Hyundai confirmed last December that it was working on a body-on-frame pickup that would be tougher than the current unibody Santa Cruz, and we got our first taste of the company's ruggedized aspirations last week with the debut of the Boulder concept. Although primarily a styling exercise, the Boulder previewed a Hyundai body-on-frame off-roader, complete with a robust solid rear axle and 35-inch tires. That said, the show car was an SUV, not a truck, which led our sister site HotCars to do some imagining and blend the Boulder's blocky, futuristic design with the practical form factor of a midsize truck. And we gotta say, we like what we see. A 1970s Land Rover... From The Future The Boulder concept has some unique design details that help it fit in with Hyundai's existing products, primarily its geometric lighting and minimalist body surfaces. But chunky front and rear fenders, safari-style roof windows, a side-opening cargo door, and an exterior spare tire help it look more like an old English off-roader or a classic Toyota Land Cruiser than a Tucson or Santa Fe. Those same design details translate remarkably well to the HotCars rendering, especially given the crew-cab pickup's slightly longer wheelbase – check the back door shutline relative to the rear wheels.img-2030-hyundai-boulder-pickup-rendering-front-viewThat expanded platform allows the aft fender flares to dovetail a bit more gracefully into the bodysides, making the Boulder-inspired pickup a bit more sophisticated than the concept SUV. The smooth contours are at odds with the rendering's blocky profile and upright windshield, giving the truck the aerodynamic vibe of a space probe or lunar lander. We also appreciate some of the added details, like individual LEDs in the headlights and a more realistic-looking roof-mounted light bar. The added wraparound C-pillar portholes are a nice touch, giving the would-be truck a retro vibe that may as well have been borrowed from a vintage Land Rover Defender pickup.Hotcars/ValnetHotCars' rendering also keeps the SUV concept's roll-down rear window, a nice feature that's offered on the likes of the Toyota Tundra and 4Runner but not much else. The safari windows, also found on the Ineos Grenadier Quartermaster, would allow more light in to ease claustrophobia, and in our dreams, they're removable too, for a borderline-convertible open-air driving experience. If that's the case, then the Boulder pickup would be the most al fresco pickup on the market save the Jeep Gladiator. Rough-And-Tumble Engineering Despite Hyundai's body-on-frame intentions, the Boulder concept isn't a runner. That said, the show car does betray a few clues about what the production pickup could offer. The aforementioned solid-rear axle is suspended by coil springs on the concept, with remote-reservoir shock absorbers that provide improved performance in fast off-road situations. The independent front suspension of the concept likely derives from a double-wishbone design, which provides reasonably good articulation off-road without sacrificing too much on-road handling. Hotcars/ValnetThe future pickup's powertrain is shrouded in complete mystery, however. Given Hyundai's impressive electric vehicles, it's possible the midsize truck will be offered in a full EV. It's much more likely, however, that some of the company's next-generation internal combustion engines will show up under the hood. The turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder found in the Santa Fe makes 277 horsepower and 311 pound-feet of torque, about as much as the non-hybrid Toyota Tacoma. We bet a future version of that mill would make 320 hp or more.Source: HotCars