📰 Auto News 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz Comes into View before April 15 Reveal | C&D

[Mook]

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How to Watch 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz Reveal on April 15

Hyundai’s first pickup truck will look much like the concept from 2015, but the production model will be a four-door crew cab.

www.caranddriver.com

• Ahead of the full reveal on April 15, Hyundai released teaser photos of the 2022 Santa Cruz pickup.
• The Santa Cruz looks much like the concept but gains two more doors—for a total of four—and gets a grille similar to the 2022 Tucson's.
• The Santa Cruz will be assembled alongside the Santa Fe in Alabama, and we expect the Santa Cruz to offer the same engines as the Santa Fe.

Back in 2019, Hyundai said that its Santa Cruz pickup would go into production in 2021—and the company has now released teaser photos and confirmed that the pickup will reach dealerships this year. As shown in the photos, the Santa Cruz will have four doors and a small bed, along with a grille that looks similar to the one on the new 2022 Hyundai Tucson.

The teaser photos show a pickup that looks sportier and more on-road-focused than many other pickup trucks. The C-pillar slants toward the bed, giving the cab a sleek appearance. Lest we forget that it’s a pickup and not just another crossover, the Santa Cruz name is prominently displayed across the tailgate.

Intended for adventure-oriented buyers, the Santa Cruz will be a unibody pickup and will slot into an increasingly popular segment of small pickups. It will be only one of just a few pickups on the market—the Honda Ridgeline and upcoming Ford Maverick being the others—that don't ride on a body-on-frame chassis. We'd guess that Hyundai will emphasize the Santa Cruz's ability to haul kayaks and bikes rather than its outright payload and towing capacity.

Hyundai hasn’t released many other details ahead of the Santa Cruz’s April 15 reveal, but the automaker is emphasizing off-road capability as well as on-road comfort. We think that the Santa Cruz will get the Santa Fe’s 2.5-liter and turbocharged 2.5-liter inline-four engine options paired with an eight-speed automatic and all-wheel drive. The two vehicles will be assembled in the same Alabama factory.

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[Bob Kazamakis]

The smallest of beds.

 

[Jeffs FRC]

Santa Cruz>Ridgeline

 

[Blood on Blood]

Ridgeline is a midsize, Santa Cruz is a small truck (I.e. useless mini-truck).

First the pathetic Motortrend Journalist w/ the
underwhelming Red Eye Charger review and now this Jackwagon comparing apples & oranges with the unibody truck segment.

 

[Mr Baytchos]

Wish they would have kept the design of the concept

 

[frank]

I’m not a a pick up... i want to be identified as a Sports Adventure Vehicle.

Not bad looking at all.

Hyundai Santa Cruz Revealed With Sharp Styling And Solid Performance

We don't know about you, but we grew up in a world where an off-road capable vehicle with an engine in the front, a cab in the middle, and a load bed at the back meant a pickup. However, Hyundai insists that its latest creation, despite having the above characteristics, is not a pickup. What...

carbuzz.com

 

[Bru]

This thing’s cool. I dig it with the roll-top cover and underfloor storage.

 

[frank]

It’s should be another winner for Hyundai!

 

[Fish]

I hope its out before June so I can get one when I trade the leased Kona in.

 

[Dan00Hawk]

Great styling on it. Sure, it's basically a compact SUV with a bed instead of a covered cargo area. But I think there's quite a bit of opportunity for that segment. I'd be interested to see how the turbo 2.5 does and what the weight of the vehicle is. Should be decently quick in that configuration, too.

 

[Fish]

Whats funny is that I dont think its a compact SUV size either if its the same length as the Palisade, which one article says it is. So at worse the inside is in between the size of a Tucson and Santa Fe, and instead of the SUV back, its a truck bed.

Ok, I am watching the video and its based on the Tucson platform. So Im assuming the interior is Tucson sized with the extra length in the back for the bed. My Tucson isnt terribly sized, so its doable.

 

[Mr Baytchos]

Looks good

 

[Dave M]

I dig it, and it would likely serve my needs in a truck at this point of my life.

 

[Blood on Blood]

 

[Dan00Hawk]

With the Ford Maverick coming out of the gate with a hybrid promising 40mpg city, Hyundai better act quickly with inserting one of their hybrid powertrains to stay competitive with the base models.

 

[v6buicks]

With the Ford Maverick coming out of the gate with a hybrid promising 40mpg city, Hyundai better act quickly with inserting one of their hybrid powertrains to stay competitive with the base models.

They would need to make it cheap too. The Maverick starting under 20k makes it a no brainer IMO. I like the Santa Cruz styling better. However, the numbers we saw on the Maverick were so awesome that we just pulled the reigns on our crossover shopping. It's cheap, fuel efficient, and we don't need to do an interior deep cleaning whenever we bring mulch home. Sign me up. All these other small truck things are getting the same mpg and pricing as mid-size trucks or 1500s which is totally pointless. I'm sure Hyundai is smart enough to at least hybridize the Santa Cruz eventually though.

 

[Dan00Hawk]

They would need to make it cheap too. The Maverick starting under 20k makes it a no brainer IMO. I like the Santa Cruz styling better. However, the numbers we saw on the Maverick were so awesome that we just pulled the reigns on our crossover shopping. It's cheap, fuel efficient, and we don't need to do an interior deep cleaning whenever we bring mulch home. Sign me up. All these other small truck things are getting the same mpg and pricing as mid-size trucks or 1500s which is totally pointless. I'm sure Hyundai is smart enough to at least hybridize the Santa Cruz eventually though.

If I were going between the AWD versions with the turbo motor, I'd probably be swayed towards the Santa Cruz for the more interesting styling and likely better performance if prices are reasonably similar.

But for the base FWD versions between the 2, the Maverick hybrid would seem to be the easy early favorite by a large margin.

 

[Bob Kazamakis]

I need to convince the wife she needs one of these little truck thing.

 

[Blood on Blood]

12 min video that brings you the production assembly of a new Santa Cruz.

I enjoyed it

 

[Dan00Hawk]

The more I'm learning about the Santa Cruz, the more I'm digging the 2.5 turbo and 8 speed DCT. Essentially same motor in the Sonata, and Kia Stinger and K5 are doing 0-60 in 4.8-5.5, and hitting trapspeeds in the quarter mile of around 105-106 mph. The heavier AWD Santa Fe and Genesis SUVs with the same motor are still 6.0 seconds 0-60 and quarter mile trap speeds around 100 mph. I think the Santa Cruz should be a couple hundred pounds lighter than the SUVs, right?

Burger makes a JB4 for the 2.5t motor in all the other Kia and Hyundai platforms with gains of about 40 - 60 hp/tq on 93 octane or an E20 blend. I think that would make one of these Santa Cruz "sport trucks" quite a sleeper. Might as well have it be quick on the street and in inclement weather, as it won't likely be capable of much offroading beyond a gentle dirt trail.

Pricing out an SEL Premium AWD, my preferred trim level, would be about $36k, or about $5k higher than a somewhat comparably equipped Maverick. But the styling and better performance of the Santa Cruz may allow some to justify that higher entry price.

 

[Bob Kazamakis]

I like the way this guy thinks.

 

[Pressure Ratio]

I looked at the SEL Premium and the Limited this weekend. Both have the 2.5 Turbo, DTC trans, and AWD. I don't think they offer the FWD version just yet. Besides the shifter in the Santa Cruz, the front area is almost identical to the Tucson. Which is a good thing. Both cloth and leather seats were comfortable. The back seat is far from cramped but smaller than the Santa Cruz. With the driver's seat set for a 6' driver, a 6' passenger has room. Knees are close to the seat but not touching. There is like 6" or so under the front seats. So plenty of space for your feet giving you the ability to stretch out a little. The rear doors come up high at the back of the window. It makes it feel a little weird. Not Closter phobic, but definitely not as open feeling as having the window lower.

The power is great. The trans shifts well. Quick but smooth shifts in normal driving more. A little quicker and firmer in sport mode. But far from harsh. From a dead stop, it won't let you brake boost the turbo motor at all. So from a stop, it takes a split second to spool the turbo and build the torque to really get you moving. But after that split second, it pulls very well. From a roll, it just goes when you hammer down. Plenty of power to have a spirited drive. I can imagine another 40 hp & Tq with a tune would be a good time.

The suspension is very good. It isn't plush but it isn't hard riding either. It absorbs bumps well and tracks straight doing so. The handling is unreal. You can throw this thing into curves and it stays very flat for a suv/ute on stock suspension. It is very composed and a blast to hit twisty roads in. Hyundai hired two BMW suspension engineers a while back. One of them was in charge of the M-division. They have this thing dialed in very well.

I can't find too many faults with it. There are some things that are weird or I don't like. Things like no power sliding window. The sliding window reduces the already small ear view. No memory seats is a $41k Limited. No wireless Apple car play or Android auto with the upgraded Bose radio. Stuff like that. Maybe some of that will be corrected if it sells well enough for a mid-cycle refresh? It would also be nice to see the Tucson Hybrid driveline in this as well.

The price of this versus the Maverick is also one thing that many people mention. The Maverick seems to be cheaper. But until we see some production version, who knows if it is deserving of that cheaper price. I also question the ride quality and fun factor of the Maverick. I don't think the Escape, that the Maverick is based on, is nearly as enjoyable to drive compared to the Santa Cruz. But we will have to see if that is the case or not when the Maverick is out.

If you think this is a vehicle that could work for your needs, I would definitely say go and drive it.

 

[The Beast]

Pratt which one did u buy ?

 

[LikeABauce302]

You know we're all getting old when Pressure Ratio is excited by a Hyundai.

I give it 6 months before it has a big turbo.

 

[Pressure Ratio]

Getting into a lowered sedan is tough for an old guy! Don't ya know! lol