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.
Based on the outstanding prototype unveiled in 2015, Hyundai engineers and designers have been working diligently ever since to create a pickup truck.
With so many Hyundai SUVs and crossovers to select from, entering the pickup truck market was only logical.
Do Hyundai or Kia produce pickup trucks?
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 adaptability and comfort of an open-bed truck with the room and comfort of an SUV.
Do Hyundai’s full-size pickup trucks exist?
In conclusion, the only Hyundai pickup truck is the Santa Cruz from 2022. It is a unibody vehicle around the same size as the Ford Maverick. It has plenty of storage and can tow a moderate amount of weight despite its compact size. The tech-filled interior of the vehicle feels opulent, especially in higher grades. This model won’t take the place of your work truck, but it might make a great midsize truck, crossover, or SUV substitute.
What is the name of a Hyundai truck?
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.
Is there a truck from Hyundai for 2022?
- I adored its adaptable bed with plenty of storage compartments and its enjoyable driving experience.
- The Santa Cruz starts at a starting price of about $24,000. The cost of our tester was just over $41,000.
You don’t like the tank-sized Fords and Chevys of today, but you still want a pickup truck. Your pleas have been heard by Hyundai.
Its brand-new 2022 Santa Cruz offers a more urbane and small-footprint substitute to the current fad’s trucks. It is constructed more like an SUV than a typical truck, making it more maneuverable and simple to drive than a big Ford F-150.
We tested Hyundai’s new vehicle and discovered eight benefits and drawbacks to weigh before purchasing.
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).
The Hyundai Santa Cruz is a truck, right?
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.
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.
The new Kia pickup vehicle costs how much?
The EV6 will be Kia’s first entirely electric vehicle in 2022. Yes, the 2022 Niro EV from the Korean manufacturer already exists, but the EV6 will only be offered as an EV and introduces a new nomenclature scheme for subsequent electric vehicles. We also now know how much it will cost.
The starting MSRP for the EV6 in its base trim will be $40,900. The price decreases to $33,400, though, when you consider that the EV6 qualifies for the $7,500 federal tax credit. Additionally, the EV6 will be offered in all 50 states, claims Kia.
Let’s examine this all-electric SUV in more detail, paying particular attention to the price, range, and trims.