The other “lights” tucked behind the intricate mesh are just daytime running lights. No matter, the look is very similar both vehicles, for example, have optical blocks positioned very low in this expressive bumper.

I say “almost” because contrary to the Tucson's shield that includes four rows within its grille, the Santa Cruz has only three. Furthermore, the Santa Cruz's front end is almost identical to that of the just-revised Tucson. More specifically, that would be the Tucson. , 100% online, shop for your next car, buy online and get it delivered to you anywhere in Quebec!Īs is the case with the Maverick, which uses the same architecture as the Escape or the Bronco Sport, the Hyundai Santa Cruz is based on a compact SUV platform. Anyways, we’ve known for years this pickup was coming, since the company first showed a prototype back in… 2015. For a decade now, Hyundai and Kia have been cranking out ambitious projects (Hyundai Veloster, the entire Genesis division, Kia Soul, Kia Stinger, Hyundai Ioniq 5, etc.) like there’s no tomorrow. Should we be surprised by such an innovative product from the Korean automaker? No, not really. Hyundai this year launched, not the sixth or seventh generation of the Pony, but the very first generation of the Hyundai Santa Cruz, a compact pickup for adventure lovers. If someone had told me back in the day that Hyundai would become one of the world's automotive giants, and that it would even reach the point of going head-to-head with the Big Three by launching a pickup truck, I might have recommended therapy for them. Hyundai first came to Canada in 1983 with a certain Pony (1984 model-year), a rear-wheel-drive subcompact that had more than a bit in common with the archaic Chevrolet Chevette. Eco-conscious city folks will bemoan the fact that, unlike with the Tucson, the Santa Cruz is not available with a hybrid-powertrain configuration.Auto123 reviews the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz pickup. Space for that bed had to come from somewhere if the designers didn’t want to end up with a ludicrously long Santa Cruz. On the other hand, rear-seat passengers will enjoy far more room to stretch legs and elbows in the SUV. An in-bed trunk can be used as an icebox. Towing capacity is 5,000 lb for the Santa Cruz, which far outdoes the Tucson and its 2,000-lb capacity. Note, however, that the latter is some 180 kg lighter than its new stablemate, which has to mean that in similar driving situations, I likely would have consumed less with the SUV. I averaged, during my week of mainly in-city driving, a total of 12.7L/100 km, which is fairly satisfactory, along the lines of what you could expect from a… Tucson. The Santa Cruz runs on a 2.5L turbo engine good for 281 hp and 311 lb-ft of torque. And along the way, it consumes more or less the amount of fuel a Santa Fe does. (Its dimensions are between the smaller Tucson and the larger Santa Fe). For another, the Santa Cruz handles like an SUV when the traffic starts to move (it’s built on a unibody platform), and it parks like one when you arrive at destination. You’re on the same level as all the compact and mid-size SUVs around you in traffic. For one thing, you’re not sitting so high off the ground, like in a Ram or F-150.

Sit inside and, if it wasn't for the differently-framed view when you check in your rearview mirror, you’d pretty quickly forget you’re not in a regular old SUV. You can also call the drive this thing offers SUV-esque. However you refer to it, this is a vehicle the conception of which is more inspired by SUVs than trucks. Anyways, Hyundai itself doesn’t even call it a pickup, its marketing team having come up with a new description for it that I can almost guarantee won’t catch on: Sports Adventure Vehicle. For sure, “truck” is maybe not the most accurate description for what is in essence something between a Tucson and a Santa Fe with a bed where the cargo space normally is.

Green santa cruz truck