Would be awesome if they ditched the dual clutch. I would have one now, but I tow a small camper and have no faith in that transmission for towing long term.
@@ThisGuyRides it is enough, but I’m afraid it wouldn’t be enough power with 4 people if we want to go somewhere far. Also, the base engine and transmission does not come in something like the XRT. We get punished with no options if we want the non turbo motor. I would probably pull the trigger if I could get an XRT spec with the base engine. Speed isn’t my main objective, but I have been stuck in stop and go traffic pulling the camper a few times when traveling and that dual clutch would get smoked in those situations.
We have a dual clutch on our Ford focus. as long as you don’t drive the car like a grandma you won’t have any problems. Long-term they don’t do well if you drive them slow. It’s really a racing transmission.
Wow that's a lot of miles for a '23. How does the power feel? I think the traditional auto is the one to get. Like the idea of the turbo, not so much a dual clutch for even a small pickup.
yea i do ton of commuting for work. power is fine for commuting i have elantra N for power. great vic for homeowners have hauled mulch washing machine etc…never needed anything bigger
I'm actually glad I got a 24. While the interior is nice on the refresh, actual buttons, but that eye scanner on the wheel turns me off big time, and I prefer the older steering wheel. I also prefer the old DRLs on the previous; looks more like glass, where this looks more like plastic. At first I was upset I bought one right before the refresh but I think I prefer what I have
Really comfy ride with the utility of a truck. An urban ute! Pick up zoom zoom is pretty good, with suvs going up in price this is a good alternative. Price may go down or incentives may go up with lots of competition. Been reliable plus no addtl cost on the warranty .
the problem is the price point. It's already tough to be competitive in this segment with the Maverick, although Ford has kind of shot itself in the foot with its inability to resist price increases. If the Maverick keeps getting more expensive, it loses ground to this and the Ridgeline. If the Ridgeline and Santa Fe get more expensive, it loses ground to the Maverick.
They’re probably doing focus groups to talk to people who they’re targeting, and prospective/future owners probably aren’t interested enough in a hybrid model to convince them to do it
*Alex please bring back your scoring system while you're driving, I don't know the point of the blank grey square screen* it was very detailed and useful, especially always looked forward to the cabin noise score. Thanks!
We don’t put scores on cars when we have so little time to drive them and we’re not on our home turf. It just wouldn’t be fair to the car if we don’t have more solid metrics.
I am considering a Santa Cruz. I’ve had bad experiences with Ford and American vehicles, in general. I drive them for work. I personally like the luxury and amenities of the Santa Cruz as well as how it drives. I am considering towing an RV-camper so the 5,000lb is a huge plus. I expect it will have reasonable reliability and maintenance costs based on other Hyundai’s I’ve had. Give me a truck with ventilate seats, surround view cameras and all the safety tech with a ten year warranty and I’d be pretty happy. Like Alex, I might upgrade the wheels for a bit more dirt road but that’s it.
My youngest daughter has a 2022 Santa Cruz Limited. I love driving it. I would never buy a Ford given their ever declining reliability. Quality is definitely no longer job one at Ford. And besides that awful chime when the door is open in a Ford would drive me nuts. Is there a way to disable it?
I’d probably get the non turbo w the regular auto. That powertrain combo is very smooth during my experience with the base Kia Sorento so I wouldn’t expect any difference
I've looked at all the small to mid sized trucks, and decided on the Santa Cruz. Simply it's size, power, and price. Similarly equipped vehicles from other can be 15 -20k more, less warranty and it fits my needs. I am trying to decide between the XRT and the Limited at this point.
I still say we need something like a Honda Acty, Daihatsu Hijet or the slightly larger Toyota Townace for the US market. Either that or get rid of the chicken tax and the 25 year import rule. I mean the bed here is almost as small as a Kei deck van.
The Santa Cruz and Maverick are both too big for my tastes (my 1997 Tacoma is right-sized). The Santa Cruz is fine, but if I were to have to replace my Tacoma, I'd go with the Maverick hybrid.
I wonder if you recall reviewing the front drive turbo Mav. I’ve seen it reviewed and tested getting to 60 in 6.1 seconds or 6.3 seconds, certainly comparable at a lower price. Hyundai’s biggest advantage is the warranty, in my opinion. Styling is going to strike different folks differently. The little trunk thingy in the Hyundai is pretty cool. That was left out though. I hope when you do your full review, you’re a lot more thorough.
I really enjoyed my 2022 Santa Cruz Limited. I traded it off for an electric car, though. Now if they made an electric version of the Santa Cruz with about a 95-100 KWh battery, that would make me switch back. Hyundai is really nailing the EV thing. They should do it with the Santa Cruz, too.
Canada waves hello. We only have three trims up here and all of them come with the turbo and dct. All trims in Canada do come with the tonneau cover and household plug in the box though. Only one trim (preferred) has cloth seats. As soon as you move up to “preferred with trend” you get HTEX and a sunroof. The Ultimate (which I have) is essentially a Limited with the Night package on it ( running boards and black 20’s). They sell well enough here most dealers won’t move much off of sticker.
Unfortunately for the Santa Cruz "XRT" (off-road) trim, your significantly better off spending about $1-3k more and picking up a Z71 Colorado. Just be mindful of options and you get a lot of real truck for about $43k. I think the Santa Cruz is a great car if it were about 20-30% cheeper.
Santa Cruz will never sell like Maverick even with a hybrid. Maverick is trying to be a truck so it uses less premium materials and less features. Santa Cruz isn’t trying to be a truck.
@@robertide5182 what I mean is I don’t think these two are competing for the same customer. Yes they’re both unibody and have small beds but the people who are interested in the Maverick aren’t cross shopping the Santa Cruz and vice versa. The Maverick targets truck people who want a small efficient truck that wil use it for truck things regularly. The Santa Cruz is marketed to the crossover buyer who will use the bed less often and more than likely not to be used as a work truck.
Why haven't they made the Santa Cruz a hybrid yet? Also still don't see a trailer hitch either. Hyundai are not listening to their consumers. This is why i bought the Ford Maverick. The 2025 Maverick, pound for pound, is the best truck out there, and for a price that is cheaper than the Santa Cruz
Hands down after looking and driving the Hyundai I bought the Maverick. I did like some of the features of the Hyundai, the roller cover, under bed storage, warranty vs Ford. It came down to Ford having a better AWD, a 8 speed transmission, no DCT like Hyundai. back seat was better in the Maverick. The Hyundai was over $4300.00 more. For me it comes down to if want more car like ,buy the Hyundai.
Ridgeline is way more expensive and a class size higher. I would only see people cross shop if the lowered the price of the ridgeline to around $35k, but not at the current pricing.
I was looking at both the Santa Cruz and the Maverick, I preferred the look of the Santa Cruz and the in bed storage like the Ridgeline, however the hybrid in the Maverick was really appealing to me as I drive about 22K miles a year. Being a large person when I sat in the back of each I found the Maverick to be more roomy so was a little surprised that Alex found otherwise. Had the Santa Cruz had a hybrid it would have been a really difficult decision but I went with the Maverick and really like it.
The only reason I never bought the 22’ Santa Cruz, was lack of a hybrid. So I bought the 22’ Tucson hybrid instead. The dual clutch Turbo was a huge turnoff. The engine is great.. The trans? Not so much. The hybrid would have split the difference.
I don't know about anyone else, but the Maverick grabbed my attention because it was the cheapest hybrid in America. Unusual then Hyundai hasn't given the Santa Cruz a hyrbid, especially since they've got some good hyrbids systems.
It's cool for sure....but it's basically a car with a large trunk....would be cool if they could figure out how to extend the bed reward to a more usable, truck size....like an RV slide out
The Hyundai dual clutch automatic has had a history of premature failures, especially when the vehicle is frequently used to tow. Excessive clutch wear, slipping and then slamming into gear, and loud whining noises from the gearbox. No bueno. 😮 Im going with the Maverick hybrid AWD.
Trucks aren't supposed to be style forward and luxury. Trucks are supposed to be utilitarian. Trucks that are style forward and luxurious aren't trucks, they're cars on stilts with the back half of the roof cut off. Those types of trucks are fine for those who want them - silly, but fine for their owners.
Whining about the hybrid. There are millions of us who would never own a hybrid. Don't want a golf cart or even a half golf cart. And we definitely don't want to haul around a couple of hundred extra pounds.
Their biggest mistake with this thing building it based on the Tucson and not the Santa fe, which would of translated much better to a pickup. Plus it needs the hybrid, regardless. Theres absolutely no reason to buy this over a maverick because the maverick has the hybrid. This is an appliance and hyundai is for some reason trying to sell it as a luxury vehicle. When the Santa Cruz fails, it will be because they completely missed the mark on their demographic
Had they done that, it wouldn't be competing against the Ford Maverick and it would be priced in the $30k range like every other body-on-frame mid-size truck, which would make it rather pointless like the Honda Ridgeline.
@@palebeachbumwell they're already not competing with the maverick because this thing doesn't have a hybrid and it has a premium interior, so why stop short of the midsize segment where whey could properly compete with the Ridgeline and more expensive trucks and get higher margins?
I disagree. The Santa Cruz is cooler and better looking than the Maverick. I test drove an XRT trim with the turbo and it was a blast to drive as well. With the ‘25 updated the refreshed interior is more upscale. I prefer having physical buttons and a traditional shifter over Ford’s dial shifter and everything in the screen layout.
![ARGENTINA vs. PERÚ [1-0] | RESUMEN | ELIMINATORIAS SUDAMERICANAS | FECHA 12](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/xtI25ENDDSY/mqdefault.jpg)
One of the few reviewers who is very rational, original and does review which are actually useful to the end users.
he's the best
For a city truck it's Hyundai did a phenomenal job with this.
Not really, they could have EASILY made it a hybrid and they have not
@@Hallowsaw Not everyone wants a hybrid right now. Insurance companies are taxing rates on hybrid engine cars.
@@jraheemjefcoat429The Maverick sales have proved the vast majority do want hybrids.
@@IchibunsI think one of the major selling points may have been more the more traditional “truck” look vs the Hyundai. 🤷
"City" truck aka useless
Would be awesome if they ditched the dual clutch. I would have one now, but I tow a small camper and have no faith in that transmission for towing long term.
Non-turbo with torque converter auto can tow 3500, enough for your small camper, if you don't need over 200 HP.
@@ThisGuyRides it is enough, but I’m afraid it wouldn’t be enough power with 4 people if we want to go somewhere far. Also, the base engine and transmission does not come in something like the XRT. We get punished with no options if we want the non turbo motor. I would probably pull the trigger if I could get an XRT spec with the base engine. Speed isn’t my main objective, but I have been stuck in stop and go traffic pulling the camper a few times when traveling and that dual clutch would get smoked in those situations.
That dual clutch is a red flag
We have a dual clutch on our Ford focus. as long as you don’t drive the car like a grandma you won’t have any problems. Long-term they don’t do well if you drive them slow. It’s really a racing transmission.
@@newmanfertig886 agreed. You can’t be indecisive on your acceleration. You need to go and not just creep. Car people get it, but not average people.
Despite the higher price & poorer fuel economy, the Santa Cruz is one fun, quick and comfortable little truck to drive
Ive got a 2024 SC non Turbo / non DCT with AWD and I get average 28 mpg around town.
love my 2023. 70k miles no issues. (no dct or turbo though)
Wow that's a lot of miles for a '23. How does the power feel? I think the traditional auto is the one to get. Like the idea of the turbo, not so much a dual clutch for even a small pickup.
yea i do ton of commuting for work. power is fine for commuting i have elantra N for power. great vic for homeowners have hauled mulch washing machine etc…never needed anything bigger
@@mikejones762Elantra N and a Santa Cruz?? That is a cool two-car garage
65k in ‘22 turbo DCT. Very fun to drive bed full or not full. No issues.
Very impressive and the best attempt out there in my opinion at a “do everything” vehicle.
Just bought a 25 Santa Cruz sel AWD. I love it
Just got my 25 Santa Cruz Limited in rockwood green last week. Love it!
I'm actually glad I got a 24. While the interior is nice on the refresh, actual buttons, but that eye scanner on the wheel turns me off big time, and I prefer the older steering wheel.
I also prefer the old DRLs on the previous; looks more like glass, where this looks more like plastic. At first I was upset I bought one right before the refresh but I think I prefer what I have
You know dealers are charging 5,000-7,000 above sticker for the mavericks so those lower MRSPs of the maverick are bullshit
If this had a PHEV option… game over, insta buy for me
Really comfy ride with the utility of a truck. An urban ute! Pick up zoom zoom is pretty good, with suvs going up in price this is a good alternative. Price may go down or incentives may go up with lots of competition. Been reliable plus no addtl cost on the warranty .
Alex, remember that the SC also has a regular automatic option as well, with the non-turbocharged engine, and its now rated 30mpg.
What exactly is Hyundai "researching" to determine if they should offer a hybrid? Might I suggest they research Maverick Hybrid sales figures?
Probably researching supply chain logistics and/or production capacity or impact to the rest of their lineup.
the problem is the price point. It's already tough to be competitive in this segment with the Maverick, although Ford has kind of shot itself in the foot with its inability to resist price increases. If the Maverick keeps getting more expensive, it loses ground to this and the Ridgeline. If the Ridgeline and Santa Fe get more expensive, it loses ground to the Maverick.
"Researching" in this context means "No, not in the near future."
They’re probably doing focus groups to talk to people who they’re targeting, and prospective/future owners probably aren’t interested enough in a hybrid model to convince them to do it
*Alex please bring back your scoring system while you're driving, I don't know the point of the blank grey square screen*
it was very detailed and useful, especially always looked forward to the cabin noise score. Thanks!
We don’t put scores on cars when we have so little time to drive them and we’re not on our home turf. It just wouldn’t be fair to the car if we don’t have more solid metrics.
I am considering a Santa Cruz. I’ve had bad experiences with Ford and American vehicles, in general. I drive them for work. I personally like the luxury and amenities of the Santa Cruz as well as how it drives. I am considering towing an RV-camper so the 5,000lb is a huge plus. I expect it will have reasonable reliability and maintenance costs based on other Hyundai’s I’ve had. Give me a truck with ventilate seats, surround view cameras and all the safety tech with a ten year warranty and I’d be pretty happy. Like Alex, I might upgrade the wheels for a bit more dirt road but that’s it.
The Santa Cruz n/a 2.5 with the traditional automatic would be my choice even over the maverick hybrid .
Just bought a 2024 Limited 😎👍🇺🇸
My youngest daughter has a 2022 Santa Cruz Limited. I love driving it. I would never buy a Ford given their ever declining reliability. Quality is definitely no longer job one at Ford. And besides that awful chime when the door is open in a Ford would drive me nuts. Is there a way to disable it?
Quality is Job Twenty-Four at Ford these days...
I’d probably get the non turbo w the regular auto. That powertrain combo is very smooth during my experience with the base Kia Sorento so I wouldn’t expect any difference
I've looked at all the small to mid sized trucks, and decided on the Santa Cruz. Simply it's size, power, and price. Similarly equipped vehicles from other can be 15 -20k more, less warranty and it fits my needs. I am trying to decide between the XRT and the Limited at this point.
02:54, it comes down to if you want easy load in height.. or under floor storage. Similar to EVs, want more interior space or a frunk.
Hey Alex, if money wasn’t an issue, which car would you buy?
I hardly see any of these on the road in my area. I do see a fair amount of Ford Mavericks though.
I still say we need something like a Honda Acty, Daihatsu Hijet or the slightly larger Toyota Townace for the US market. Either that or get rid of the chicken tax and the 25 year import rule. I mean the bed here is almost as small as a Kei deck van.
Kei Trucks can't be sold in the US new for a reason... none... and I mean NOT ONE meet US Safety standards (crash tests, etc). They are death traps.
Santa Cruz it is!!
If only there was a Maverick-Santa Cruz fusion available.
Hyundai should use the front end of the 2025 Santa Fe with that nice square headlights and grill instead of the Tucson front end grill.
The Santa Cruz and Maverick are both too big for my tastes (my 1997 Tacoma is right-sized). The Santa Cruz is fine, but if I were to have to replace my Tacoma, I'd go with the Maverick hybrid.
This needs to have a pass through function like the new Silverado EV. It would be a perfect all arounder.
I wonder if you recall reviewing the front drive turbo Mav. I’ve seen it reviewed and tested getting to 60 in 6.1 seconds or 6.3 seconds, certainly comparable at a lower price.
Hyundai’s biggest advantage is the warranty, in my opinion.
Styling is going to strike different folks differently. The little trunk thingy in the Hyundai is pretty cool. That was left out though. I hope when you do your full review, you’re a lot more thorough.
I really enjoyed my 2022 Santa Cruz Limited. I traded it off for an electric car, though. Now if they made an electric version of the Santa Cruz with about a 95-100 KWh battery, that would make me switch back. Hyundai is really nailing the EV thing. They should do it with the Santa Cruz, too.
Alex, Hyundai ought to build and sell their real pickups in this market.
Warranty wins w SC
With the cameras on the steering wheel now, it would have been great if they would have improved HDA with hands free eye tracking like Supercruise.
Smart to make it boxier.
Needs even more of that.
is the base engine peppy enough?
C'mon Hyundai, how hard is it to port the hybrid/plug in hybrid powertrain into this ute?
I need this in Limited trim, with a hybrid and 3.5K tow capacity.
I'm hoping you give the refreshed Maverick a new interior review with that bigger infotainment and it looks like they improved some materials
You are stuck with an SE or an SEL to avoid that DCT Turbo.
Canada waves hello. We only have three trims up here and all of them come with the turbo and dct. All trims in Canada do come with the tonneau cover and household plug in the box though. Only one trim (preferred) has cloth seats. As soon as you move up to “preferred with trend” you get HTEX and a sunroof. The Ultimate (which I have) is essentially a Limited with the Night package on it ( running boards and black 20’s). They sell well enough here most dealers won’t move much off of sticker.
I got the SEL with the Activity Package in my 2024 Pretty happy with it.
You mention the Honda Ridgeline and one drives by just a couple seconds later...was that planned? ;)
Unfortunately for the Santa Cruz "XRT" (off-road) trim, your significantly better off spending about $1-3k more and picking up a Z71 Colorado. Just be mindful of options and you get a lot of real truck for about $43k. I think the Santa Cruz is a great car if it were about 20-30% cheeper.
I'll hard pass on a hybrid Santa Cruz. But I'll jump at a BEV variant.
snazy little truck but needs rear sliding window, Hybrid, regular tranny, and bigger sunroof.
So, How much is it?
It’s a really nice ‘truck’ to drive, quite nimble and comfortable. Hopefully next gen will have an electric variant
Subaru needs to bring back the Baja.
If this had the same hybrid drivetrain as the Tucson, it would be my next car.
Redesign the Santa Cruz, add a hybrid option, and they'll sell like hotcakes.
So a completely different truck?
Santa Cruz will never sell like Maverick even with a hybrid. Maverick is trying to be a truck so it uses less premium materials and less features. Santa Cruz isn’t trying to be a truck.
@@DeadAir21 What does 'trying to be a truck' mean? Lower towing, cheaper materials? Same size beds and both are unibody.
Hotcakes? Wtf🤔😼
@@robertide5182 what I mean is I don’t think these two are competing for the same customer. Yes they’re both unibody and have small beds but the people who are interested in the Maverick aren’t cross shopping the Santa Cruz and vice versa. The Maverick targets truck people who want a small efficient truck that wil use it for truck things regularly. The Santa Cruz is marketed to the crossover buyer who will use the bed less often and more than likely not to be used as a work truck.
Why haven't they made the Santa Cruz a hybrid yet? Also still don't see a trailer hitch either. Hyundai are not listening to their consumers. This is why i bought the Ford Maverick. The 2025 Maverick, pound for pound, is the best truck out there, and for a price that is cheaper than the Santa Cruz
More agressive look
Hands down after looking and driving the Hyundai I bought the Maverick. I did like some of the features of the Hyundai, the roller cover, under bed storage, warranty vs Ford. It came down to Ford having a better AWD, a 8 speed transmission, no DCT like Hyundai. back seat was better in the Maverick. The Hyundai was over $4300.00 more. For me it comes down to if want more car like ,buy the Hyundai.
Honda Ridgeline is only mentioned once.
Because Honda and Hyundai don’t see much cross shop between them. This is smaller than Ridgeline, it’s a Maverick competitor
Ridgeline is way more expensive and a class size higher. I would only see people cross shop if the lowered the price of the ridgeline to around $35k, but not at the current pricing.
I'm plenty happy going 0-60 in the low 7 seconds with my hybrid Maverick and get 40mpg!
Practical tonneau cover by eating up an already tiny bed space. Good move.
Truck for people that don’t need a truck
Cool, waiting for thr kia version and hybrid/ev option.
When it comes out in a plug in hybrid version, I’m in!
If they had a PHEV available I would have seriously considered it
"take out"..."carried away"🤦🏾♂️😂
I was looking at both the Santa Cruz and the Maverick, I preferred the look of the Santa Cruz and the in bed storage like the Ridgeline, however the hybrid in the Maverick was really appealing to me as I drive about 22K miles a year. Being a large person when I sat in the back of each I found the Maverick to be more roomy so was a little surprised that Alex found otherwise. Had the Santa Cruz had a hybrid it would have been a really difficult decision but I went with the Maverick and really like it.
The only reason I never bought the 22’ Santa Cruz, was lack of a hybrid.
So I bought the 22’ Tucson hybrid instead.
The dual clutch Turbo was a huge turnoff.
The engine is great..
The trans?
Not so much.
The hybrid would have split the difference.
I hope Hyundai/Kia makes an EV truck this size
I don't know about anyone else, but the Maverick grabbed my attention because it was the cheapest hybrid in America. Unusual then Hyundai hasn't given the Santa Cruz a hyrbid, especially since they've got some good hyrbids systems.
It's cool for sure....but it's basically a car with a large trunk....would be cool if they could figure out how to extend the bed reward to a more usable, truck size....like an RV slide out
😆fully loaded maverick awd 😦That's a fully loaded problems
Ford Maverick All day over this thing,,,, you do you
weak engine with decent transmission vs power with crappy transmission. guhhh
The Hyundai dual clutch automatic has had a history of premature failures, especially when the vehicle is frequently used to tow. Excessive clutch wear, slipping and then slamming into gear, and loud whining noises from the gearbox. No bueno. 😮
Im going with the Maverick hybrid AWD.
santa cruz, maverick, ridgeline are not trucks, they are cars with a small bed
Not with that DCT it ain’t.
Trucks aren't supposed to be style forward and luxury. Trucks are supposed to be utilitarian. Trucks that are style forward and luxurious aren't trucks, they're cars on stilts with the back half of the roof cut off. Those types of trucks are fine for those who want them - silly, but fine for their owners.
Whining about the hybrid. There are millions of us who would never own a hybrid. Don't want a golf cart or even a half golf cart. And we definitely don't want to haul around a couple of hundred extra pounds.
Their biggest mistake with this thing building it based on the Tucson and not the Santa fe, which would of translated much better to a pickup. Plus it needs the hybrid, regardless.
Theres absolutely no reason to buy this over a maverick because the maverick has the hybrid. This is an appliance and hyundai is for some reason trying to sell it as a luxury vehicle. When the Santa Cruz fails, it will be because they completely missed the mark on their demographic
Had they done that, it wouldn't be competing against the Ford Maverick and it would be priced in the $30k range like every other body-on-frame mid-size truck, which would make it rather pointless like the Honda Ridgeline.
@@palebeachbumwell they're already not competing with the maverick because this thing doesn't have a hybrid and it has a premium interior, so why stop short of the midsize segment where whey could properly compete with the Ridgeline and more expensive trucks and get higher margins?
That would drive up the price even more. Hyundai is going for an entry level pickup truck.
The Tucson and Santa Fe are based on the same platform, no?
I disagree. The Santa Cruz is cooler and better looking than the Maverick. I test drove an XRT trim with the turbo and it was a blast to drive as well. With the ‘25 updated the refreshed interior is more upscale. I prefer having physical buttons and a traditional shifter over Ford’s dial shifter and everything in the screen layout.
This and the Ridgeline the lamest things ever
Nobody needs a sub compact pickup.