When the 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz debuted at this 12 months’s New York Auto Present, we couldn’t assist however admire it. Certain, it may not acquire electrification or something headline-grabbing like that, however a brand new inside and a barely extra severe off-road trim go a great distance. These updates excite us immensely as a result of we like buttons, we like tires, and we already just like the Hyundai Santa Cruz.
Spec’d with the unexpectedly potent 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, the Santa Cruz hauls ass. In Automobile And Driver testing, it ran from zero to 60 mph in six seconds flat, with a rolling-start five-to-60 mph time of 6.4 seconds. That’s not sluggish! It additionally handles shockingly nicely, with glorious management over its mass, well-weighted steering, and a correctly sorted journey. If something, it feels extra like a sizzling hatch with a mattress than a pickup truck.
Certain, the Ford Maverick will do just about every part you desire a compact pickup truck to do, however the turbocharged Santa Cruz looks like an athlete, and whereas it’s costlier, it has the supplies to justify the worth tag. So, what occurs when the dashboard and the screens get extra user-friendly?
As a part of the 2025 facelift, the Hyundai Santa Cruz downloads its complete dashboard from the revamped Tucson crossover. Not solely does this imply you may get a 12.3-inch touchscreen navigation system, you too can get a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster. Extra importantly, that big capacitive contact panel on the outdated prime trim is gone, changed with actual buttons and knobs for quantity, tuning, cabin temperature management, and even the homepage on the infotainment system. Hyundai has even discovered house for a shelf above the glovebox, a helpful addition to an already sensible automobile. Maybe the most important information is wi-fi Apple CarPlay and Android Auto now approaching all trims, a little bit of tech that buyers are positive to get pleasure from.
Oh, and since rugged beauty are in proper now, the Santa Cruz’s XRT trim will get some significant upgrades for 2025, beginning with an precise set of 245/60R18 all-terrain tires. How about that? If I had been to hazard a guess based mostly on sizing, they would be the identical Continentals used on the brand new Santa Fe XRT, which might bode nicely for street manners. As well as, the 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz XRT will get a clawed-back entrance fascia for improved strategy angle, practical restoration factors which can be simply accessible on the entrance of the automobile, a singular rear bumper, a brand new grille, and a 360-degree digital camera system so that you may not want a spotter. Even when further underbody safety would’ve been good, that is nonetheless some respectable stuff.
The common 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz and the XRT Trim each get new entrance ends with blockier daytime working lights and squarer parts, and whereas it seems to be much less alien than earlier than, I truly choose the extra natural nature of the outdated entrance finish. On the identical time, it positively wasn’t everybody’s cup of tea, so the squarer therapy might have extra mass attraction. Talking of mass attraction, turbocharged XRT and Restricted fashions get a brand new towing drive mode, for many who need to put the 5,000-pound towing capability to the check. That further functionality over the Ford Maverick Ecoboost’s 4,000 kilos goes a great distance.
All in all, the 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz will get some helpful, significant upgrades that ought to make an incredible trucklet even higher to dwell with. Anticipate it to roll into showrooms this summer season, and though Hyundai hasn’t introduced pricing but, we wouldn’t be stunned if it’s much like what the 2024 mannequin goes for.
(Picture credit: Hyundai)
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