What is a Santa Cruz? The Santa Cruz is a compact pickup truck built in Montgomery, Alabama, and sold in North America by Hyundai. It cost a little more than the Ford Maverick, and the styling may be different, but it has a long list of standard features and a premium grade interior, which certainly justifies the price tag. The 2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz has pickup truck utility, a car like ride, and it really stands out from the crowd.
The 2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz SE starts at $25,450 and the SEL trim at $27,790. All wheel drive (AWD) is a $1,500 option on both. When you opt for the turbocharged engine the price starts at $35,810, while the SEL Premium model begins at $37,350. The top tier Limited Edition Turbo with AWD is $40,320, and all prices are plus the delivery charge.
This week Hyundai sent me a 2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz Limited AWD Pickup truck with a base window sticker price of $40,320. The only option on the test truck is the carpeted floor mats for $195. The MSRP manufactures suggested retail price, including the inland freight and handing charge of $1,295, is: $41,810.
After adding in the state and local sales tax, plus the DMV and dealer fees, the out the door and in your driveway total purchase price came to: $47,036. At just over $47 Grand not only do you get a 4 door compact pickup truck loaded with upscale features and tech, the total purchase price is under the average vehicle sales transaction price of $48,800.
That leaves you with some extra money for gas and tolls in the Bay Area, and you’ll still have some change left in your pocket for a couple of Starbucks latté’s. The Hyundai Santa Cruz is a one of a kind sport adventure vehicle that can go off road, play in the sand on the Pajaro dunes, and then go to Home Depot for all your weekend warrior supplies.
The Santa Cruz has a 4 foot sheet molded composite cargo bed, and here is how it measures up: the length on the floor with the tailgate up is 52.1 inches. The length at the floor with the tailgate down is 74.8 inches, and it’s 49.75 inches wide. While small, the bed is designed to carry 4×8 foot sheets of plywood, with the tailgate down. The Santa Cruz is more about transporting babes, bikes and beach chairs, than building materials.
Power comes from a 2.5L liter turbocharged 4 cylinder gas engine with 281 horsepower with 311 lb-ft of torque, bolted to an 8 speed dual wet clutch transmission with paddle shifters, then routed into a full time all wheel drive (AWD) traction control system. Gas mileage is 19 MPG in city driving, 27 MPG on the highway, with a combined fuel economy rating of 22 MPG. Plus it has a 5000 pound towing capacity, and a 1,609 pound payload in the bed. These are all excellent numbers for a compact pickup truck in today’s market.
If you look at the Santa Cruz specs alone, it looks like a traditional 1/2 ton pickup truck, but with much better gas mileage. The Santa Cruz drives like a car, has 4 doors like a crew cab, and has a small, but very useful pickup truck bed. My favorite feature is the locking and sliding cargo bed cover that slides back and opens with the flick of a lever.
The comfort and convenience list is over 30 items long and it starts with: leather trimmed seats, power driver’s seat with lumbar support, heated and ventilated front seats, a heated and leather wrapped steering wheel, a proximity key with push button start, remote engine start, smart cruise control, rain sensing windshield wipers, dual automatic temperature control, rear air vents, 60/40 flip up rear seats with storage bins, LED interior lights, ambient interior lighting, auto dimming rearview mirror, Homelink, a 10.25″ digital instrument cluster, a 10.25″ center stack display screen, Andriod Auto, Apple CarPlay, Sirius XM radio, a rear view monitor, a surround view monitor, dual front USB ports, a wireless charging pad, a digital key, a 115 volt inverter in the bed, and a Bose premium audio system with 12 speakers. And to top it all off, the dealer will hand you the keys to your brand new 2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz pickup truck with a full tank of gas.
Call, click or visit your local Hyundai dealer for a test drive, and a Bottom Line price review on the 2023 Santa Cruz Limited AWD Pickup Truck. And remember that the base price for a Santa Cruz starts at only $25,450. Hyundai – New Thinking, New Possibilities.
Be smart, stay safe, and just breathe. Remember, You Are What You Drive, and maybe, just for those reasons alone, you should Drive one, Buy one, Today. Have a great day, take care, drive safely, and enjoy the ride – Tony the Car Guy.
This Bottom Line new vehicle review is a Nut & Bolt and Dollars & Sense editorial provided by Tony Leopardo. Tony the Car Guy is an automotive writer, editor and publisher in the San Francisco Bay Area. If you have a question, or comment for Tony, send it to tonyleo@pacbell.net and visit AutoWire.Net at www.autowire.net
