The 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz is an all-new compact truck specially designed for city dwellers who can’t wait to get away from it all. Not your typical truck, Hyundai is calling the Santa Cruz an “adventure vehicle,” and it aims to set new standards in design and engineering, blending the maneuverable unibody underpinnings of the Tucson with an adventure-friendly truck bed.
With its truck-style features and city-friendly dimensions, the Santa Cruz slides into parallel parking spaces during the week and rolls onto secluded campsites on weekends. Ready for work or play, this all-new, multipurpose people-hauler that does it all without compromise!
Power and Performance
When you’re negotiating city traffic, the all-new 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz is nimble and quick and its 20-foot curb-to-curb turning circle will help you make all the U-turns that city life requires.
The Santa Cruz has two adventure-ready powertrains: the entry-level 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine (190 horsepower, 180 pound-feet of torque) sends power to the front wheels via a quick-action eight-speed automatic transmission. For a little extra off-road action, you can add all-wheel drive to the base powertrain. The all-wheel-drive system includes selectable drive modes, so you can adjust traction levels to suit your current surroundings.
Want even more oomph? The Santa Cruz has you covered with its optional 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine (275 hp, 310 lb-ft). With this engine, you get faster highway merging action, as well as an upgraded version of the eight-speed automatic transmission. Adventurous drivers will also be happy to know that this engine upgrade can also be paired with optional all-wheel drive.
Standard:
- 2.5L four-cylinder engine (190 hp, 180 lb-ft)
- Eight-speed automatic transmission with SHIFTRONIC
- Front-wheel drive
Optional:
- 2.5L turbocharged four-cylinder engine (275 hp, 310 lb-ft)
- Eight-speed wet dual-clutch transmission with SHIFTRONIC
- HTRAC All-wheel drive
- HTRAC all-wheel drive selectable traction modes: Normal, Sport, Smart
Body Styles and Configurations
Instead of offering a dizzying range of cabins and bed sizes, the Santa Cruz keeps things simple and straightforward. What you see is what you get: a four-door crew cab that seats five passengers in roomy comfort.
Then there’s the 4.3-foot composite molded bed, joined to the cabin via a unibody chassis. It’s more than a place to put extra stuff, with a lockable tonneau cover that helps protect the gear you don’t want to leave in plain sight. There’s also a drainable underfloor storage compartment that can be used as a cooler. What could be more at home at a tailgate party than a truck with its own built-in ice chest?
Towing Capabilities
How much can the Santa Cruz tow? It depends on which engine you choose; with the base powertrain, this little truck can tow up to 3,500 pounds. However, with the engine upgrade, max towing goes up to 5,000 pounds. Either way, this capable pickup can tow a range of oversized toys into the great outdoors.
Fuel Economy
EPA ratings vary slightly according to which powertrain you select. However, both engine options manage to blend everyday adventure with city-friendly fuel savings.
- 2.5L, AWD: 23 mpg combined (21 city/27 highway mpg)
- 2.5L, FWD: 23 mpg (21/26 mpg)
- Turbo 2.5L, AWD: 22 mpg (19/27 mpg)
Exterior Features
With its city-friendly dimensions, this compact truck is small enough to fit into a garage or sidle into a parking space that wouldn’t accommodate a bigger truck. Its size is also perfect for sneaking into secluded camping sites, as far down the road less traveled as you care to go.
The Santa Cruz’s striking aesthetic is a combination of precision-cut edges and muscular volume. It also features a bold front-end with an imposing grille featuring Hyundai’s trademark cascade design. Nestled inside this grille’s parametric jewels, you’ll find Hyundai’s signature daytime running lights, though they’re only visible when lit.
From the side, the Santa Cruz looks especially sporty, with its flashy wheel options and sloping angles.
In back, horizontal, T-shaped tail lights accentuate the truck’s open bed and the rear lamps are embossed with “designed in California,” so you never forget where the Santa Cruz got its start.
Optional:
- 20-inch alloy wheels
- LED headlights
- Premium dark chrome exterior accents
- Heated side mirrors with integrated turn signals
Exterior colors:
- Ice White
- Phantom Black
- Hampton Gray
- Sage Gray
- Blue Stone
- Desert Sand
Interior Features
This adventure-ready compact truck was certainly designed with versatility in mind, but it’s also sublimely comfortable and roomy. The cabin offers more than enough space for your friends, family, and all of their fun-loving gear and, thanks to the Santa Cruz’s unibody design, everyone can count on a comfortable, refined ride.
With its wrap-around dual cockpit, the Santa Cruz treats front-seat passengers to maximum comfort and visibility. Did we mention the friendly ergonomics? Driver and front passenger will find dash controls with easy reach and optional features, like heated front seats and leather upholstery, can make your driving adventures extra special.
Optional:
- 8-way heated power driver seat with adjustable lumbar support
- Heated and ventilated leather-trimmed seats
- Leather-wrapped steering wheel and shifter
- Heated, leather-wrapped steering wheel
- Dual automatic temperature control
- Auto-dimming rearview mirror with HomeLink
Technology
The 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz supplies all the infotainment and connectivity features that your active lifestyle requires. Not to mention its outstanding smartphone integration technology? Every Santa Cruz includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, so you can use smartphone apps directly from the 8-inch color touch screen. Android users can add Hyundai’s Digital Key, technology that turns a compatible device into a key. Ready to get going? Toss your smartphone on the wireless charging pad and it’ll be fully charged before you know it.
Standard:
- 8-inch color touch-screen display audio
- Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
Optional:
- 10.25-inch Digital Gauge Cluster
- 10.25-inch touch-screen navigation
- Bose Premium Audio
- Wireless smartphone charging pad
- Digital Key (Android only)
Safety and Security
The Santa Cruz certainly takes you on adventures, but it also makes sure that you stay safe. Each of these compact trucks helps you get through a busy day of downtown driving with standard forward collision and lane-departure warning systems.
Optional features, like the surround view monitor and Digital Key, come in handy when you’re scrambling for a parking space or attempting to make a very quick getaway. The highway driving assist system ensures that you maintain a safe distance from the vehicle ahead of you on the road, as you should.
Standard:
- Forward-collision warning and automated emergency braking
- Lane-departure warning and lane-keeping assist
Optional:
- Proximity Key with push-button start
- Hyundai Digital Key
- Blind-Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist
- Blind-Spot View Monitor
- Blue Link Connected Car System
- Surround View Monitor
- Highway Driving Assist
Santa Cruz Trim Levels
Hyundai’s all-new adventure vehicle comes in four flavors: SE, SEL, SEL Premium, and Limited. Each model piles onto the last with more comforts and modern conveniences.
SE
The entry-level Santa Cruz is handsomely equipped with tech features to help you maintain your busy, hyperconnected lifestyle. For example, an 8-inch infotainment touch screen sits atop the center stack, ready to display your smartphone apps via wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto technology.
- 8-inch color touch-screen display audio
- Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
- Eight-speed automatic transmission with SHIFTRONIC
- Forward-collision warning and automated emergency braking
SEL
Next up is the SEL, which peppers your day-to-day driving with conveniences like a proximity key, heated exterior mirrors, and a blind-spot monitor. The SEL also turns up your comfort levels, thanks to its power heated driver seat, which includes adjustable lumbar support.
- Proximity Key with push-button start
- Eight-way heated power driver seat with adjustable lumbar support
- Available 10.25-inch Digital Gauge Cluster
- Blind-Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist
- Bluelink Connected Car System
- Heated side mirrors with integrated turn signals
SEL Premium
The SEL Premium can help you enjoy some of the finer things in life, like a soft-touch leather-wrapped steering wheel. Hyundai’s Digital Key system currently works with Android devices to let you use your smartphone as a key and the SEL’s upgraded transmission includes driving modes, so you can alter settings to suit your current adventure.
- LED headlights
- Eight-speed wet dual-clutch transmission with SHIFTRONIC
- Hyundai Digital Key
- Dual automatic temperature control
- Leather-wrapped steering wheel and shifter
- Auto-dimming rearview mirror with HomeLink
Limited
Finally, there’s the top-trim Limited: this Santa Cruz is fully loaded, and it’s perfect for drivers with an outsized sense of style and thirst for adventure.
- Premium dark chrome exterior accents
- Available 20-inch alloy wheels
- Bose Premium Audio
- 10.25-inch touch-screen navigation
- Blind-Spot View Monitor
- Heated and ventilated leather-trimmed seats
- Heated, leather-wrapped steering wheel
Hyundai Warranty
As always, Hyundai comes through with outstanding warranty coverage. Every Santa Cruz powertrain is covered for up to 10 years or 100,000 miles, whichever comes first. Its bumper-to-bumper coverage also outlasts most competitors, giving you up to five years’ or 60,000 miles’ worth of dealership repairs.
- Limited bumper-to-bumper coverage: 5 years/60,000 miles
- Powertrain warranty: 10 years/100,000 miles
- Complimentary maintenance: 3 years/36,000 miles