For the latest Hyundai Santa Cruz pricing and information:
https://www.kbb.com/Hyundai/Santa-Cruz

With the all-new 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz, Hyundai is going out of their way to not call it a truck. Hyundai’s branding the Santa Cruz a Sport-Adventure Vehicle. Because it rides on the same platform as the Tucson I say, this is unabashedly an SUV with pick-up utility.

When you’re in the cab, you really notice the tech. The huge screens, both digital gauge cluster and infotainment touchscreen are super visible. I love things that are easy to see.

Speaking of visibility, seeing out of the Santa Cruz is a little tough. That c-pillar is pretty thick when I look over my shoulder. Good thing there are good safety features offered. One other bummer note about the interior, no volume nob.

When it comes to the ride, this is where if you aren’t a super huge truck person but have always yearned for the utility of a truck bed, you’re going to be very pleased. You know what else is pleasing? Subscribing to the KBB YouTube channel.

The Ride quality is exactly what you’d expect. There is no truck-esque jingle-jangle underneath you. On the road, you don’t even remember there’s a truck bed back there.

Around turns, again, this is familiar territory. The Santa Cruz behaves very well. The steering feels precise if a bit overly electronically assisted, and there is a modicum of body roll, but it feels stable and smooth around even some sharp stuff. All around the 2022 Santa Cruz is a fun driver.

The Santa Cruz get the choice of two engines. The standard engine is a 191-horsepower 2.5-liter 4-cylinder that uses an 8-speed automatic transmission.

This Santa Cruz I’m driving has the higher output turbocharged 2.5-liter 4-cylinder that makes 281 horsepower and 311 lb-ft of torque. This doesn’t feel underpowered at all. It’s got some good giddy-up. A bit of turbo lag, yes. But that torque will help you tow up to 5,000 pounds worth of toy back there.

The 2.5-turbo is only available with AWD, so that will help you with traction either on dirt roads or in some shady weather. That engine also gets an 8-speed dual-clutch transmission that’s a smooth operator.

Pricing on the Santa Cruz starts at $23,990. That’s for a front-wheel-drive Santa Cruz SE powered by the naturally aspirated 2.5-liter engine. SEL and SEL Activity versions of the FWD Santa Cruz start at $27,190 and $30,460, respectively.

This is going to be great on dirt roads and hard-packed sand to get you to the trailhead or the beach. You’re not going to be able to do any rock crawling, sorry.

Another win for the Santa Cruz is its size. This thing is little. Yes, it’s only got a 4 and a half-foot bed back there, but that’s also the beauty of it. It’s got good utility but is still maneuverable and agile. You’re not going to be searching for parking for days if you live in a city.

Let’s go back to that 4.5-foot bed, it gets tons of underfloor storage with drain plugs, (Max Payload: 1,906 lbs) a retractable, locking tonneau cover, tie downs, an adjustable tailgate, a cleat system, corner steps to get in and out, and spots molded into the bed so you can create a shelf in here for even more storage.

It might not be as long as the bed on a Toyota Tacoma or Nissan Frontier or even the newcomer compact Ford Maverick, but it’s a hard worker.

Standard safety features the Smart Sense suite that include forward collision assistance and lane keep and following assist.

And good news, that lane following assist that Hyundai and Kia put out is a great system. I’d even say one of the best in the industry, certainly at this price point. Other advanced systems like adaptive cruise control are optional.

Lots of interest in the Santa Cruz, and this thing in chock full of tech and other practical features, so you can bet we’re going to talk a ton about this one.

00:00 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz
0:24 What is a Hyundai Santa Cruz?
0:48 Interior
1:24 Driving Impressions
2:53 Engine Choices
4:13 Pricing
6:00 Bed functionality
6:23 Competitors
7:08 Fuel Economy