Riding on the wave of profits generated by this super-popular car category, automakers rarely admit publicly that there are three harsh realities in the pickup truck world: Very few truck owners have exposed their drilling rigs to more severe off-roads. Punishment. On muddy ground, the average trailer load on American highways hovers around 3,500 pounds, and for every 10 miles on the odometer, 9 miles of cargo are dragging air behind.
Although it is obvious that in the eyes of buyers, the form presented by pickup trucks represents an attractive combination of robustness and practicality, but considering the way truck owners actually use trucks, there seems to be no need for them to withstand heavy driving and sadness. Miles per gallon traditional body frame design. This is especially true in the field of small pickup trucks, where lifestyle and appearance often outweigh concerns about hard-core rock crawling or white knuckle traction.
With this in mind, Hyundai Motor launched Santa Cruz for the 2022 model year. The newcomer brought a scalpel to his popular Tucson crossover bag, lengthened its wheelbase by about 10 inches, and cut off the rear roofline, creating a stunted but still worthwhile Open bed for stunts. As the first pickup truck provided by the Korean company on the coast of the United States, Santa Cruz does look like a truck, but in every important aspect, it is not. On the contrary, compact competitors have found a side door to enter the crowded market segment, showcasing the closest competitors such as Ford, Chevrolet, Toyota, and Nissan, while avoiding the trap of trying to bottle light-duty pickups in the past.
A full appreciation of the Hyundai Santa Cruz requires a detailed understanding of what you get and what you don't get, when you sign up for a small explanation of this pickup. On the bright side, Santa Cruz’s handsome styling, stylish, well-lit front panel avoids the cosplay brutalism of many modern trucks, and its charming silhouette, while enhancing the vehicle’s Tucson DNA while providing a perfect integration belt for its cargo compartment. There are back-swept cab pillars.
This fantastic first impression is supported by a four-door cabin, which is sized for those interested in using the back row of accommodation for children, friends, companions with fur or simple additional storage space (with additional storage space under the foldable Trash can) benches). Larger riders will be surprised to find that the rear seat is more spacious than other medium-sized pickups with larger exteriors they may be accustomed to. The My Limited tester is the most expensive of the four available trims, and is also equipped with heated leather seats, heated steering wheels, sunroofs and the latest modern 10.25-inch infotainment system. The latter occasionally lags, but performs well, and the overall upscale feel of the Santa Cruz interior is leaps and bounds than more practical options such as the Ford Ranger or Toyota Tacoma. However, what really sets Santa Cruz ahead of other trucks is its driving experience. Every aspect of modern cars on the road, from light handling to eager acceleration, to the ability to smooth rough roads (that is, using 20-inch winter rubber trim), is a cut above a medium-sized pickup that is inserted into the surface .
The secret of Santa Cruz's success lies in its one-piece platform, which is a universal construction method for crossovers, without the impact of the body frame structure used by traditional trucks. Based on the feeling of these two models behind the steering wheel, it is difficult to separate the Santa Cruz from the Tucson bones, which is a huge symbol for modern cars.
Another less obvious factor in Santa Cruz's performance is its moderate quality of preparation. This compact pickup weighs just over 4,000 pounds, which is 400 pounds lighter than the next closest mid-size pickup, and for some thinner contemporaries, the gap widens to nearly 700 pounds. This means that the 281 horsepower from the Limited’s turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine (and more importantly, its 311 lb-ft of torque matched to an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission) makes modern cars more powerful than Nissan’s Frontier and Trucks such as the Chevrolet Colorado are more powerful, which provides a seemingly more powerful drivetrain on paper.
The lightweight all-in-one chassis is also where Santa Cruz's compromise comes into focus. Without the extra mass of a sturdy rear axle or the iron block of the full frame, modern cars cannot resist off-road intrusion from rocks, which means you must maintain a considerable 8.6 inches of ground clearance. Keep in mind when avoiding obstacles on the road. live. The lack of a low-end four-wheel drive system and its accompanying transfer case will also restrict access to mud puddles and steep slopes, maintaining all-wheel drive (applicable to all trim levels, including the base model's 191 horsepower, 2.5-liter four-cylinder setting). Cruise is on the off-travel side.
In addition, Hyundai's monocoque design is nearly 15 inches shorter than the next smallest mid-size truck, which does not offer full-size rear doors. Most of the thin body is in the form of a truncated cargo box, which measures just over four feet-which is one foot less than most other mid-size trucks provide in their shortest configuration, and in their thickest configuration. To be two feet lower when viewing any available six-foot-long bed in a medium-sized crowd, the bar.
Modern cars dance around the shortcomings of their cargo bathtubs, all kinds of disturbances, including lockable storage boxes under the bed, storage units carved into the bed wall, 110-volt power outlets and a cargo management system that depends on you to keep hauling the mountains For long items such as bicycles or plywood, lower the tailgate. The version I drove had a sliding bedspread, and although it took up quite a bit of space in front of the box, it didn’t stop me from dragging the five-foot-tall Christmas tree that was tucked diagonally under it.
What you think about Santa Cruz’s small backpack depends on what you plan to carry. For some people, this will be a deal breaker, but for most people it doesn't matter, because pickup beds are usually only marked for occasional use in compact models like this one. Remember, the truck’s excellent 5,000-pound towing capacity (for turbo models) means that towing larger objects with a utility trailer is always an option.
There are also the controversial costs of Hyundai Santa Cruz to consider. Although the front-wheel drive, non-turbocharged version starts at a little less than $24,000, once you use the turbocharged SEL Premium and Limited trim, you will spend at least $35,680 and $39,720, respectively. This is enough to allow a well-equipped body frame truck to drive home while improving towing and transportation capabilities.
In a straightforward quarrel, the compact 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz lost the story of the tape in terms of maximum traction, suffocating trail antics, and overall traction compared to most mid-sized machines. Fortunately, these are not important when evaluating the advantages of the truck itself. For the limited edition, it includes an excellent ride experience, an excellent cab, excellent power, and practicality just enough to meet occasional large-size transportation tasks. sex.
Although you may pay higher prices for privileges, as a daily driver, Santa Cruz outperforms every medium truck in the form of turbocharging. Given that this is the most common configuration of modern pickups, it makes Hyundai more than just a curiosity, such as the overly weird Subaru Baja flatbed based on crossovers before it, or like duds on the larger market-but The unattractive Honda Ridgeline all-in-one truck has never found traction to be a true medium-sized option.
Hyundai decided to maintain the compactness of the Santa Cruz, where it had only Ford’s recent Maverick entry as a comparator of similar size. This was an inspiring decision that provided American pickup enthusiasts with the most interesting traditional pickup in decades. substitute. In a showroom that traditionally is bigger, better, Santa Cruz proves that innovation usually means moving in the opposite direction of tradition.
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