{"id":27920,"date":"2021-09-10T11:12:39","date_gmt":"2021-09-10T15:12:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=27920"},"modified":"2021-09-10T11:12:39","modified_gmt":"2021-09-10T15:12:39","slug":"payne-hyundai-santa-cruz-pickup-where-suvs-leave-off","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2021\/09\/payne-hyundai-santa-cruz-pickup-where-suvs-leave-off","title":{"rendered":"Payne: Hyundai Santa Cruz pickup … where SUVs leave off"},"content":{"rendered":"

Santa Cruz, California\u00a0<\/em>\u2014 And now for something completely different.<\/p>\n

The segment-busting\u00a02022 Hyundai Santa Cruz pickup is the first of its kind \u2014 a unibody-based, head-turning Swiss Army knife with many tools for many chores. Did I say pickup? Hyundai prefers the term Sport Adventure Vehicle because Santa Cruz is truly a different animal.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
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\u201cI think this segment is the new hot hatch,\u201d said Hyundai Test and Development manager Chahe Apelian of a compact SUV segment that will soon include the Ford Maverick and maybe entrants from Ram and VW.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s music to my ears as I was an early buyer of the segment-busting\u00a01984 VW Golf GTI, the original hot hatch. An enthusiast\u2019s compact. Since then, hot hatches have become the most versatile vehicle in autodom with utility and performance at an affordable price. Though hardly volume sellers compared to their peers, they attract passionate\u00a0lifestyle buyers who turn brand missionaries.<\/p>\n

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In addition to the GTI, today\u2019s hot hatch segment includes all-stars like the Golf R, Mazda 3 Turbo\u00a0and Hyundai Veloster N (soon to be replaced by the Kona N).<\/p>\n

As Americans have pivoted to utes and trucks, the Santa Cruz offers similar benefit to adventure-minded SUV buyers. Think lifestyle enthusiasts\u00a0like Subaru Outback or Jeep Compass customers.<\/p>\n

Start with Santa Cruz\u2019s centerpiece:<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
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The bed.<\/strong>\u00a0As hatch is to Golf\u00a0GTI utility, the bed is to Santa Cruz.<\/p>\n

Unlike traditional pickups which option multi-length beds, the Cruz tub is fully integrated into the chassis design. Ladder-frame truck beds are clearly tacked onto the cabin so they can be swapped out for a bigger unit during assembly. Cruz\u2019s bed is a natural extension of the vehicle\u2019s lines. Hey, it\u2019s not a Mercedes, but it makes for a leaner, more sinewy profile that is pleasing to the eye.<\/p>\n

Then the bed gets down to basics: soft-drop tailgate, sub-bed storage, drainage plug, side-wall storage, LED lights, utility rails. All standard. In a vehicle starting at $24,000\u00a0\u2014 well under a mid-size pickup class where you\u2019ll be hard-pressed to find standard goodies. Built in \u2019Bama, Cruz was designed on Cali\u2019s surfer coast with Yanks in mind. It even copies Chevy Silverado\u2019s corner steps to help you lay your surfboard in the bed.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
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Like hot hatches, pickups are generally boy toys, but I\u2019m betting these features will make Santa Cruz a chick magnet, too. Wee Mrs. Payne is terrified of free-falling tailgates, but soft-drop reassures. And on a trip to the grocer (or the park to barbecue), it\u2019s a no-brainer to throw your meats \u2018n\u2019 drinks into the sub-bed locker with a bag of ice. When you arrive at your destination, pull the plug to drain the water.<\/p>\n

The icing on the cake is the tonneau cover. Lockable, water-resistant\u00a0and easy to slide, it\u2019s the answer to every pickup buyer\u2019s prayers \u2014 a retractable cover that instantly turns the bed into a trunk to protect your stuff from the elements.<\/p>\n

Not standard, but worth the $3,270 upgrade that includes 115-volt plug in rear, sunroof, sliding rear window, and more.<\/p>\n

The sub-bed is also perfect for muddy kids cleats and jerseys \u2014 indeed, the whole idea of a bed on the back of an SUV is to keep smells and dirt separated from the cabin.<\/p>\n

The 4-foot bed does come with compromises. You won\u2019t be hauling ATVs back there. Indeed, the bed can\u2019t even swallow a bicycle whole, necessitating that you throw the front tire over the tailgate to fit it in. That, naturally, means you have to buy a Hyundai accessory to protect the tailgate (or just throw a thick rug over it).<\/p>\n

\"You<\/p>\n
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For those who want to drag their ATV to the Outback, you\u2019ll need to buy a trailer. With that in mind, Hyundai ambitiously, obsessively benchmarked to the Honda Ridgeline (a segment bigger and the only other SUV-based\u00a0unibody pickup) with 5,000-pound towing capability. Nice.<\/p>\n

For more typical use cases of loading mulch, cinderblock, furniture … Santa Cruz also has a Ridgeline-like payload of 1,900 pounds.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a compact SUV.<\/strong>\u00a0Just as GTI shares a skeleton with the VW Golf, so is the Santa Cruz a Tucson with a bed. Tucson, also new this year, has immediately gone to the top of the SUV class in my book with its Lambo looks, clever interior\u00a0and tight handling.<\/p>\n

Male and female alike will find this pleasing for metro errands where even midsize pickups can feel big.<\/p>\n

Around the crowded San Francisco Bay Area, Cruz was as easy to park as, well, a Tucson. That compact size shows in back, and my 6-foot-5-inch frame’s legs were jammed into the back of the front seat when I tried to sit behind myself. Normal-size folks will be more comfortable \u2014 and there\u2019s sub-seat storage space to boot.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
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It\u2019s a looker.<\/strong>\u00a0The GTI and Mazda 3 Turbo hatches are eye-catching. Cruz, too. When I say the Cruz is a Tucson with a bed, I mean outside\u00a0and<\/em>\u00a0inside. Teased waaaay back at the 2016 Detroit Auto Show as a prototype, Santa Cruz was a long time coming as Hyundai developed an architecture that could meet the pickup\u2019s needs.<\/p>\n

Hyundai has bold styling ambitions, and Tucson\/Santa Cruz\u2019s triangle-themed design is unique.<\/p>\n

The state-of-the-art interior boasts the same pluses and minuses as Tucson. I love its simplicity with two\u00a0all-digital screens running the show and twin lines wrapping the cabin. The latter is made possible by ditching the instrument display screen\u2019s hood (credit a bright LCD display). Dude, it\u2019s cool.<\/p>\n

\"Like<\/p>\n
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Hyundai jumps the shark by continuing that simplicity to a touchscreen without volume dials which occupants will miss. At least the driver can control volume with a steering-wheel button. It\u2019s hard to be mad when Santa Cruz comes standard with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.<\/p>\n

Fun to drive.\u00a0<\/strong>OK, the high-riding (8.6-inch) Cruz is no hot hatch on road, but it can cut some rug. The 2022 Nissan Frontier is the best-handling ladder-frame truck I\u2019ve driven thanks to clever suspension and cabin mounts \u2014 but it can\u2019t hold a candle to the Santa Cruz. With a healthy turbocharged 281 horses under the hood (a 191-horse 4-cylinder is also capable), we danced together through the twists and turns of the Bay Area\u2019s challenging Route 9 and had a ball.<\/p>\n

Just, um, don\u2019t try that with the groceries in back. Same goes for hot hatches.<\/p>\n

2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz<\/h3>\n

Vehicle type:\u00a0<\/strong>Front-engine, front- and all-wheel-drive, five-passenger\u00a0pickup<\/p>\n

Price:<\/strong>\u00a0$25,175, including $1,185\u00a0destination fee\u00a0($40,905 Limited model as tested)<\/p>\n

Powerplant:\u00a0<\/strong>2.5-liter 4-cylinder; 2.5-liter turbo-4<\/p>\n

Power:<\/strong>\u202f191\u00a0horsepower,\u00a0181\u00a0pound-feet of torque (2.5L); 281\u00a0horsepower,\u00a0311\u00a0pound-feet of torque (2.5L turbo)<\/p>\n

Transmissions:<\/strong>\u00a08-speed automatic (2.5L); 8-speed\u00a0dual-clutch automatic (2.5L turbo)<\/p>\n

Performance:\u00a0<\/strong>0-60 mph\u00a0(7.5 seconds, Car and Driver, 2.5L turbo-4); payload, 1,900 pounds; tow, 5,000 pounds<\/p>\n

Weight:<\/strong>\u00a02,835\u202fpounds\u202f(manual Limited as tested)<\/p>\n

Fuel economy:<\/strong>\u00a0EPA, 19 mpg city\/26\u00a0highway\/22\u00a0combined\u00a0(2.5L turbo-4 as tested)<\/p>\n

Report card<\/h3>\n

Highs:<\/strong>\u00a0Segment-busting pickup for metro drivers; versatile bed<\/p>\n

Lows:<\/strong>\u00a0Won\u2019t fit your bike without taking wheel off; touchscreen needs buttons, please<\/p>\n

Overall:<\/strong>\u00a04\u202fstars<\/p>\n

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Santa Cruz, California\u00a0\u2014 And now for something completely different. The segment-busting\u00a02022 Hyundai Santa Cruz pickup is the first of its kind \u2014 a unibody-based, head-turning Swiss Army knife with many tools for many chores. Did I say pickup? Hyundai prefers the term Sport Adventure Vehicle because Santa Cruz is truly a different animal. \u201cI think […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,87],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27920"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27920"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27920\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27921,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27920\/revisions\/27921"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27920"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27920"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27920"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}