It took a while, but finally there it is: the Hyundai Santa Cruz. That is a pick-up intended for the American market with which Hyundai seems to tap into a new segment.
Hyundai showed the Santa Cruz Concept in 2015, foreshadowing a compact pickup that, although warmly received, did not get a production version until six years later. The Santa Cruz is a car with which Hyundai appropriates a unique piece of the car market. In the United States, full-size pickups such as the Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado and Toyota Tundra are commonplace. A segment below that, brands such as Ford and Toyota sell pick-ups such as the Ranger and Tacoma, but with this Santa Cruz, Hyundai is nestling even below that. In addition, the Santa Cruz simply has four doors. It appears to be a mix of a crossover and a pickup truck, which, given the popularity of cars in those segments in the United States, may well be a recipe for success.
Hyundai Santa Cruz Concept (2015)
The Hyundai Santa Cruz is 4.97 meters long and 1.91 wide. This makes it considerably smaller than, for example, the 5.39 meter long Toyota Tacoma and the at least 5.11 meter long Ford Ranger. Although the wheelbase is exactly three meters ample, the Hyundai here also falls below that of the smallest pick-ups on the American market to date. The loading box has a depth of 1.32 meters. Hyundai seems to be bringing a segment back to the American market with the Santa Cruz. It is a car with a self-supporting body, four fully-fledged doors and a relatively short cargo area. At the beginning of this decade, Subaru delivered the Baja in the United States, a lifestyle pick-up based on the Outback, but with an open body. Hyundai names its Santa Cruz a SAV, a Sport Adventure Vehicle. You must be something in abbreviation country. The Koreans say they are aiming for customers who want a pick-up that is also manoeuvrable and comfortable in the city. Whether the 20-inch alloy in these photos contributes to this, however, is the question. Fortunately, 18-inch is also available.
Hyundai Santa Cruz
It is striking how many design elements of the six-year-old Santa Cruz Concept survived the switch to the production version. Of course some things have changed. This is how the ascending shoulder line has remained, but the definitive Santa Cruz just has full rear doors and no small ones that hinge the other way around, as is usual with an ‘extended cab’ pick-up. The front is very reminiscent of that of the Tucson with its lighting hidden in the grille. The car will include a lockable tonneau and is crammed with smart storage spaces. For example, Hyundai has hidden storage compartments under the rear seat. The Santa Cruz gets an optional 10-inch infotainment screen and a digital instrumentation with the same diameter is also available.
Under the hood of the entry-level model is a 2.5-liter four-cylinder that delivers more than 190 hp and 245 Nm. This petrol engine is linked to an eight-speed automatic transmission. Higher up the ladder is a more than 275 hp and 420 Nm of blown 2.5 that has an eight-speed automatic transmission with double clutch. Hyundai’s new model has all-wheel drive in all cases. As far as security systems are concerned, things are fine. Hyundai fills the Santa Cruz with systems such as Lane Keeping Assist and an emergency braking system and is optionally available with Safe Exist Assist, active blind spot detection and even with Highway Drive Assist.
The Santa Cruz was designed by Hyundai’s North American design department and will soon roll off the production line in Alabama. The Hyundai Santa Cruz is not coming to Europe. Is that a loss?