Hyundai Santa Cruz – some crossovers dream of being pickups

Hyundai cars in Russia are strongly associated with budget sedans, hatchbacks and various crossovers. The latter, as a rule, are compact or medium-sized.


The South Korean manufacturer has historically not been interested in pickup trucks. In principle, it is clear - he competes in a different “weight category”. Although, sometimes Hyundai goes “into the wrong steppe.” In 2021 they introduced the Santa Cruz model. This is a stylish pickup truck on a crossover chassis.

They came up with their own class for the new car - Sport Adventure Vehicle. This translates as a sports adventure car, literally. We will tell you about him today.

For whom

Just by its appearance it is clear that the model is intended for lovers of outdoor activities, and rich ones at that. Such cars are often bought not even second, but third or fifth for a personal garage.


There are more such lovers of active recreation, not burdened with financial problems, in the United States. Therefore, the Hyundai Santa Cruz is intended for this market.

Pickup Features:

✅ Potential of a regular crossover
✅ Stylish appearance
✅ Plug-in all-wheel drive with electronic clutch

The model also has some unobvious advantages. The lack of a frame and serious off-road potential had a positive effect on the price of the car. And you can save on maintenance. Plus, fuel consumption is lower - in the city it will fit into 15 liters.


By the way, at least two Hyundai Santa Cruz are now offered on the used market in Russia. They are 2021-2022. They are asking 3,3-3,5 million rubles for pickups.

Transformation

The manufacturer was well aware that he was developing a specific model. In any case, it will not enjoy high popularity. Therefore, it was considered unwise to invest money in a new platform.

Why then bother with “beach” pickup at all? But this is a matter of brand prestige. The world's leading manufacturers often produced such interesting cars. And even if it is financially unprofitable, the main thing is that they “rubbed the nose” of their competitors.


To minimize costs, we chose the N3 platform. It has already proven itself on Hyundai and Kia crossovers. And the Tucson model was chosen as the “donor”.

However, it was not possible to get by with “little bloodshed.” Body panels for the new model had to be developed separately. Although the Santa Cruz looks similar to the Tucson, simply trimming the body is not an option. Still, Hyundai Motor Group is one of the three world leaders among automakers in terms of the number of cars sold.

Santa Cruz turned out to be not just harmonious - the pickup is beautiful and moderately aggressive. The manufacturer also took care of practicality - the bottom of the body is protected by black, unpainted plastic. The thresholds are covered - the doors are made in a curved shape specifically for this purpose.

The car turned out to be larger than the longest Hyundai Tucson - 4,97 meters. They also thought about cross-country ability, solving the problem in the simplest way - increasing the ground clearance to 218 mm.

Appearance and interior

Everything has already been said about the design, all you can add is the perception of the car. If you want to turn heads, then the Hyundai Santa Cruz is what you need. The car looks more than unusual. And this is not a work pickup - the focus on active recreation is clearly visible.


Inside, the car is similar to the Hyundai Tucson - the manufacturer decided not to splurge on a new design. The main difference is the gear shift lever instead of keys. Apparently, the creators decided to give the pickup truck some brutality in this way.


The car will appeal to fans of classic interior design – there are plenty of buttons and “knobs” there. There is no need to navigate through the display looking for the options you need. The finishing materials, of course, are far from business class, but there are no complaints about the ergonomics. The top of the dashboard is even trimmed with almost soft plastic.


As for the cargo platform, it has a length of 1,32 meters. If you need to transport something longer, you can fold down the tailgate. Average load capacity – 640 kg. More, of course, than a standard passenger car, but it doesn’t make for a full-fledged “hard worker”.

There is a special compartment under the floor for valuables. It can be used as a refrigerator if filled with ice. The water is then drained through the technological hole.


By the way, if you buy a Hyundai Santa Cruz for city use, the trunk will be empty most of the time. It is inconvenient for transportation for a number of reasons:

✅ You shouldn’t leave anything there - they might steal it
✅ Inconvenient to take out
✅ Things are exposed to precipitation

But you will have a stylish pickup truck - almost no one else has that. Some are ready to buy a model just for this.

It’s difficult to say anything bad about the body and interior - the car is “fresh”, debuted in 2021. Therefore, when choosing, the main thing is to ensure that the car is not damaged or poorly restored.

Engines and gearboxes

Under the hood of a stylish car there is only one engine, but it can be in two versions. In the basic configurations, the power unit is the simplest - a naturally aspirated four-cylinder in-line engine with a displacement of 2,5 liters. Its power is 194 hp. With.


By the way, in the USA they love such engines no less than in Russia. This is the specific way of thinking of locals - they often forget about timely car maintenance. If a naturally aspirated engine can withstand such abuse, a turbocharged one will fail much faster.


The second engine is based on the naturally aspirated engine, but it is turbocharged. From its 2,5 liters of volume it was possible to remove 285 liters. With. This power unit allows you to move dynamically. In this version, the car is offered with a robotic gearbox.

Regardless of what engine is under the hood, the Hyundai Santa Cruz can be had with either front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. The latter is typical for crossovers - through an electronic clutch. That is, usually only the “front” works. If required, torque is added to the rear axle.


But you need to understand that crossovers do not like long trips in mud. The muff will not tolerate such bullying for long. At best, it will simply overheat, at worst, it will fail altogether.

On the go

Despite its impressive dimensions, the Hyundai pickup truck feels like a passenger car in motion. It has nothing in common with frame models in behavior. The gas pedal is tuned for dynamic movement even in the version with a naturally aspirated engine.

The Santa Cruz also drives like a standard car. Although, when cornering sharply, the pickup truck begins to roll dangerously. There's nothing you can do - the high body and ground clearance are mandatory. And this is not a sports car.


To summarize, it is worth noting that the Hyundai Santa Cruz is a car for those who love attention to their person. The owner of this model is guaranteed to have it.

But you shouldn’t expect any kind of versatility from such a machine. It will be ideal only in one case - if you live somewhere outside the city in a private house and have a couple of cars of other classes.

What else would you drive to the beach if not a Hyundai Santa Cruz?