Opinion
The Santa Cruz may not be the segment-shatterer Hyundai bills it as, but it looks like a success
Published April 19, 2021
Courtesy of manufacturer
In a business dominated by hyperbole, Hyundai’s announcement of its new compact pickup truck surely wins some kind of prize.
“Highly-anticipated Santa Cruz Sport Adventure Vehicle Shatters Both SUV and Truck Segments, Creating an Entirely New Vehicle Category,” shouted last week’s breathless press release. It went on to try to explain why the unibody trucklet is “unlike anything else in the North American market.”
It is good-looking, I’ll give them that. A 2.5-litre turbocharged engine kicks out 275 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque, sending the power to all four wheels through an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. It can tow up to 5,000 lbs., which is impressive, and it will be available this summer, though prices have not been announced. In the United States, Americans can get a non-turbo engine and front-wheel drive, but Canadians only have the more powerful, more capable version.