5 Things Wrong with the All-New Hyundai Santa Cruz

A swing and a miss. Poorly thought out, the Holden (Australian) should have been the example Hyundai tried to follow.

No V-6 ? Not Good. Not a vechicle for everyone for sure, and a good replacement for my Ford Sport-trac

Hyundai have been making trucks for the South Korean market for years ie the H100. The larger turbo engine is far better suited for the North American market compared to the 1.6 litre.

All of those reasons were your opinions. Not one had any real weighted truth Or fact behind it and I don't agree with any of them. I can't wait to get one.

As a 75 year old my wife and I will sell my frontier king cab Long bed & C-rv to get this . It's perfect for us . Our second car is a new 124 Fiat spider. Don't need a big bed or a smaller motor. And we want comfort not a truck ride.

or forced. Not mistakes just things that you want to take “personal” issue with.
I am recently retired and I suspect that the Santa Cruz is going to replace my Tundra crew cab. I can pull a fishing boat, tote golf clubs, transport three to dinner or anywhere else,... all with ease and a smaller foot print.
SO far I am digging what Hyundai is offering.

I've got a new gen Forester and Crosstrek and was looking at an Outback for next purchase, in the fall, but not excited for it. Really want a modern Baja and have been waiting forever for it, but as far as I can tell, one isn't even in development. This Hyundai fits the bill for what I am looking for. Just looking to be able to haul crap to the dump, and home from Home Depot, without destroying the inside of my car with dirt and leaves and branches. Santa Cruz is perfect. Never thought I would consider a Hyundai, for snow and safety Subaru better, but it doesn't snow that much and I already have a couple Subaru's so the Hyundai can sit in the driveway when the Nor'easter hits. Hate to buy a Hyundai over Subaru (or Toyota) but loyalty only goes so far. Home run Santa Cruz.

I wish that the rear window would completely roll down like the 4Runner. Also longer bed with 4 door suicide door like the i3 or old Chevy extended cabs as a second option would be great. Electric would have made me sell my car immediately, hybrid plugin would have been the better option with batteries under the bed instead of storage as an option.

What a beautifull little pickup. Love to have one. Hust with imperial toyotaselling it inSA the price willbe out of my range. They monipolize the market and Hyundai and Kia prices skyrocketed under there management. I think they carry Toyota in SA

No offense intended, but my 5 are simple.
1.The concept was beautiful and unique. In design language, this is not fluid. It's good, but since they had several years to make it as close to possible as the CONCEPT, this disappoints.
2.Rear seats are pointless. There should be an option to DELETE them for better storage.
This point was made similarly, as in the question it begs. Why not make it a 2 door, increase the bed length a little? I'd add a sliding lockable hard bed cover.
3&4&5.Urban anything is a joke. Real adults, not the genderless skinny jeans latte crowd, camp,
hike, mtn bike trail running NON XBOXER wants more ground clearance, horsepower, and 4wd
... not AWD with road tires.

I think this article is for clicks and pay. No real substance to speak of and a lot of piss poor assumptions. The internet is a cesspool of this crap.

You forgot to include number 6 on your list of why you don't like it. It doesn't fit neatly into any of your pre-existing boxes. That's precisely why those of us who do like it are interested. It's not a big truck, and doesn't have a big price, it's not even a midsize truck also with a big price. It won't tow a large trailer and it's not a serious off-roader. And all that is just fine. Those of us that like it are like Goldilocks. This one fits "just right." It won't be for everyone, but for a certain niche, those who aren't liking the same old ideas, it has our attention.

I agree with you 100% regarding an ext cab version with a larger box. I believe the target market is going to be a single person or young active couple without kids that need to haul mountain bikes or surfboards or the older generation living in a condo that only need to haul something once in awhile. The Ford Trac and Subaru Baja didn't sell well because it wasn't very useful as a 'truck' but look at how well the S10 and early Rangers sold. I would buy one to replace my Tacoma but not if it's only a 4 door.

Totally disagree with many of your comments. If people need a full size truck bed, there are plenty to choose from. For me living in the country , I can throw a lawn mower in the back, and gas cans for the boat with out stinking up the cabin . The larger engine will allow me to tow my boat, and bring my family along. Urban vehicle, spot on and just what I have been waiting for !

I personally will be waiting for a Hybrid version not totally electric. I've had trucks for years I.e. Dakota's and Tacoma. Right now I drive a Kona non Hybrid getting 32-40 mpg with over 40 mpg frequently. So , no way I get a new vehicle getting close to 20 mpg less. But, I'm not for a full electric vehicle either. Hybrid is the way for me. As for a club cab with larger bed option, maybe. As article said, only 2 of us no kids.

I actually like the 4 doors as shown. I agree with others that if you are looking for more of a work horse there are other options for trucks. At this time in my life a truck with the option of still having a SUV to drive all in one fits my wish list. Don't need mid size or full size truck anymore. Just offer it in a Hybrid with decent mileage and I'm in.

I'll take this over the Maverick.
Let's see - Ford cooks up a first generation bespoke hybrid power train completely on their own for the first time. Yeah - I know I want to be a guinea pig for new technology - NOT! I have zero interest in hybrid crap on a truck from any manufacturer, let alone the first generation of an untested powertrain. If they figure out a practical all electric where the battery pack alone doesn't cost more than this would - sign me up. But we aren't there yet. I have no problem letting other suckers fund the car companies research in how to make more cost effective electrics. I'm fine with dino juice in the meantime. And no I don't care if people want to knock themselves fawning over hybrids or electrics right now - bless their hearts! I'm all for it. Have at it. Knock yourselves out. It just doesn't make economic sense for me yet. Maybe it will before I'm too old to drive - it will be fun to see which happens first.

Four doors is not just about having more than two people in a car - back seats are useful for hauling/securing stuff too. I would have zero interest in this without four doors. All you have to do is look at sales between crew cabs (full four doors with full size back seat) and what most other manufacturer call king cabs for anything other than a full sized back seat and the crew cabs outsell at least three to one, if not more. It's not even close. Hyundai would be stupid to offer anything but a full four doors.

The bed length is MORE than enough for home owner weekend warrior projects. Partially opened the tailgate acts as a bed extender and also lines up with the tops of the wheel wells - you can easily transport multiple sheets of 4x8 plywood which is more than what most people are interested in for a vehicle like this.

Much of the points of this article remind me of a lot of the criticism of the Xterra when it was first announced - and it vaulted into the best selling Nissan of all time and literally saved their ass and funded the development of the modern 300Z. And I see similar buzz around the Santa Cruz. Hell if I needed a replacement for my Xterra this would likely be what I would replace it with; it's the best looking successor I have seen to date.

This thing is like a four door El Camino or Ranchero - we had an El Camino when I was a kid and my dad admits we should have never got rid of it. A modern four door version of those? Sign me up!

Personally, I am 95% ready to buy a Santa Cruz. I just have to see one in person and make sure the proportions work. I'm not buying this as a small pickup truck, but instead, see the vehicle as a ruggedized sedan with a huge trunk. I wouldn't consider a two-door version.

Y'all forget where this thing is primarily being sold - the U.S.A. Well over half of the vehicles we buy are full-size Trucks and SUVs, and they're all designed with the same types of customers in mind. People want two rows minimum and four doors minimum. And by want, I mean that is the only thing they will buy. Go ahead and find me a two-door vehicle for sale here that isn't a hyper-niche sports car or commercial-duty, I'll wait. These are people who refuse to get vaccinated for COVID-19, do you really think they care about MPG numbers? We (and by "we," I mean anybody outside of the auto-internet echo-chamber) are selfish, cocky, irreverent consumers who "see big truck lots space towing leather everything hmmm yes" and don't care that we can't see the first several feet in front of the car or even know how to tow a trailer if we ever get around to trying it ever while we still "own" that Yukon XL Denali. Which is on a 3-year lease because nobody "normal" can actually afford $80k+ in cash.

Now with regard to the actual article, here's my counterpoints.not necessarily full arguments, just the other side of the fence. (1) It's a Tucson with a pickup bed, it's made in the same factory as said Tucson, and I've already seen pre-production models running on Interstate 65 near Montgomery. If there are quirks, they will be minor. (2) My brother owns a Kona and I have to say I'm a fan of that powertrain - it's nippy, smooth, but a bit buzzy (as one might expect). I think they went with the 2.5 (and added a turbo option) because the Tucson is already designed entirely around that powertrain, as well as the 1.6L *hybrid* system. I also think the pandemic caused issues that prevented them from introducing the vehicle with both a hybrid option *and* comparable capabilities to the 2.5Ls, as Ford was able to pull off with the Maverick (which is, after all, quite a bit different from the Bronco Sport and Escape it shares loose ties with). I suspect they are working on a hybrid powertrain, but just missed the proper deadlines to bring it on release. (3) My mother bought a 2007 Tundra as new and sold it 6 months later because it was too big. She definitely fell under that group of people I mentioned earlier. I agree that that's who will end up with this vehicle: people who either start out with common sense when buying, or those who've had to have it knocked into them by their own mistakes. Also, I think another reason one says "urban dweller" buyers are "a myth" might be the imbalance of income with those who would actually buy this smaller vehicle, and those who would never be seen in a Hyundai and only buy Mercedes SUV "Coupés." You know the type. (4)... I don't see the problem here. Again, Americans WILL NOT buy a 2- or 3-door vehicle. I agree that families won't be buying this, but the couples and singles that will be, are going to expect a bench in the back for when Kevin and Tina are coming with you to the bar on Saturday, or when they inevitably get a gigantic dog and don't want the risks associated with letting it loose in the cargo bed on journeys. My sister "absolutely had" to spend almost $10,000 on the new 2020 version of the Prius Prime because the earlier, gently-used CarMax and Carvana specials only had four seats total, not five. And that's just ONE seat, and the hump seat at that! (5) I detailed part of the reason why there isn't even a standard hybrid system yet in response to no. 2, but I think there's a logistical reason why there isn't *any* sort of electrified powertrain. HMMA, the plant in Montgomery (the only plant where the Santa Cruz is manufactured), makes the Tucson and Santa Fe, as well as the Elantra and Sonata. I double-checked... None of these vehicles can be had as fully-electric, though all can be had with at least a standard hybrid system; and none seem to be slated for fully-electric versions any time soon. That rules out full-EV production for any vehicle made there over the next few years at least. All currently are standard hybrid systems - Elantra, 1.6L; Sonata, 2.0L, and Santa Fe, 1.6L Turbo - with a PHEV Santa Fe on the way. The towing for the mid-size, 1.6L-turbo-hybrid Santa Fe? 2,000lbs max. That's not enough for a "truck," even if I have to use quotation marks around the word. Didn't even bother looking up if a Tucson hybrid can tow at all. The Santa Cruz *had* to be a tow-ready vehicle, and 5,000lbs in a small SUV platform is excellent in that regard. But they had to put a big-boy, all-petrol engine in the vehicle to accomplish it. That's just physics.

Mine will be in Tomorrow up here in Canada(ultimate).
Really disapointed in no memory drivers seat.
No Apply car play- My Iphone must be plugged in

Will they ever to make enough to keep dealers from adding extra markup, and to satisfy demand?

we got one 24 miles it died trans computor problems they dont have a clue whats up ,, unsafe it goes in limp mode just live with it 41280$ we had to have a tow truck follow us ??????

You're opinion that it should have the 1.6 with the 7 speed dual clutch is utterly uninformed. The 2016-2018 Tucson had that exact powertrain and it suffered immensely under the weight of the vehicle, and people hated it. That's why in 2019 they switched to a NA engine and traditional 6 speed auto.

If you want a dual clutch, just opt for the upper trim Santa Cruz with the 2.5T and 8 speed WET dual clutch - I'm guessing you didn't do your homework.

As someone who bought this car, I just can’t help but point out how petty this article is.
I have kids, and throwing 3 in the back comfortably AND being able to load up all the bikes in the bed is a huge plus. (And no, the Maverick doesn’t come in a 2 door option, so thanks for that bold-faced lie). For everyone pissing and moaning about it being a 4-door, just go away and buy an ford XL king cab.
The 2.5T option, which I have, is an awesome option for a 4K lbs trucklet, it’s super smooth, and your ridiculous for complaining about it not being a 7-speed (it’s an 8-speed dual clutch).
This car perfectly targets what Hyundai meant it to, which is not truck people. Y’all are a…special bunch. It targets Subaru buyers, or people looking at crossovers, something that’s utilitarian but doesn’t take a 5-point turn to park in an urban area.
I have complaints about the car, sure, but this is one of the poorer articles I’ve read about any car, ever. It’s clear the autor never drove the vehicle, or really ever even saw it outside pictures and specs. I don’t need some jacked up, They-took-er-jerbs, Jeep-wanna-be rock crawler or 2 foot lifted small dick energy monstrosity, I need something that does the everything fairly well, and the SC fits that bill pretty damn good.

Oh, and a closing comment to all you ‘real truck’ types, my SC hauls air just as well as your F350.

So it is not a pickup truck. I have owned several pickup trucks and only towed a few times with any of them. Nice to carry stuff in the back good high ground clearance. Ride like a truck. I was a scout master and used it to hall camping fear the occasional furniture, Top soil, bikes and kayaks. Oh and all of my pickups Ford Dodge and chevy got mayb17 mpg on a good day. It was Truely only used when needed because it was not really affordable to drive. I also used them to hunt with on the back roads of Kansas. Had 4x4 so i would not get stuck on the muddy roads after a rain or snow. All in all I am seriously considering the santa cruz or the ford maverick. The only thing i would like to see diffrent is a little more height. But i will see if i can put a small lift on it. I like being able to see in the fields when looking for pheasants. The thought of driving down to Dodge Kansas spending 2-3 days hunting and driving back without coasting $300.00 seems appealing to me. The extended cab is nice so i can let my grand children ride with me. I don't need the big towing, don't hall toys around. like to be able to put five in the cab and pick things up that can't fit in the Subaru. Much prefer to put kayaks and bikes in the back of a truck then on the roof of a car.