I admit, I like these little pickups. Yes, little is in the eye of the beholder. There are some smaller 2-door pickups in Mexico and Latin America that I wish were available here, but they aren't.
There are two engines offered in the Santa Cruz. The base 2.5-liter, 4-cylinder that makes 191-hp, and the turbocharged 2.5 that adds 90-hp for a total of 281-hp, and 311 lb-ft.
Both engines connect to an 8-speed transmission. The base engine uses a traditional automatic, while the turbo has a "wet, dual-clutch" transmission. The XRT is AWD. If you want the ultimate MPG, go with the non-turbo; if you want power and decent MPG (18 city, 26 highway), (who doesn't want more power?) go with the turbo. Neither engine requires premium fuel.
Maximum load is 1,411 lbs (that includes people), and you can tow up to 5,000 lbs with AWD and trailer brakes.
There is nothing that wowed me about the front seats. They were comfortable with electric multi-adjustments. The rear seats, as usual, are best for two but you can fit three across.
There is a nice-sized gear shift lever, and paddle shifters on the steering wheel. Hyundai has not forsaken dials for the sound system (both sound level and tuning), or for temperature adjustments.
The pickup bed is not that big. At best it is 74.8" long with the tailgate down, but with it up that is reduced to four feet. I know, I've heard the complaints that 4' is just too small. Maybe for commercial use yes. For someone like me it's fine. If you have a home or yard project you can carry just about whatever you need. Sure a 8' stud is going to hang out the back - just tie it down and put a little red flag on it!
The 2025 Santa Cruz XRT comes standard with a hard, retractable tonneau cover. It doesn't take up that much room, and it protects what's under it.
Normally 0-60 times for a pickup are not that important. In this case, given the Santa Cruz's direct competition (Ford Maverick) it is relevant. First let's do some comparisons. The Santa Cruz XRT is about 280 pounds heavier, and has a 31 horsepower advantage over the Maverick's turbo 2.0-liter. At least on paper they should be just about equal. And they are. According to Car and Driver the Santa Cruz gets to 60 mph in 6.0 seconds; the Maverick does it in 5.8. The quarter mile comes up in 14.5 for both while the Hyundai is 3 mph faster at 98 mph.
One big difference between the two makes is that Ford sells two performance styled versions, a road version and an off-road version. Looks don't make up for power, though.
I like the Hyundai Santa Cruz XRT AWD. It is a sedan with an open trunk as far as I'm concerned. Driving it doesn't feel like a truck. It is based on an SUV, a smaller SUV, but it drives more car-like than truck-like.
I am not 100% sold on the styling, but then I feel the same way about its competition. I am also not an off-road guy. I may, on occasion, take the path less traveled, maybe drive down a dirt road, but I am not inclined to explore the great unknown. So I don't need a vehicle with 8.6" of ground clearance. Nor do I need All-Terrain tires. But as "they" say, it is what it is. And that is a very nice, small truck.
If you can find a 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz XRT AWD the list price is $40,250. A largely unchanged 2026 lists at $41,100 (I think Hyundai is eating part of the tariff increase). Prices are from hyundaiusa.com as of 10/10/2025.
Go check one out!
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