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Hyundai refers to the stylish five-passenger Santa
Cruz as a Sport Adventure Vehicle instead of a pickup.
Whatever the label, the four-door Santa Cruz offers a
plausible alternative to compact-sized utility vehicles,
in which bulky and especially tall cargo can be more
easily transported, along with up to five passengers. The
vehicle’s four-foot bed contains an under-floor storage
area for smaller items and a small cubby built into each
side of the fender walls. A removable (and lockable)
hard tonneau cover slides out on tracks from the far end
of the bed. The base engine is a 2.5-liter four-cylinder
with 191 horsepower and 181 pound-feet of torque.
Optional is a turbocharged 2.5 with 281 horsepower and
311 pound-feet. An eight-speed automatic transmission
is standard with the base 2.5, while a paddle-shift
eight-speed comes with the turbo. The base tow rating
is 3,500 pounds while turbo models are rated at 5,000
pounds. A multi-mode all-wheel-drive system with
Normal, Sport and Smart (eco) settings is available with
N E W F O R 2022
2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz
Base price: $25,200
Type: Compact pickup
Engines (h.p.): 2.5-liter I-4 (191); 2.5-liter I-4,
turbocharged (281)
Transmissions: Eight-speed automatic (base 2.5);
eight-speed paddle-shift automatic (turbo 2.5)
Layout: Front- /all-wheel-drive
Base mpg (city/highway/combined): 21/26/23 (FWD)
Base weight (lb.): 3,700
either powerplant. All trims include an
eight-inch touch-screen, 18-inch wheels
and short list of active-safety technologies
such as forward-collision avoidance with
pedestrian detection, lane-keeping assist
and driver-attention warning.