Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana. I was part of a movement of journalists trying to persuade Hyundai into building a production version of its Santa Cruz concept trucklet. That was more than eight years ago. In the interim, Hyundai did decide to build it and, oh, oops, the Maverick also came out and I got distracted. I love the Maverick, I do, but a few days with the Santa Cruz convinced me it was every bit the vehicle I’d pleaded for almost a decade ago.
There’s always a bit of trepidation when you go back and see what a past, probably dumber version of yourself wrote, but I feel better knowing that both my yearning for the Santa Cruz was matched by Jason and others after seeing the concept:
Here was Jason’s conclusion way back in 2015 when the concept debuted:
I actually think I’m more excited by this concept than the Ford GT, which is both the most insane and most rational thing I’ve ever thought, simultaneously. I really hope Hyundai can bring this thing to market as close as possible to the concept. I guess we’ll see.
The good news is we did get it, mostly in a form promised by the concept, albeit with an extra set of doors and Hyundai’s new (and improved) corporate face. The bad news is it took a while and, in the interim, Ford showed off the Maverick. While both are unibody, crossover-based platforms molded into trucks, Ford had the genius idea of launching with a hybrid version priced (in theory) under $20k that could return an EPA-rated 42 mpg in the city. The Santa Cruz, with its mediocre fuel economy, suddenly seemed too expensive and less of a value.
It’s been a couple of years and it’s probably time to reconsider the Hyundai Santa Cruz in light of the data we have. The base Maverick now starts at $22,195 (before delivery), so that price was very short-lived. While production issues seem to be easing, the waitlist for a cheap Maverick Hybrid is still long, so few people likely were able to take advantage of that deal. Having driven both, I think Maverick is still a better deal and probably a better truck, especially in hybrid form, but the Santa Cruz is a better all around vehicle.
What Is It?
Similar to the concept, this is a compact truck that looks like a Hyundai Tucson with the rear chopped off and a bed added. It’s a handsome, rugged, and modern package. The daytime running lights built into the grille are a nice, very Hyundai design element that work well here. There’s no bad angle here, especially with the sharp c-pillar kink and porky fenders. Everything looks intentional.
Inside, the Santa Cruz feels like the high-end, near-premium crossover that Hyundai and Kia have gotten good at building. While the materials aren’t Bentley-nice, all the plastics feel nice and it looks attractive without being gimmicky or over-styled. I’m not sure I’ll ever be a fan of the rectangular-floating-screen-as-gauge-cluster look, but it’s mostly forgettable here and pairs well with the center stack.
Right now, there are three basic flavors of Santa Cruz with a lot of trim variations, but all are four-door trucks based on the Hyundai Tucson crossover platform. The base truck starts at $25,700 (pre delivery), is front-wheel drive, and has the 2.5-liter inline-four shared with a bunch of other Kia and Hyundai products. This motor produces 191 horsepower and 181 lb-ft of torque, which exceeds the 162 horsepower and 155 lb-ft of torque from the base Maverick. For another $1,500 you can add all-wheel drive, which isn’t available with the Maverick Hybrid, though the AWD Santa Cruz’s 21 MPG city/25 MPG highway fuel economy starts are also much less impressive.
The most desirable flavor of the Santa Cruz is the one with the turbocharged version of the 2.5-liter engine, which has a much improved 281 horsepower and 311 lb-ft of torque. The turbo motor is only available with Hyundai’s HTRAC all-wheel drive system for obvious reasons. This compares favorably with the Maverick’s turbo 2.0-liter four-cylinder, which offers just 250 horsepower and 277 lb-ft of torque.
I finally got my hands on a Santa Cruz last week and they sent me the fully loaded Santa Cruz Limited AWD, which was spec’d up to $41,810, delivered.
Is It Really A Truck?
Yes. The Santa Cruz is a truck. I don’t think a ladder frame should be the only qualification for being a truck or not. The question worth asking is: Does it have a completely separate bed capable of carrying a sheet of plywood without reaching into the cab? If you can answer that question in the affirmative, it’s a truck (sorry Toyota bB Open Deck).
I specifically requested a Santa Cruz for this past weekend because I knew I’d be doing a camping trip up to the Berkshires with my family and I don’t back lightly. Could a Santa Cruz carry all of the camping gear I own, I wondered? The answer was, yes, easily.
In fact, the Santa Cruz has a bed that’s ideally laid out for urban and suburban adventurists who want to spend their weekends in nature. While the bed is shorter than what you get on a Maverick (52.1″ compared to 54.5″), it’s a little wider and comes with a lot of neat tricks. For instance, there’s a drainable storage area below the bed that can hold ice and water/beers.
There are also built-in cubbies on each side near the tailgate, including one that has a 115-volt AC outlet. I used one of these to store the small propane tank I use to power my grille and stuffed my tent footprint in around it, which nicely prevented it from rolling around while driving.
Heavy duty tie-downs and adjustable cleats on rails running down the interior of the sidewalls are a nice touch and would have been more useful if we brought kayaks or something similar. Overall, the Santa Cruz can accommodate about 27 cubic feet of your stuff.
I’m a huge fan of the built-in rolling tonneau cover, which does take up a small amount of bed space, but makes up for it with its flush fit and ease of use (although, the manual lock below the handle is not obvious). It creates a giant, waterproof trunk and is much less cumbersome than I imagined. The step that’s built into the rear bumper isn’t unique to the Santa Cruz, but it’s another useful and thoughtful feature.
The 5,000-pound towing capacity and pre-wired hookup for a trailer brake controller also means it’s great for towing a camper. In fact, someone else at our campground had a small camper being pulled by a Santa Cruz.
It’s Good At Almost Everything
The Hyundai Tucson is already one of the best crossovers in its class, so just take what makes that good and apply it to a vehicle that looks about 30x cooler and you’ve got the Santa Cruz. There are so many useful details here, like the rear seats that fold up for storage and reveal yet another cubby area (about half of which is used for the emergency jack).
With the 2.5T motor and all-wheel drive, the Santa Cruz also isn’t outrageously heavy, sporting a curb weight of just 4,164 pounds. These days, that’s not bad (the smallest Ranger you can get us 4,200 pounds). Paired with a dual-clutch, 8-speed auto the Santa Cruz can hustle to 60 mph in the low sixes, utilizing its turbo to add a punch of grunt as the RPMs climb.
The weather was great when I had the truck so I can’t speak to its all-weather prowess, but I did get a chance to drive it up a curvy, uneven Berkshire mountain road with sections of gravel and it felt secure and planted. On the highway, the Santa Cruz defaults to sending power up front and it doesn’t ever really feel like you’re in a truck if you never look behind you.
If there’s one downside to the bigger motor it’s that the truck’s fuel economy is good for a truck, but trails the smaller displacement motor in the Ecoboost Maverick, with a combined economy of 22 MPG compared to 24 MPG for the Ford. Over a long road trip with the Santa Cruz I averaged just a hair over 25 MPG.
Hyundai offers the Tucson in both a regular and plug-in hybrid, and I feel like either would be killer here, even if you had to forgo the underseat storage in the rear of the Santa Cruz.
How I’d Spec One
With the Limited AWD there are basically no features to add as the 10.25-inch navigation system, leather-trimmed seats, and various safety features (blind spot warning, lane keep assist) are all present. Thankfully, when Hyundai bumped the price they added a lot of safety features to the lower trims. Right now the cheapest way to get the 2.5T motor is the Night Model, which adds black trim and starts at $36,060 (pre delivery).
I can take-or-leave the black trim, but neither the second row of USB ports, the surround view monitor, or touch capacitive HVAC controls are worth the extra money to me. You may feel differently.
In Conclusion
The automotive journalist corollary to “never meet your heroes” is “never meet the cars you begged automakers to make just so you could borrow one for a weekend.” Writing a few stupid words in a blog trying to argue for an El Camino-ized Audi RS5 are one thing, actually building and marketing a car is actual work.
Thankfully, the Santa Cruz is good and nicely serves its mission of being a truck-type object that you could live with daily, park in a city, and occasionally use to haul things around while returning fuel economy that doesn’t make you feel bad. If you need a truck truck you should just pay about the same amount of money to get a new Trail Boss Colorado.
Here in the United States we only have two small unibody pickups, so your choices are the Maverick or the Santa Cruz. My advice is to get either the cheapest Hybrid Maverick you can find or, if have more budget, get the higher end trim level of the 2.5T Santa Cruz. That there’s such a large range within these two small platforms is a testament to the creativity of the product planners and the American desire for anything that seems like a truck. And the fact that both vehicles are extremely popular and selling well is proof that automotive journalists aren’t always crazy when they ask for things.
All photos: Matt Hardigree or Hyundai
If the Maverick was a full EV, I’d be very interested, Ford missed a big opportunity, but it’s not too late.
Both Ford and Hyundai missed here: they both offer a PHEV on a platform-mate, so they could have at least gone that route. I do have to give Ford credit for at least going hybrid, though.
I live in Colorado, where I would expect to see tons of these, and I’ve seen exactly two of them
This is clearly not designed or marketed as a work truck. I would like to see tests for its capabilities around some of the common activities people say they need a personal truck for.
How does it do with light offroading? Thinking forest service road, field or pasture, frozen lake–that sort of thing.
How is its actual towing performance? Towing and launching a boat. Towing a camper on a road trip. Toy hauler with a motorcycle? With a side-by-side? Could it tow a small car? Could it handle a small horse trailer? Basically what are its limits in the real world? Does it feel confident towing all the way up to the limit?
How about misc. DIY tasks? Mulch. Lumber. Soil. Paver bricks. Appliances. How does it do hauling these sorts of items?
Aftermarket accessories. Does the unique design limit aftermarket accessories, or are manufacturers adjusting and designing accessories specifically for the Santa Cruz?
Thankfully, the Youtubers are on the case for the more in depth stuff. Look up “Santa Cruz Towing” and there’s a wealth of vids of them testing the Santa Cruz on its own and against Mavericks in various scenarios. My favorite one was a pair of guys who ran a mountain towing comparison test.
For this purpose, the way I choose to define “truck”, is “a vehicle whose primary purpose is to transport freight or cargo”. So the bed must be longer than the passenger compartment. The original renderings for the extended cab Santa Cruz showed a truck, but the production version is not a truck.
By this metric, an F-150 Crew Cab with a 5 1/2′ bed is Not A Truck, but an F-250 Crew Cab with an 8′ bed Is A Truck.
Fight me.
Completely agree. And small trucks with the short bed and 4-doors wouldn’t bother me if the manufacturers also mad 2-door long bed options. They just choose to alienate a huge portion of the market. My only options are buying an older small truck like a Ranger or Dakota, or buying a new full size behemoth that’s way more truck than I need or want to deal with.
If I remove the bed from a regular cab ’23 Silverado, does it magically stop being a truck?
Unless you have a method for strapping cargo to the frame rails, yes.
So… tow trucks aren’t trucks? Unless you want to consider another vehicle “cargo”.
Tow trucks have a method for strapping cargo to the frame rails, so yes they still qualify. 😉
Well it magically stops being any good at carrying things………
If they had a hybrid, I bet they could be selling a bunch of these to those frusturated with the “line” to get a Maverick. And that assumes the dealer isn’t pulling some shit with them. A PHEV would be even better.
Otherwise, for me, low 20’s mpg on a “compact” vehicle with a 4 cylinder is just not good at all. Might as well get a Silverado.
I too was disappointed after it came out 8 years after the concept. After driving a Limited and looking at the rear seat, bought a Ridgeline RTL-E the same day and never looked back.
I got one! Just a couple of weeks ago I got myself a 2022 Limited with 10K miles on it for $32K. For that price, it’s amazing. The interior feels like a new Star Trek movie set with all that tech surrounding you.
The only issue I’m having with it is that there is a “Woo” noise coming from the rear end when the HTRAC AWD kicks in at very low speed while turning. I’m taking it to the servicer on Monday to get that checked out.
Not to try to be insulting, but $32k seems like a lot of money. That’s basically what I would want to pay for it new.
I Limited brand new is going to be around $40k-$42k. My “Night Edition” stickered at $38k.
And it’s not a bad price for the tech and the vehicle. I wouldn’t say it’s a bargain, but I didn’t mind paying sticker (minus $500 rebate) for mine last December.
My ‘must haves’ were leather and the adaptive cruise. For some reason, those ONLY come in the Limited trim. Otherwise, I loved the “Night” edition.
What year is it where you live?
Update: Woo noise was the spare tire was loose and rubbing against the suspension on turns.
I think this looks cool but agree they should’ve gone full futuristic and offered a PHEV. Cubbies are nice, but as the Maverick has shown, mpg rules. Also agree on the color options, I’ve only seen drab ones for the few I’ve seen.
Agree with others that it’d be nice to see other makes stepping up, especially when they already make them, Chevy has the Montana, Mitsubishi has the Triton. Give us the utes!
The funny thing about this class of vehicle is that they never seemed to hit my acertainability/need nexus. When Subaru announced the Baja, it was the perfect car for me…unfortunately, I was in law school, and couldn’t even dream of purchasing a new car.
When Hyundai came out with the Santa Cruz (and Ford, the Maverick), they seemed perfect for what I would otherwise want, except that home reno work and camper trailer ownership required a full size truck and a second trucklet seemed redundant (I’d rather have a fun car (ie, small convertible) for use when the truck was excessive).
Always a good feeling when the car you’ve been waiting 22 years for arrives just when you’ve been totally priced out of the market.
“It’s not fair… that’s not fair at all… there was time now…time enough at last.”
In December of 2021 my wife wanted to look at the Maverick and Santa Cruz on the same day. There was one Maverick that was locked up because it was sold. The sales rep told us we could order one for a $5000 markup with a maybe six month wait. When I balked at ordering a vehicle without a test drive he said I need to get used to the new way of doing things.
Off to the Hyundai dealer. They had an SEL with the base engine. They encouraged a test drive and we both loved it. They held firm at MSRP and I admit I paid it. Zero percent financing helped. It easily gets over thirty mpg on the highway. My only quibble is the back seat could be larger but we’re empty nesters so no big deal. They should offer more colors too. How can they not have this in red? Payload capacity is about 1400 pounds and it has self leveling shocks. More than adequate for it’s intended purposes.
Agreed! A red one would be dope. Or bright blue.
I saw one of these the other day. It doesn’t look like a truck. It looks exactly what it is. A car with a chunk cut out of the back for a minuscule trunk about large enough for some groceries and maybe a bag of cement.
Can you use this to get a full uncut sheet of plywood home easier than it would be in a Santa Fe? Conceptually I like these, but practically I don’t see them being able to do the things I want to do with an actual truck.
Checking forums, it looks like it can fit a full uncut sheet of plywood. It fits across, but would hang out the back and need to be secured. For occasional needs this would be just fine as long as the hardware store isn’t too far.
I guess calling anything a ‘truck’ is going to bring out the hate train, but I just see this as the second coming of the ute (yes, I know Aussies call every pickup a ‘ute’). The car-based ones died out nearly five years ago and now this is here to take its place. I think they’re so funky looking and every time I see one I have to take a second look. The Maverick is cool too but not as striking and interesting to look at. I wish more manufacturers would ute their CUVs (a Mazda CX-50 ute would be insane, or a Outback ute (AHEM) Baja).
It’d be interesting to see if crossover utes could demolish the passenger pickup market like crossover cars did for the station wagon. Pickups seem to be more of an emotionally-charged purchase than are “normal” cars — at least in the States, what with our strange, class identity-based way of advertising them — so I wonder if the crossover’s appealing “jack of all trades” compromise would tempt potential “real” truck buyers in a similar way.
And an Outback ute would be very striking if the sides of the bed followed that upward sloping line along the side that ends at the top of the taillights. I wonder if you could design a forward-facing second row that folds down into the bed while still being within NHTSA regulations.
I still wonder what happened to the original Santa Cruz which was definitely shown to dealers and then shitcanned. I knew a dealer back then who was hyped and planning to buy one for his next car. And it didn’t ever come out.
Hyundai was keen on trying things back then. They even made an R-Class style MPV and it got all the way to the prototype stage before it was canned.
https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/amv-prod-cad-assets/images/media/267515/2010-hyundai-portico-photo-224129-s-original.jpg
I like these a lot. Most of the utility I need in a vehicle can be classified as Wagon Stuff, but there are times when it really pushes the boundary into what should properly be Truck Stuff. This form factor would be awesome when the time eventually comes to replace my JSW (which is currently the spare vehicle, so shouldn’t be any time soon) as it seems really useful and looks really nice.
However, I can’t see myself ever buying another pure ICE vehicle. This but phev would be perfect. ::shrug::
there’s one fully rigged with rooftop tent etc in the work parking lot.. it’s a handsome little truck.
I am seriously considering it since the hybrid Mavericks are now close in price, and it’s possible to buy one of these unlike the Mavericks.
So we can agree that a truck doesn’t have to be body on frame. A Santa Cruz still isn’t a truck though.
When you go past a weigh station with a sign that says, ALL TRUCKS MUST STOP, do you whip the Cruz over the scales? And when you’re at the Love’s or the Flyin J, do you take it in the AUTOS entrance, or do you go in the TRUCKS entrance and pull up to the fuel island?
Are you saying that the Ford F150 is also not a truck?
As an f150 owner and person who has driven a ten wheeler, yes.
If it is adapted from the Santa Fe SUV, it is considered a truck by the EPA and DOT and is held to those (lower) safety and emissions standards. So be proud at the Flyin J.
It’s actually on the same platform as the Tucson, not the Santa Fe. What the difference is between the two, I couldn’t tell you off the top of my head.
Like you, Matt, I was taken by the concept Santa Cruz and hoped Hyundai would build it. When the actual truck finally arrived, it was disappointing, not because it was poorly executed, but because it did not have any of concept’s design elements, except for having a bed.
Firstly, it was too big to correctly be called a small truck, except in comparison to a midsize class truck (the Maverick’s even worse).
Secondly, just one body style, no 2-door or extended cab option, just 4-door mediocrity (once again) with a vestigial bed (and no innovative bed extender like the concept).
Thirdly, nothing but an automatic transmission (at least it’s not a CVT).
Lastly, though the concept had hinted at a variety of engine choices, including a turbo diesel, the only choice is whether to turbo your 2.5 or not. No diesel, no hybrid, no plug-in, no choice.
It’s still a nice, smallish truck and appears to perform its duties well, but I just can’t bring myself to want the compromised truck Hyundai finally delivered. I have the exact same issues with the Maverick, though, it it’s favor, it does offer a hybrid and a MUCH better color palette.
The two-door Ram 700 (Fiat derived) from Central and South America is so much closer to what I’d like, but Stellantis isn’t going to offer anything here except another midsize to battle the Ranger and Colorado.
Color me disappointed.
$42K and 22 MPG, you gotta really be space constrained to get value from this compared to “real” trucks IMO.
Mine was a bit less ($38k) and I’m averaging 24MPG overall with the turbo engine. It frequently gets over 30 on the highway. As for size, it’s the only vehicle in this segment that fits in my garage, so there’s value in that. Plus I don’t need a big truck, don’t haul with a trailer. It meets my needs perfectly. That said, I get that they’re not for everyone.
Again, thats still barely better than some fullsize these days. People put up those numbers with ecodiesel dodges all the time. And that half ton Dodge is vastly more capable at everything, including being a minivan and never hauling or towing.
He said he needed a car to fit in his garage, pretty sure a RAM is larger than a Santa Cruz. Also parking a RAM is a bitch, unless you only go to WalMart and Applebee’s. Yeah the mileage on the SC is a joke, but a full size truck is not better at everything. Some people don’t see value in a giganticness.
Sadly the Dodge is not capable in one way — fitting in my garage. And I don’t really need anything that large. I get that plenty of people do, and happy they’re available for those customers. A maverick would fit in my garage but it would be a lot tighter. (Still not sure how everything in Teas is bigger except the damn garages. 2/3 of the houses in my neighborhoods have large trucks and they have to be parked outside.)
I get that mileage on my Santa Cruz is not great, but it’s better than my last car (EcoBoost Flex) and the one before that (Crown Victoria). The Flex was heavier, but the SC actually gets 1/3 better mileage at the same weight as the Crown Vic. Not to mention it’s more powerful.
There are a few minor things I’d change, but I still like my Santa Cruz.
I thought this was going to be a smash hit when it came out. Instead, Ford took the spotlight and hasn’t let go. If Hyundai puts in the hybrid powetrain, I think we’ll see a lot more people considering these. Those sub 30 MPG numbers don’t do any justice when Ford can smack a 40 MPG tagline on their ads.
Can’t wait to put my Santa Cruz bike in it! So I can drive around Santa Cruz with my Santa Cruz, a Santa Cruz in back, drinking a Santa Cruz. On the way to my favorite restaurant Santa Cruz. With my dog Santa Cruz.
Bring Santa to cruise around with you.
Me, Santa and Tom Cruz going for cruise in a Santa Cruz though Worcester.
Despite popular belief ‘Eyes Wide Shut’ is not a Christmas movie.
I keep hoping that Hyundai will bring out hybrid and plug-in hybrid variants, since the Tuscon as both options.
They said they wouldn’t make any hybrid variant for this generation because they basically got rid of the space in the Santa Cruz where the hardware for the Hybrid and PHEV Tuscon goes
I irrationally yearn for one of these even though I have practically zero use for the added utility of the bed and I cannot believe they didn’t offer a hybrid version out-of-the-gate. Whenever I spot one parked, I generally stop to walk around it. Maybe it is because there are such vanishingly few “different” options out there that something as relatively banal as an El Camino is refreshing to see.
Ridgeline. Three options.
I wouldn’t say that’s “small.”
I wouldn’t say any of these are “small”.
These sentences are “short”.
What counts as a small truck to you? The Maverick is similar in length and a few inches wider than the old 2011 and earlier Ford Ranger.
The day a hybrid Ridgeline arrives I will
buy onefantasize about buying one.