It’s up for dispute whether the 2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz counts as a proper pickup truck, but there’s less disagreement over its unique appearance and practical cargo box. The Hyundai’s maximum towing capacity is 5000 pounds, and there are mid-size vehicles that can handle mud and rough terrain better. However, the Santa Cruz isn’t attempting to pass like one of those irate-looking, trail-eating, jobsite mule pickups. Consider it as a little Hyundai Tucson with a truck bed instead. After all, the vehicles’ platforms and drivetrains are similar. A weak 191 horsepower four-cylinder and a 281 horsepower turbo-four that is an option both power the Santa Cruz’s performance. The stronger engine is only compatible with all-wheel drive; it is only offered with the top two trim levels. The stronger engine is available with either front- or all-wheel drive. The SEL Premium and Limited offer the best technology and the nicest interiors, but they forego a greater number of physical controls in favor of less practical touchscreen buttons and are significantly more expensive than the less expensive variants. However, the 2023 Santa Cruz stands out for striking a mix between usability and enjoyable driving characteristics.
In This Article...
The Hyundai Santa Cruz, which costs $24,000, is a truck that drives like an SUV, making it the ideal vehicle for adventures.
- The 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz is unlike anything else on the market, being both a pickup and an SUV.
- It has a modest but surprisingly adaptable truck bed and costs $24,000.
- It’s the ideal vehicle for weekend activities since it combines SUV proportions with pickup-truck functionality.
Three different people approached me and asked the identical question in the course of just one afternoon while I was driving Hyundai’s new pickup truck, the 2022 Santa Cruz: “What the heck is that thing?”
If we didn’t live in a time when many people’s social skills have completely vanished, much like their early-pandemic sourdough starters or their desire to dress oneself below the Zoom line, I imagine the figure would have been higher.
The majority of folks haven’t actually seen a Santa Cruz up close because it only came onto the scene this summer. However, there’s another reason why people always ask inquiries and give Hyundai’s small truck perplexed looks: it’s freakin’ strange.
The Santa Cruz is unlike anything else you can purchase today, occupying the odd space between a pickup and an SUV. In essence, Hyundai took an SUV, removed a sizable portion of the roof, and added a tiny truck bed where the trunk should have been.
Although the end result sounds horrifying, it flawlessly combines the functionality of a pickup truck with the comfortable form and feel of an SUV. The Santa Cruz is a brilliantly funky response to the big trucks and generic crossovers that rule US roadways, and it is in a league of its own.
The genuinely compact pickup is revived with the Hyundai Santa Cruz.
The brand-new 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz is a two-row, crew-cab style vehicle that is aimed at city people seeking weekend getaways. The tiny pickup holds four adults in the cabin and has space for their belongings in the bed. It is the manufacturer’s first consumer pickup truck of any size or design to be marketed in the U.S.
An adequate amount of luggage and recreational equipment may fit in the pickup bed’s four feet, and a locking, metal roll-up tonneau cover keeps them safe and secure. The tonneau is a sensible feature that will probably be a well-liked factory option. In addition, the Santa Cruz has a lockable storage space built into the floor of the bed, similar to the Honda Ridgeline’s bed storage box.
Samsung Santa Cruz
Hyundai manufactures the four-door Santa Cruz compact pickup vehicle. The Santa Cruz is Hyundai’s first 4-door pickup truck offered in the North American market, and it will go on sale in 2021 for the 2022 model year. The car features a unibody chassis architecture instead of the ladder frame used in most pickup trucks and is based on the Tucson crossover SUV. According to industry observers, the Santa Cruz is more likely to draw car or crossover buyers than owners of larger, more traditional pickup trucks.
Does Hyundai produce compact pickup trucks?
The small pickup truck is back. An unorthodox combination of trucks creates a new class of vehicles. The Ford Maverick comes from a company that has been producing trucks for more than a century, but the Hyundai Santa Cruz is the Korean brand’s first foray into this market. These two little trucks bring back memories of the days when small trucks ruled the highways. These two engage in a contemporary conflict.
Do Hyundai or Kia produce pickup trucks?
Unfortunately, Kia does not currently sell a truck in the United States, but it does sell the Kia Bongo, a well-liked cabover pickup truck, in countries like South Korea, Indonesia, and Australia.
Does Hyundai currently own a truck?
Although the Hyundai Santa Cruz is an unusual pickup truck, many drivers find it to be the ideal vehicle. It has the practicality and driving qualities of a compact SUV similar to the Hyundai Tucson on which it is based thanks to its small size, car-like chassis, and capacious 4-door body.
What is the name of the latest Hyundai truck?
The new Hyundai vehicle was just released in 2021, so it does now. The Hyundai Santa Cruz pickup is what it is named. It aspires to combine the utility and comfort of an open-bed truck with the room and comfort of an SUV. Whether traveling for a weekend road trip or a daily commute, the Santa Cruz performs admirably.
Is a pickup truck being released by Kia Motors?
Kia steps up its efforts in EVs. With a target to increase the lineup to 14 BEVs by 2027, the business will begin releasing at least two new battery-electric models (BEVs) every year beginning of the following year.
The plan includes “an entry-level BEV model” in addition to the Kia EV6 – debuted in 2021 – and its impending GT version. The Kia EV9 flagship SUV is scheduled to launch in 2023.
The South Korean manufacturer really revealed two electric pickup trucks, one for developed markets and the other for emerging countries:
- a completely electric pickup truck
- “an emerging markets strategic model”
Kia will add two electric pickup trucks—a specialized electric pickup truck and a strategic model for emerging markets—as well as an entry-level BEV model to its prior goal to introduce 11 models by 2026.
According to one of the presentation’s slides, pickup trucks won’t debut until 2026, or in about 4 years:
It’s interesting to note that there is also one “Pick-up/commercial” model listed for 2021, which most likely refers to the South Korean Bongo 3 EV (see Kia’s website here).
Kia withholds all information regarding the pickup trucks. There is still plenty of time to create those new models, after all.
There is currently no information available, but it will be intriguing to see whether the Hyundai brand (both are a member of the Hyundai Motor Group) also releases an electric pickup truck.
Kia may choose to manufacture its all-electric pickup trucks in the US whenever they are ready to be released. The presentation on the expansion of EV manufacturing contains a hint regarding that.
The South Korean automaker announced that beginning in 2024, American factories will start making electrified versions of mid-sized SUVs and pickup trucks:
“For instance, starting in 2025, small and medium-sized EVs will be manufactured in Europe. Mid-sized SUVs and pickup trucks are popular in the United States, and starting in 2024, electric versions of these vehicles will be made here. In China, Kia expects to release mid-size EV cars starting in 2019, while India plans to start making entry- and mid-size EV models in 2025.”
If electric pickup trucks are anticipated in 2026, the 2024 deadline must apply to new mid-sized SUVs.
Rivian (R1T) and GMC have already introduced the first contemporary all-electric pickups (Hummer EV Pickup). Ford will start giving the F-150 Lightning to customers this Spring, and several other companies have indicated intentions to do the same (including Tesla, Chevrolet and Toyota).
Will Kia produce a truck?
Kia has announced its AutoMode self-driving car technology, a new electric pickup truck that will go on sale by 2027, and that it will produce the pickup and electric SUVs in the United States in a presentation outlining its business objectives for the remaining 2020s.
Do Kia pickup trucks exist?
Kia has made the unexpected revelation that it is creating two new electric pickup trucks. However, as you’ll see, this has been in the works for a while. By 2027, it intends to introduce a total of 14 new EVs at a rate of two each year. While Niro EV sales have increased, it recently debuted its EV6 crossover. The Niro has increased by 132% just in the past month.
Where is the Hyundai Santa Cruz truck manufactured?
- Hyundai will manufacture the Santa Cruz pickup in Alabama in the future. Hyundai has stated that the company’s assembly factory in Montgomery, Alabama will be used to build the next Santa Cruz pickup truck.
- Review of the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz: Car or Truck?
- First impressions of the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz: Now for Something
Hyundai is there a Santa Cruz for 2023?
The pickup truck on a unibody platform enters its second model year with the 2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz. The new Night package for the vehicle broadens the brand’s product offering. Prices have increased by as much as $1,780 throughout the lineup.
All-wheel drive and every piece of equipment from the SEL Activity trim level are included in the Santa Cruz Night grade. This model has a 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine and an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission in place of the 2.5-liter normally aspirated engine.
A Santa Cruz—is it a truck?
The Santa Cruz blends the practicality of a compact truck with quirky styling and a fun-to-drive attitude. It costs a little more than its primary competition, the Ford Maverick, and the style might not be to everyone’s taste, but the extensive list of features and the high-end interior more than make up for the higher price.
Who creates vehicles with truck beds?
The Chevrolet El Camino is perhaps the first vehicle that comes to mind when you discuss a car with a truck bed. Even though you don’t often see the El Camino hauling a noteworthy quantity of cargo in the truck bed, many people nevertheless adore its novelty. This sportster, which is categorized as a coupe utility muscle car, looks to have it all.
Have you seen the Hyundai Santa Cruz yet?
Release of the new Hyundai Santa Cruz is scheduled for 2022. In 2022, the brand-new Hyundai Santa Cruz truck is anticipated to roll off the assembly line in Alabama. According to a story from November 2020, Hyundai has announced that they would start selling their first truck in 2021.
The Santa Cruz vehicle was constructed by who?
Hyundai clearly won with the Santa Cruz because it has been doing well in sales. That shouldn’t come as a huge surprise considering how well-rated the Santa Cruz vehicle is by Consumer Reports.
The Santa Cruz’s driving characteristics are among its best features. This is largely because Hyundai created the Santa Cruz with a unibody architecture, which is uncommon in trucks. The Santa Cruz drives more like a car than a truck since unibody designs are more typical in sedans.
For a truck of its size, the Santa Cruz’s engines also produce a respectable amount of power. Drivers have the option to upgrade the vehicle’s base 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine, which produces 191 horsepower, to a turbocharged version, which produces 281 horsepower. The Santa Cruz now has a more powerful engine that not only increases its ability to tow but also allows for a more enjoyable driving experience.