2021 Hyundai Santa Cruz First force assessment subsequent huge aspect? Or lifeless-stop area of interest?

 2021 Hyundai Santa Cruz First force assessment subsequent huge aspect? Or lifeless-stop area of interest?

PALO ALTO, Calif. - it's a rare day whilst a brand new vehicle comes alongside that has no existing segment or competitors already in the marketplace. It can be the next huge element that spawns copycats, an evolutionary lifeless end or something that successfully identifies a target however misses the bullseye. Well, that is what we have with the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz. At the very least, it isn't some Chevy SSR, an oddball introduction for extremely area of interest tastes. It's both a pickup and a compact crossover, two things people love. It has capabilities and energy aplenty. It's particularly fun to drive and impressively subtle. On the one hand, judging by way of the ones attributes, it could be wildly a hit.

Then again, it would not look like a conventional truck, which hasn't gone nicely within the past (see Honda Ridgeline). The Ford Maverick does. Sure, there in the end may be a competitor, however even before we have pushed that, it's obvious Ford and Hyundai went in very distinctive instructions in looking to nail the bullseye on a target categorized "compact crossover pickup." That applies to their powertrains, pricing and interiors, however for starters, allow's communicate about the styling.

The Santa Cruz you see here is based at the Santa Cruz idea from 2015, but tons turned into achieved to evolve it to new-generation underpinnings and Hyundai's modern-day layout language. It truly is maximum obvious with the narrow, T-shaped taillights and Tucson-like LED accessory lighting that uniquely blends into the grille, however there are diffused, vital differences with the in any other case broadly similar silhouette.

Note the C-pillar. In keeping with layout supervisor Brad Arnold, his team toyed with boxier bed/C-pillar silhouettes to make it greater traditional (now not in contrast to the second one-era Ridgeline), but then they figured this wasn't to be a traditional truck. They also toyed with some thing like the Tesla Cybertruck (long before it changed into discovered) in which the roofline extends all the manner to the tailgate, but there has been fear that would be puzzling and too radical (not unlike the primary-generation Ridgeline and, well, the Cybertruck). The give up end result, as you could see, is someplace inside the middle however a bit closer to conventional than the unique idea.

It's also a key cause that the Santa Cruz appears so sensational in character. Its proportions are spot-on, and its body info are simply interesting sufficient without venturing into the overwrought (and pointy) territory of the Tucson and Elantra. Arnold says the intention become to gain a car that appears muscular and robust for its wellknown outside adventurer vibe, but also sporty for the city, on-avenue environment in which it'll by and large stay. Seems that remaining bit became particularly essential.

"simply, as it seemed sporty, we made it sporty," vehicle development engineer Chahe Apelian admitted after hearing Arnold describe what his crew became going for visually. 

And indeed it's far sporty. The Santa Cruz is one of the maximum responsive and agile compact crossovers … irrespective of what is going on in the back of the C pillar. There's clearly not anything truck-like approximately it, that's perhaps a bad thing if you choice a bouncy journey, tippy coping with and sluggish guidance. Otherwise, it proves to be shockingly sharp and able to flicking about a twisting mountain road. We simply drove the Santa Cruz after a stint inside the new Hyundai Kona N and had been a bit concerned our perceptions of the truck might be unfairly clouded by means of the pseudo hot hatch. Now not to fear. They play in unique leagues to make sure, but the game is the identical. 

Nudge the force mode toggle into game and the steerage loses its preliminary little bit of off-center numbness in choose of simply the proper quantity of extra effort. The suspension, with its unbiased multi-hyperlink setup at the rear, remains resolutely planted and composed. On the same time, the journey is at the company end of the spectrum, however not in a truckish way. Extra in a Mazda CX-five, firm-but-well-damped way. 

Then there is the powertrain. We did now not power the 191-horsepower clearly aspirated 2.Five-liter base engine, and judging through our time with that powerplant inside the Tucson, it is likely first-class we didn't, even supposing it makes barely more power and torque. Instead, most effective the 2.5-liter turbocharged engine turned into accessible, boasting 281 horsepower and 311 pound-ft of torque. That compares with 250 hp and 277 lb-feet within the barely lighter Maverick, and heck, it's higher than the 270 hp and 310 lb-feet within the heavier Ford Ranger. It's also appreciably greater than the typical compact crossover engine upgrade. The Tucson does not offer it.

It feels every bit as quick as those figures and comparisons could suggest. The 8-velocity dual-grasp automated manual is tremendous as properly. It doesn't draw attention to itself in mundane driving with behind schedule responses or ordinary low-speed behavior, yet fires off shifts extra unexpectedly than an automatic can. It receives even spicier in sport mode, and when the use of the chunky paddle shifters, it'll stay in guide mode in place of robotically reverting lower back to fully computerized at some point. That is as a whole lot a benefit for engine braking on long downhill stretches as it is while towing.

Speakme of which, the turbocharged Santa Cruz has a five,000-pound tow rating as opposed to the rapid Maverick's 4,000 pounds. Its payload of 1,748 pounds additionally bests the Ford's 1,500, while making the most of self-leveling rear dampers that'll save you that droopy butt appearance whilst loaded.      

Gasoline economic system is expected to be 19 mpg city, 27 mpg motorway and 22 mpg mixed with the turbo and its mandatory all-wheel-force pairing. It's basically the same as the bottom engine (21/26/23 with FWD and 21/27/23 with AWD), and given its large displacement, it would not be unexpected if this 2.Five-liter manages to better reflect its EPA estimates than the two.0-liter located inside the Maverick and different in addition engined cars. Of course, if we're speakme fuel economic system, the Santa Cruz does now not offer a hybrid powertrain and, as a end result, the Maverick and its hybrid's 37-mpg-mixed estimate blow it away. That could show to be an insurmountable gain for Ford. Hyundai now not distinctly would only remark approximately the Santa Cruz as-is, however considering the Tucson is available as each a hybrid and plug-in hybrid … there are possibilities.

So it doesn't pressure like a truck, but what approximately its truck mattress? At 52.1 inches (or 4.34 feet), it is 2.3 inches shorter than even the Maverick's toddler-sized mattress. Hyundai packed in a few bikes with their tires dangling over the tailgate and some particularly brief surfboards poking out the lower back, however there's no denying the constraints relative the beds of traditional trucks. As such, it's exceptional to think of the Santa Cruz as extra of an alternative to compact crossovers, and especially, its mattress as an opportunity equipment-wearing solution than a compact crossover's enclosed shipment area. 

To that cease, it has some innovative capabilities to make it extra than just a huge open container. There is a trunk-like underfloor garage bin it truly is big sufficient for two small backpacks and drainable to double as a cooler (or allow it's hosed out). It's maybe 40% the size of the Honda Ridgeline's and does not benefit from that crossover pickup's swing-out tailgate, making the bin less beneficial and a bit tough to reach inside. Still, it is better than no sealed garage, and there is truely greater. Two smaller cubbies reside on each facet of the bed (one could have a 115-volt strength outlet), and an modern, factory-hooked up cargo cover rolls out over the bed to maintain all your stuff locked away and dry. There also are roof rails, which might be uncommon for any pickup, and you may constantly plug something into the trailer hitch like Yakima's Exo device. For reference, the Maverick has its very own bed of tricks. 

There is no skip-through from the bed into the cabin as within the vintage Chevy Avalanche or Subaru Baja, however that is probably for the exceptional, due to the fact the Santa Cruz indoors is sort of too excellent for a pickup. True, we tested a loaded restrained trim with its heated/ventilated leather seats and myriad different luxuries, but the baseline plastics and other substances need to be steady at some point of the lineup. It is a far richer environment than what you'll locate within the Maverick (we've got sat in that, but no longer pushed it), and is actually identical in first-class and design as the Hyundai Tucson.

That includes the contact-capacitive controls for the infotainment and climate controls, which show up on higher trim levels (the lower trims have HVAC buttons and knobs, plus strange barrel-like controls for quantity and tuning). Although they genuinely do a good process of responding in your contact, it takes an excessive amount of concentration to locate them together with your finger amidst the glossy black expanse. At the least Hyundai's first-rate touchscreen infotainment systems, such as the 10.25-inch widescreen improve proven here, works simply as nicely as it does in the Tucson, Palisade, Sonata, and many others.   

Don't expect Tucson-like backseat comfort, though. The seat lower back is a tad upright and the seat backside as a substitute low. The specifications say there is greater head- and legroom again there than in the Maverick, but we would want to sit down in the back seats of each to peer if that absolutely shakes out in individual.

And indeed, we're keen to pressure both of the new compact pickups back to lower back to peer that is the better execution of a not unusual concept. To my eyes, the Santa Cruz appears a lot better and has a miles nicer interior, and if the Maverick's robotically related Bronco game sibling is any indication, the Hyundai must be higher to drive, too. That stated, Ford has  large benefits: gas economic system and a decrease charge.

The base, front-wheel-power, 2.Five-liter Santa Cruz SE begins at $25,a hundred seventy five versus the Maverick at $21,490 (all fees blanketed destination). You may also get the Ford's faster engine on the base model, while it doesn't arrive on Santa Cruz till the $36,865 SEL premium trim. A loaded Maverick additionally is available in approximately $4,500 south of our loaded $41,a hundred Santa Cruz test car. Perhaps all the ones higher expenses are justified given its more/more suitable device, higher guarantee and different aforementioned benefits, but it does seem a bit too steep.

It positive appears weird to come back to the realization that a Hyundai is probably too steeply-priced, but it is difficult not to quit there. The Santa Cruz is truely compelling and might-be consumers of Subarus and other outdoor adventurey crossovers would possibly locate it to be an attractive alternative for their precise outside adventurey needs. It is also distinctive sufficient from the Maverick and freed from any other competitors that the price may not also be an difficulty. Alternatively, it might be deemed too bizarre and too expensive. Who is aware of? Best time and the shopping for public will tell.