Hyundai Santa Cruz review

• Overview
• What is it?
• Why does it look like a Hyundai Tucson?
• What are the engine options?
• Wait, no hybrid?
• Can the Santa Cruz do tough guy truck stuff?
• Will the Santa Cruz off-road?
• How much does this lil’ guy cost?
• Does the Santa Cruz have any competitors?
• What's the verdict?
• Driving
• What is it like to drive?
• How’s the fuel economy?
• Can you get it with techy driving aids?
• Interior
• What is it like on the inside?
• How’s the cabin tech?
• How much stuff can I put in the bed?
• Buying
• What should I be paying?
• Which Santa Cruz trim is best?
• So… Hyundai Santa Cruz or Ford Maverick?

Overview

What is it?

The Hyundai Santa Cruz is a genre-bending little trucklet, combining the efficient and easy-driving attributes of a compact crossover with the usefulness of a pickup. Just because you want a full-size truck doesn’t mean you need a full-size truck, and for a huge number of pickup buyers, the Santa Cruz is a right-sized and way more affordable solution.

Why does it look like a Hyundai Tucson?

Because it pretty much is a Hyundai Tucson. From the B-pillar forward, the Santa Cruz shares the majority of its design with Hyundai’s compact crossover, and the bulk of the interior is shared between these two platform-mates, as well. Love the way the triangle-tastic Tucson looks? Cool, you’ll dig the Santa Cruz. Besides, what other pickup truck has this kind of front-end LED square footage?

What are the engine options?

The base powertrain is a 2.5-liter naturally aspirated inline-4 with 191hp and 181lb ft of torque. This engine is, in a word, anemic. It’s slow and stodgy, and you really have to rev the bejesus out of it – especially when accelerating onto the freeway. At least the accompanying eight-speed automatic transmission is buttery smooth.

On the other hand, the uplevel 2.5-liter turbo I4 is much better suited to the Santa Cruz. With 281hp and 311lb ft, there’s way more usable power – both off the line and while punching it at speed – and the 8-speed dual-clutch gearbox offers swift, smooth shifts. This setup is really lovely, and will be appreciated should you be hauling a load or utilizing the truck’s 5,000-pound max tow rating.

Wait, no hybrid?

Nope, nada. Which is weird, since Hyundai offers the Tucson with both regular hybrid and plug-in hybrid options. Could these powertrains fit in the Santa Cruz? Probably. But until Santa Cruzes start flying off of dealer lots like hotcakes, it doesn’t make sense for Hyundai to increase build complexity. Then again, Ford can barely keep up with demand for the hybrid engine in its similarly sized Maverick pickup. Hmm.

Can the Santa Cruz do tough guy truck stuff?

Yeah, sort of. Keep in mind, this isn’t a traditional truck with body-on-frame construction, so if serious towing and hauling are your priorities, you’ll need something much more robust.

That’s not to say the Santa Cruz can’t handle some big jobs, though. The truck can transport 1,411 pounds of payload in its bed, and with the turbo engine and all-wheel drive, the Santa Cruz can pull 5,000 pounds. What’s more, the bed has a sliding tonneau cover making it easier to cover and carry items without the risk of them getting damaged (or stolen), and you can option all sorts of bed organizers. Versatility for the win.

Will the Santa Cruz off-road?

Again, sort of. All Santa Cruz variants have 8.6 inches of ground clearance, which isn’t bad, but you can’t spec all-terrain tires or any sort of adaptive off-road drive modes. Even the midrange XRT trim, which looks all butch and rugged, is all show and no go. You get side steps, wider wheel arches, and some extra door trim, but that’s it. If you really want to take a Santa Cruz off-roading, you’d better spend some bucks at a proper upfitter first.

How much does this lil’ guy cost?

You’ll need at least $27,985 to get into a base Santa Cruz, including a $1,335 destination charge. Going for all-wheel drive costs $29,485, and if you want the turbo engine (you do), that costs a whole lot more: $39,545. The most expensive Santa Cruz Limited comes in at $42,405. Not horrible, all things considered.

Does the Santa Cruz have any competitors?

Just one, really: the Ford Maverick. The Maverick’s biggest advantage is that it’s a lot less expensive to start, priced below $25,000. It also offers a super efficient and super smooth hybrid engine option, though this can only be paired with front-wheel drive. The Maverick doesn’t have as many fancy flourishes or interior technologies, but fully loaded, it doesn’t even come close to touching $40,000. Just saying.

The Hyundai Santa Cruz is the perfect pickup for people who don’t need the immense capabilities of a lumbering, cumbersome full-size truck. The Santa Cruz is great to drive, wonderfully appointed, plenty functional, and looks great, too.

Plus, it’s priced to compete, undercutting the bottom ends of more traditional midsize trucks. Starting below $30,000, the Santa Cruz is extremely affordable. However, the best versions of this truck cost a lot more, so if you can afford to spend big, you’ll get a much nicer pickup – one you’d love to live with over the long haul.

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Driving

Driving

What is it like to drive?

It’s really quite lovely – assuming you get the turbo engine. That 311lb ft of torque comes on at 1,700rpm, and that usable low-end power means the 8-speed DCT doesn’t always need to downshift so you can eke out proper oomph. At higher speeds, the engine never feels strained; there’s no delay when you need a burst of acceleration. The 2.5-liter turbo is the same one Hyundai uses in the punchy Sonata N-Line, and that feisty nature is very much alive in the Santa Cruz. It’s fun.

Overall, the Santa Cruz is genuinely great to drive. The steering is direct and well weighted, the ride is somewhat firm on the truck’s optional 20-inch wheels, but not so much that it’s off-putting. The Santa Cruz exhibits remarkable composure through tight corners, not that you’ll ever confuse this truck for a sports car. It’s more fun to drive than the Tucson on which it’s based, and much more engaging than any other truck, no matter the size.

But look, I know the turbo engine won’t be for everyone, especially at its high price. The only problem with the base 2.5-liter engine is that it’s weak and makes for one slow truck. If you’re only running errands around town in your Santa Cruz, I suppose that’ll be fine. But if you’re going to press this truck into long-distance driving or towing/hauling duty – you know, reasons you’d buy a pickup – then the turbo is really a worthwhile upgrade.

How’s the fuel economy?

It’s okay. A base-engine Santa Cruz with front-wheel drive returns 22 mpg city, 26 mpg highway, and 23 mpg combined, while adding all-wheel drive reduces those figures to 21 mpg city, 25 mpg highway, yet still averages out to 23 mpg combined. Interestingly, the turbo engine is slightly more efficient on the highway, rated at 27 mpg, while the city and combined figures reduce to 19 mpg and 22 mpg, respectively.

Here’s the issue: Ford’s Maverick is much more economical. A front-drive turbo model can hit 30 mpg, and if you buy the hybrid version, it can achieve 40 mpg city, 33 mpg highway, and 37 mpg combined. That’s a massive advantage. Stinks there’s no Santa Cruz hybrid. Sigh.

Can you get it with techy driving aids?

Tons, though sadly, the best stuff is reserved for the $42,405 Santa Cruz Limited AWD. That’s the only place where you can get radar-based adaptive cruise control or Hyundai’s Highway Driving Assistant, which combines that tech with lane-keeping assist.

The base Santa Cruz isn’t a total stripper model, though. It comes standard with blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic assist, forward-collision assist, lane-keeping assist, and plenty more. There aren’t any truck-specific upgrades like the ones you’ll find on larger pickups, however, like myriad cameras or towing assist tech, and the blind-spot monitoring doesn’t account for the length of a trailer.

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Overview

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Interior

Interior

What is it like on the inside?

Snazzy and classy – and, you know, exactly like the Tucson. All the surfaces you touch in the Santa Cruz feel good, and you can get all sorts of creature comforts, like heated and cooled front seats, as well as a heated steering wheel. There’s a ton of room up front, and the back seats have lots of head- and legroom, too – mostly thanks to the Santa Cruz’s squared-off design.

Our one major nitpick with the Santa Cruz is one we have with the Tucson: all that horrible piano black surfacing. The flush-mounted buttons are going to be all gross with smudges in no time at all, and because Hyundai didn’t want to break up the design with any sort of physical controls, there isn’t a volume knob, which, come on, we thought we agreed to stop doing that.

How’s the cabin tech?

In typical Hyundai fashion, it’s great. The base Santa Cruz only comes with an 8-inch multimedia touchscreen, but higher-end trims have a 10.3-inch display – though you have to connect Apple CarPlay or Android Auto with a USB-A cord. Lame.

Most Santa Cruz trims get a matching 10.3-inch digital gauge cluster that’s housed low on the dashboard and doesn’t get obscured by the steering wheel. Changing between drive modes will alter the screen’s colors, too, which will surely impress your passengers.

How much stuff can I put in the bed?

There’s 27 cubic feet of coverable space inside the truck bed, but obviously if you roll back the tonneau cover, you can carry all sorts of taller or bulkier items – well, without exceeding the 1,411-pound payload capacity, that is. Another great thing about this truck: the load-in height is pretty low, so you don’t have to be super tall in order to load items into the bed. Little cutout steps in the bumper corners let you hop up to reach in and grab stuff, too.

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Driving

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Buying

Buying

What should I be paying?

Santa Cruz pricing ranges between $27,985 and $42,405, including $1,335 for destination. This is relatively inexpensive as far as trucks go, though the Santa Cruz is more expensive than its closest rival, the Ford Maverick. The one-size-up Honda Ridgeline overlaps the top end of the Santa Cruz’s pricing structure, but it’s larger inside and has a larger bed.

The main downside about the Santa Cruz is that, if you want the turbo engine, you’re going to pay top dollar. The Night, XRT, and Limited trims are the only ones that come with turbo power, and the cheapest Santa Cruz Night starts at $39,545. That’s a big jump over the most expensive non-turbo model, the $32,235 Santa Cruz SEL AWD.

Which Santa Cruz trim is best?

We really can’t imagine owning one of these without the turbo, so we have to urge for either a Night, XRT, or Limited. The Night trim blacks out a lot of the exterior trim, which isn’t for everyone, so we’d suggest stepping up to the XRT, which has unique fabric seats inside, cool wheels, some exterior accessories, etc. We love all the amenities you get on the fully loaded Santa Cruz Limited – it’s as nice as your finest compact SUV – but that $42,405 price is pretty prohibitive. We suppose it’s a better buy than a midlevel Ridgeline, though.

So… Hyundai Santa Cruz or Ford Maverick?

It really depends on what you want. If you just need a compact pickup, the Maverick is the way to go. It’s less expensive and more efficient – especially if you get the 40-mpg hybrid version. It’s such a good truck.

But as a daily driver, we’d rather have the Santa Cruz. It’s more comfortable than the Maverick, more fun to drive than the Maverick, and looks way cooler than the Maverick. Honestly, we’d rather drive the Santa Cruz every day than larger pickups like the Honda Ridgeline, Nissan Frontier, Toyota Tacoma, and more. It’s much more amicable to city living, with a significantly better – err, less trucky – ride.

It might not seem easy to downsize when you’re talking about pickups, but with usable payload, good towing, and a wonderful interior, living with the Santa Cruz might be easier than you think.

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Interior

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Specs & Prices

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