First Drive: 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz

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HOCKLEY VALLEY, Ontario—Not everyone wants a big truck, and for some, even a midsize may be more than what’s needed. A couple of even-smaller choices are on the horizon, and I’m in one of them, the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz.

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It’s based on the equally-new Tucson SUV, and Hyundai’s reps say they don’t consider it a truck. Rather, it’s intended to be the Tucson’s smaller-volume, niche-market sidekick.

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It’s got a truck bed, it’s got a truck tonneau, it’s got a truck tailgate. But it’s also a wonderfully-smooth-driving unit, sized for the city and comfortable as all get-out, and well-suited for light-duty truck use.

It’ll be sold only in North America. It was designed in California, and will be built alongside the Tucson at Hyundai’s plant in Alabama. It arrives at Canadian dealers in September 2021.

The idea has been in the works for a long time: Hyundai first showed a Santa Cruz concept vehicle back in 2015. Now that it’s almost here, it’s sharing the spotlight with the similarly-sized and also the soon-to-come Ford Maverick.

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But Hyundai’s reps are expecting them to appeal to two different crowds. They say Santa Cruz buyers will see it as a modified sport-ute, while the blue-oval badge on the Maverick will tag it as a truck for Ford fans. I think the reps are right. I also don’t see much overlap with the Honda Ridgeline, despite that model’s SUV underpinnings. The Honda’s bed is a foot longer than the Santa Cruz’s 4-foot-3 bed; the Maverick’s is 4-foot-5. (For the record, Natural Resources Canada classifies the Santa Cruz as a “small truck” for fuel ratings.)

The Santa Cruz comes in three trim levels: Preferred at $38,499; Preferred Trend at $41,399; and top-line Ultimate, which I drove, at $44,799.

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The Maverick will start at $25,900, while south of the border, the Santa Cruz begins at US$23,990 — but there’s more to it, and it’s predominantly the powertrain that’s dictating the difference.

In Canada, the Santa Cruz will come solely with a 2.5L turbocharged four-cylinder, making 281 horsepower and 311 lb-ft of torque, mated to an automatic eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, and with all-wheel-drive. It’s officially rated at 12.1 L/100 km in the city; 8.6 highway; and 10.6 combined.

In the U.S., base models use a non-turbo 2.5L, making 191 horsepower, and that starting price is front-wheel drive. The turbo-AWD combination in all of our Santa Cruz models is found in only one top-of-the-line model there. Meanwhile, the Maverick bases with a hybrid powertrain in front-wheel only, while the top trim bundles a turbo 2.0L with AWD for $34,450. The new Tucson offers a hybrid, but at least for now, the Santa Cruz is gas-only.

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The plucky little 2.5L turbo engine is a great fit to this trucklet. It accelerates smoothly, and it’s got plenty of steam to pass at highway speeds. Overall, it’s a very nice vehicle to drive. The ride is smooth and very comfortable, with road bumps soaked up before they get to the quiet cabin. The steering is responsive, the turning circle is tight, and it’s confident and never feels tippy around sharp curves. Unless you see the bed in your rearview mirror, you think SUV, not truck.

The cabin matches the Tucson’s simple-but-handsome design, except for a real shifter in place of the Tucson’s pushbutton version — Hyundai’s concession to a “truckier” look. The base trim includes heated seats and steering wheel, 8-inch infotainment screen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, blind-spot monitoring, and emergency front braking. The Preferred Trend adds such items as leather upholstery, power driver’s seat, adaptive cruise control, power sunroof, and dual-zone automatic climate control.

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At the Ultimate level, my tester also added a 10.25-inch touchscreen, navigation, surround-view camera, 20-inch wheels, ventilated seats, rain-sensing wipers, and LED headlights, along with Blind View Monitor, a video display in the instrument cluster of what’s alongside, once you’ve activated the turn signal.

The drive modes, seat heat, and some other functions use hard buttons, but you tap the centre screen for climate and infotainment functions. I much prefer buttons but can live with most of it, except there’s no volume dial for the stereo, and you have to tap it up or down. You can also control it from the steering wheel, but it’s easier for driver or passenger to spin a dial. Honda finally added a dial after enough people complained about its lack of one. Hyundai, you already borrowed GM’s brilliantly-simple bumper steps for this truck; now go steal Honda’s volume knob.

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The big deal, of course, is the bed. It’s composite material, so no need for a bedliner. Like the Ridgeline, it has a hidden trunk under the bed floor, with a drain plug for washing out or using as a cooler. A roll-up hard tonneau cover is standard equipment, and when you close the tailgate against it and lock the truck up, your load is secure.

There will be some 50 accessories available when the Santa Cruz launches, including bike and kayak carriers, and an in-bed tent. If you have too much stuff to fit, the Santa Cruz can tow up to 5,000 lbs. That’s as much as a Ridgeline, while the Maverick hybrid tows 2,000 lbs; and the optional turbo pulls 4,000 lbs.

At its heart, the Santa Cruz is an SUV with a bed in the back, but it’s more than that. It’s a city-sized five-seater that you can load up for outdoor adventures, instead of putting wet or muddy gear into a carpeted cargo compartment. It’s pricey for the tiny-truck segment, but offers a lot of features. It’s also great to drive. For a lot of people, it’s the not-a-truck that’s going to be exactly the right truck.