In recent years, I’ve driven some of the biggest trucks possible, including a lifted GMC Sierra 2500 that was so large I could barely park it practically anywhere. It was also more than $100,000. It seemed pretty outrageous. And kinda unnecessary, really.
If you happen to be looking for something that offers a pickup’s open-bed utility for hauling some gear or a few bikes, but is not the same size or price as a house, here’s a novel idea: the Hyundai Santa Cruz.
A four-door “sport adventure vehicle” which combines the comfort and agility of the Tucson crossover, with a small, 19-inch-deep truck bed added for extra versatility.
Sure, I guess you could pony up for the ungainly Jeep Gladiator or seek out something equally modern El Rancho truck/car-ish like an old Ford Explorer Sport Trac, a pre-makeover Honda Ridgeline or even a Subaru Baja – whose replacement may or may not actually appear in real life.
I’d say a Santa Cruz is going to make you a rare individual in the Colorado High Country, but given that a fully-loaded, all-wheel-drive XRT model of the 118-inch-wheelbase trucklet retails for less than $40,000, it’s an interesting option.
Earlier this year, Hyundai announced the upcoming 2025 model of the more off-road-oriented XRT version of the Santa Cruz, which promises expanded off-road capability with standard all-terrain tires, sharper front and rear approach angles for hopping obstacles and standard features including front tow hooks, a pair of 12.3-inch instrument and navigation screens and new wheel designs.
I drove a 2024 Santa Cruz a couple of months back and it still provides a lot of entertainment and value for its size and presentation, with that XRT trim level offering more cosmetic appeal than true off-roading prowess. It comes with standard HTRAC all-wheel-drive.
Most notably, the XRT package included some very wide and prominent side steps that might be more beneficial on a gigantic full-sized truck, but given the Santa Cruz’s relatively easy entry height, require a slightly awkward half step to access the cabin – and are absolutely not Jeep-styled functional rock rails, by any stretch of the imagination.
But the 2024 XRT does provide a nice range of upgrades from other Santa Cruz models, with lots of custom badging on the center wheel caps and tailgate, and bigger fender flares and markings on the lower doors.
Blacked-out door handles and mirror caps, darkened chrome trim and even gear-oriented bed rails are also added for the kind of rough-and-ready look also seen on XRT versions of the Tucson, Santa Fe and Palisade SUVs. All 2024 Santa Cruz models gained LED projector headlamps and haptic steering wheel feedback connected to the lane-keep assist and blind-spot collision-avoidance systems.
Inside the XRT trim, you get black synthetic H-Tex seating – a little like Subaru’s waterproof seating – plus upgraded Hyundai features like digital key access and a smart cruise control system.
The bed is 48.4 inches long at the top and 52.1 inches at the bottom, and almost 75 inches long if you keep the tailgate dropped. A friend has a Santa Cruz and reports that with the tailgate down and an in-bed rack, he’s able to load a pile of mountain bikes.
There’s a built-in rolling hard tonneau cover that can enclose the entire bed area. There’s also a substantial storage tub located underneath the locking bed floor.
At 196 inches overall, Santa Cruz comes in almost a foot shorter than dedicated modern mid-sized pickups such as the new Ridgeline, the Nissan Frontier or the recently revised Toyota Tacoma. But that may also provide some appeal for drivers who are looking for a more car/SUV-styled experience.
Santa Cruz has adopted Hyundai’s checkerboard pattern of LED running lights, and its body lines are not truck-like at all, but rather curved and complex, with a big turn under the rear windows.
Perhaps its most surprising attribute is a turbocharged 2.5 liter engine, which pushes the output to approximately 275 horsepower and the 310 pound-feet of torque that makes it literally fly uphill. It’s rated at 22 combined city/highway mpg but easily reaches the 27 mpg highway figure.
Andy Stonehouse’s columnMountain Wheelspublishes Saturdays in the Summit Daily News. Stonehouse has worked as an editor and writer in Colorado since 1998, focusing on automotive coverage since 2004. He lives in Golden.
Andy Stonehouse’s column “Mountain Wheels” publishes Saturdays in the Summit Daily News. Stonehouse has worked as an editor and writer in Colorado since 1998, focusing on automotive coverage since 2004. He lives in Golden. Contact him at summitmountainwheels@gmail.com.
