The Hyundai Santa Cruz is a very compact pickup truck that uses unibody construction, but the fuel consumption figures don’t reflect that.
The Santa Cruz Sports Activity Vehicle, as Hyundai refers to it, is the Korean automaker’s stylish entry into the crowded pickup truck category. The compact pickup was first shown at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show, made its public debut in April of this year, and hit showrooms by the end of 2021.
However, we already have some additional details about the 2022 Santa Cruz. To be more specific, the pickup’s fuel efficiency estimations are available on the Environment Protection Agency’s (EPA) website, and they aren’t particularly impressive.
Before we get into the fuel economy stats, let me introduce you to the Santa Cruz powertrain options. To begin, it has a 2.5-liter, four-cylinder gasoline engine that produces 190 hp and 244 Nm (180 lb-ft) of torque. In addition, this engine is available in either front-wheel drive or optional all-wheel-drive configuration.
And, while the base Santa Cruz AWD model’s projected fuel efficiency is 21 mpg city, 27 mpg highway, and 23 mpg combined. The FWD model with the same engine experiences a 1 mpg loss on highways while obtaining the same city and combined fuel ratings of 21 mpg and 23 mpg. Notably, it is rather unusual that the FWD Santa Cruz’s highway fuel rating is worse than that of the AWD variant. In most pickups, it’s actually the opposite.
Differences become more apparent with the higher-powered 2.5-liter turbocharged engine producing 275 hp and 420 Nm (310 lb-ft) of torque. This engine comes exclusively with AWD and has an EPA-estimated range of 19 mpg city, 27 highway, and 22 combined.
In comparison, the Honda Ridgeline, which, like the Santa Cruz, utilizes a unibody structure, is rated at 18/24/21 mpg. Other competitors worth mentioning are the Ford Ranger (2WD) with 21/26/23 mpg, the Jeep Gladiator (automatic) with 17/22/19 mpg, and the Toyota Tacoma (2.7-liter, 2WD) with 20/23/21 mpg.
However, none of these vehicles come close to the newly-launched Ford Maverick Hybrid pickup’s segment-highest rating of 40/33/37 mpg in city/highway/combined. That comparison is crucial since the Ford Maverick Hybrid will be the closest competitor to the Hyundai Santa Cruz in terms of size.
Gallery (Hyundai Santa Cruz)
