply screw out, giving you more floor space if you want it.A Bed Side-Step Makes Life EasierChase BierenkovenThe Santa Cruz's bed sides are pretty tall, so it's nice to have a way to jump up a few feet and get access to the bed without needing to drop the liftgate. These bed side steps also make loading bikes great – I like to stand astride the liftgate on one and help get the tires over the bed while the other person loads the front of the bike in.Hyundai's Lightning-Fast Tonneau CoverChase BierenkovenThis tonneau cover does eat up about eight inches of the 4.5-foot bed, but it's worth it. A carabiner holds a pull strap in easy reach at the front of the bed, and the rest rolls back to allow access to the bed the second you pull the top handle. Then, just yank the pull strap to launch the cover back towards the front of the bed. No dirty hands, no rolling, and no fussing around.In-Bed StorageChase BierenkovenAdvertisementAdvertisementView the 2 images of this gallery on the original articleSome might complain the Santa Cruz's bed is too short. Sure, it isn't massive, but there is plenty of room. A la Honda Ridgeline, you'll find under-bed storage in the Santa Cruz – enough to fit a large backpack and then some. This area is also watertight, which means you could use it as a cooler, to hold dirty gear you want separate from bed cargo, or whatever else your heart desires.The XRT Trim Is Just Off-Road-Y EnoughChase BierenkovenView the 2 images of this gallery on the original articleI prefer the XRT flavor of Santa Cruz the most. The small truck is already pretty usable, thanks to its optional all-wheel-drive system, but the added high-clearance bumpers, recovery hooks, and all-terrain tires elevate the truck into something that's pretty capable off-road, especially considering its sub-$45,000 price point. To boot, this trim level throws the kitchen sink at the truck, bringing you nearly every feature in the lineup, including its expanded screens, wireless phone projection and charging, and that standard all-wheel drive system.AdvertisementAdvertisementThis story was originally published by Autoblog on Sep 22, 2026, where it first appeared in the Features section. Add Autoblog as a Preferred Source by clicking here.