The Hyundai Santa Cruz travels through unchartered territory within the SUV, truck and crossover segments. There’s nothing like this for sale right now in the United States. It’s being dubbed a “Sport Adventure Vehicle.”

We recently got behind the wheel and drove around beautiful Palo Alto and even up the incredible Santa Cruz mountains. This vehicle looks cool and we felt cool driving it! It was very spacious inside and felt nimble on the roads.

The Santa Cruz shares a platform with the Tuscon. Power comes in two forms: A 2.5-liter I4 with 191 horsepower and a 2.5-liter turbocharged I4 with 281 horsepower and 311 lb-ft of torque. All wheel drive is available with both engines.

There are so many state-of-the-art tech and safety features. Not to mention other cool unexpected details especially when it comes to the bed. 

"What I really love about the Santa Cruz is this hidden underbed cooler and it comes standard on every vehicle. You just throw soda and beer in here and it stays cool for hours and you don’t have to bring a cooler with you on your next adventure. Then when you’re done for the day you just twist the drain and pull it out and everything drains right out."

This vehicle is meant to inspire people to be active, seek adventure and live a healthy lifestyle… and it did just that during our drive! 

The Santa Cruz is produced in Alabama. It starts at just under $24,000. We will have much more on this sport adventure vehicle soon on Motorweek.

 

Specifications

  • Engine: 2.5L I4 | 2.5L I4 Turbo
  • Horsepower: 191 | 281
  • Starting Price: ~ $24,000