Eric's Autos: 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz

Until three years ago, you couldn't buy a small truck in this country. And you still can't.

But you can buy a small pickup that looks like a truck and can do many of the things you could do with a small truck, such as carry a load in a bed and pull a 5,000-pound trailer.

Which, for the record, is something many of the small trucks you can't buy new anymore couldn't do.

What It Is

The Santa Cruz is Hyundai's answer to the Ford Maverick, which was the first small pickup to become available in this country since the cancellation of the old-model Ranger back in 2011 (Ford brought back a much larger Ranger in 2019). Both the Maverick and the Santa Cruz fill the gap left by the 2011 Ranger and the compact versions of the Nissan Frontier and Toyota Tacoma -- both of which have become midsize trucks (that are nearly the same size as the full-size trucks of the 1990s and before).

They are both built on light-duty (unibody) underthings and have powertrains based on front-drive layouts, with all-wheel drive available optionally. Neither has a two-speed transfer case and four-wheel-drive low-range gearing, as most trucks have or offer. But both can tow as much as the no-longer-available compact versions of the Ranger, Frontier and Tacoma could, and they get much better gas mileage.

The Santa Cruz differs from the Maverick in looking a bit less like a truck than the squared-off Ford. It also offers a much stronger optional engine -- and a higher max tow rating (5,000 pounds).

The Ford offers a standard hybrid drivetrain -- and much better fuel economy.

Prices start at $28,750 for the base SE trim with a 191 horsepower 2.5-liter engine (no turbo) and eight-speed automatic and front-wheel drive; AWD is available as a standalone option and brings the MSRP up to $30,250.

The next-up SEL trim ($30,450 to start) adds roof rails, seat heaters and dual-zone climate control. You can also opt for an Activity Package that adds a retractable tonneau cover, sliding rear window, LED bed lighting (plus a 120V household power outlet in the bed) and a larger (12.3-inch) digital instrument cluster. So equipped, the MSRP is $33,450.

Sport-themed XRT ($40,25) and top-of-the-line Limited ($42,75) trims both come standard with a turbocharged version of the 2.5-liter engine paired with an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic (for quicker shifts) paired with standard torque-vectoring AWD. The XRT has 18-inch wheels with all-terrain tires, while the Limited gets 20-inch wheels and a more powerful Bose stereo.

What's New for 2025

Changes/updates for the new model year include a redesigned dash layout with a larger 12.3-inch standard touch screen.

XRT and Limited trims get a new dual-screen setup with a fingerprint scanner system (more about that below).

What's Good

-- In some ways -- such as towing -- this pickup is more capable than many of the compact trucks you can't buy anymore.

-- Much better performance -- and gas mileage -- than any of the compact trucks you can't buy anymore.

-- Four-door ("crew cab") body provides as much people-carrying space as most crossovers this size.

What's Not So Good

-- More expensive to start than the Maverick hybrid -- which also gets much better gas mileage.

-- Bed is just shy of 2 feet shorter than the 6-foot beds that came standard in the compact trucks you can't buy anymore.

-- Powerful turbo engine is only available in the much more expensive XRT and Limited trims.

Under the Hood

The standard engine in the Santa Cruz is a 2.5-liter four-cylinder -- not turbocharged -- that touts 191 horsepower. As it happens, this is exactly the same rated output touted by the Ford Maverick, which is also equipped with a 2.5-liter four as its standard engine. But the Ford comes standard with additional drivetrain elements -- an electric motor and a battery pack. It's a hybrid, in other words. And because it is, the Ford can tout 42 mpg in city driving and 35 mpg on the highway. The Hyundai's touted mileage is 22 mpg city and 30 mpg on the highway -- obviously a lot less than the hybrid Maverick delivers. The Ford also costs less, which further reduces ownership costs versus the Hyundai.

But Hyundai offers two other things to make up for that. The first is a turbocharged variant of the 2.5-liter engine that touts 281 horsepower -- significantly more power (and more engine) than the Ford's optional 2.0-liter (250 horsepower) turbocharged four. Equipped with this engine, the Santa Cruz isn't just quick (both get to 60 mph in about 6 seconds).

It can pull more.

Up to 5,000 pounds versus a maximum of 4,000 pounds for the Ford.

It's also worth a mention that even with its standard (non-turbocharged) engine, the Santa Cruz is rated to pull up to 3,500 pounds, while the Ford's standard maximum towing capacity is just 1,500 pounds.

On the Road

If you can remember the Volkswagen Rabbit pickup -- or the Subaru BRAT -- you will have some idea how the Santa Cruz drives. In that it does not drive like a truck. Because -- like the Rabbit pickup and the BRAT -- it isn't one.

It -- and the Maverick -- are both basically cars with beds. Just like the Rabbit pickup and the BRAT were. Technically, the Santa Cruz and Maverick are based on crossovers. The Maverick being a truck-looking version of the Escape, and the Santa Cruz a truck-looking version of the Tucson. Both of those crossovers are more closely related to cars than trucks -- and so are the Santa Cruz and the Maverick.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

In fact, there's a lot right with that.

Trucks drive like ... trucks. And that's fine, if you like the way trucks drive. If you like the lighter, nimbler feel of a car with a bed, you will like the Santa Cruz. You'll also probably like how much quicker it is than any of the compact trucks that were once available, such as the pre-2004 iterations of the Nissan Frontier and the similarly compact versions of the Ford Ranger and Toyota Tacoma -- all of which were several seconds slower getting to 60 mph, even with their available V6 engines, because (being trucks and having body-on frame construction) they were much heavier.

At the Curb

The Santa Cruz looks more like the BRAT than the Maverick -- which looks more like a truck than either of them.

But it has the bed that defines all of them. It is not a big bed -- just over 4 feet long. But that is probably big enough to meet the needs of people who do not need a truck but do like the idea of having a place outside the interior to carry things like trash to the dump or a wet and muddy dog back home from a day spent having fun down by the river.

Unlike the BRAT and the old VW Rabbit pickup, both of which were "regular cabs" -- i.e., two doors -- the Santa Cruz, like the Maverick, is a "crew cab," meaning four doors and so room for five people, though a bit less legroom for the backseat people. The Tucson on which the Santa Cruz is based has 41.3 inches of backseat legroom because it doesn't have a bed behind the rear seats. Because the Santa Cruz does, it only has 36.5 inches of backseat legroom -- but that's still enough to allow most adults to sit back there normally -- i.e., without having to tuck up their legs such that their kneecaps are against their chests.

The Rest

The XRT and Limited trims have a fingerprint-access system embedded in the big LCD touch screen, on the left side. It can be used in lieu of the key to start the vehicle. More finely, it can be used in lieu of the fob to unlock the ignition security system so that you can start the car without having to carry the fob.

The Bottom Line

It's not a truck. But that doesn't mean it's not a great little pickup.

========

Eric's latest book, "Doomed: Good Cars Gone Wrong!" will be available soon. To find out more about Eric and read his past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.