After what seems like years of waiting, Hyundai finally showed us the Santa Cruz pickup. Well, Hyundai doesn’t call it a pickup. It’s a “Sport Adventure Vehicle”. And now, nearly three months after its public debut, we have pricing.
Pricing is spread across eight trim levels and is not inclusive of an $1185 “freight” charge that will be applied to all models. There are three FWD trims: SE starting at $23,995, SEL at $27,190, and SEL Activity at $30,460.
There are a total of five all-wheel drive trims: SE AWD starts at $25,490; SEL AWD $28,690; SEL Activity $31,960; SEL Premium $35,680; Limited AWD $39,720.
This is a Hyundai, so the standard equipment list is long:
- 18-inch alloy wheels
- LED taillamps and cargo area lighting
- Integrated rear bumper side steps
- Rear privacy glass
- Body-colored side mirrors
- Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
- Molded composite bed (vs. steel bed)
- Lockable underfloor bed storage
- Power-locking tailgate
- Remote open tailgate via fob
- Rear 60:40 flip-up lower cushions (vs. one-piece)
- Rear occupant alert
- Driver attention warning
- Lane keeping/lane following assist
- Intelligent speed limit warning
- Leading vehicle departure alert
There’s a $3,270 Activity package that can be chosen on the SEL trim with front or all-wheel drive. That package comes with:
- Integrated tonneau cover
- Conventional sunroof
- Roof side rails
- Rear sliding glass with rear defroster
- 115V AC power inverter in bed
- Dual C-channel utility tracks on bed side (rail system) with cleats for each side
- LED bed lighting
- LED front and rear maplights
- 10.25" LCD instrument cluster
- Wireless device charging
So how does this stack up against the Ford Maverick? Well, Ford has the Santa Cruz beat on a couple of fronts. The most obvious is price. The Maverick’s base price undercuts the Santa Cruz by $4,000. But again, Hyundai packs in the value. Especially when you consider its industry-beating warranty. You can also mark one in the Maverick’s column for efficiency, as the Santa Cruz delivers a Ranger-like 22-23 MPG combined depending on drive configuration. The Maverick should be in the 40 MPG range. But ultimately it’ll come down to buyer preference. The two are closely matched in everything from power to towing capacity. Whichever a buyer chooses, it’s just nice to have two small pickups on the market again.