What’s the hardest review to write? Easy, writing about a vehicle the reviewer really likes, one that checks all the boxes, one that the reviewer hates to see depart.
That’s my conundrum when trying to review Hyundai’s 2026 Santa Cruz, a compact pickup based on its excellent compact crossover, the Tucson.
I’ve grown bothered by the ever-expanding Monster Truck tendencies of today’s pickup market, especially its price tags. Plenty of folks need, or want, a pickup for daily work, or just to pull the family camper or boat to vacationland. Yet big body-on-frame pickups now cost $60,000-$80,000, and no one less than 5-foot-8 can comfortably board them, unless they include running boards, usually for an additional fee.
Sadly, the entire auto industry abandoned compact pickups in favor of the high-profit-margin giant pickups in 2006 when Chevy’s S10 disappeared followed in 2011 by Ford axing its compact Ranger. It later returned as a mid-size pickup, but that’s another story.
Smartly for 2022 Hyundai introduced the Santa Cruz at the same time Ford got wise and re-entered the market with its Maverick pickup. Maverick’s advantage is that it offers a front-wheel-drive hybrid model with stellar fuel economy.
If I must find one fault with the more stylish Santa Cruz it’s that no hybrid is yet available. But, in every other way it’s near perfect for a family of four that needs a short-bed pickup for hauling yard waste, new plants, pavers, and sundry other items that fit best in a pickup vs. a crossover or small SUV.
First, consider that more than 90% of any owner’s driving time is with one or more family members usually zipping around town on errands, or heading to work, soccer matches, etc. That means comfort and convenience take precedence over grunt and towing.
Santa Cruz gets it. That’s why it was designed as the most crossover-like pickup on the market, at least on the economy end of the scale. Honda’s Ridgeline is another, but it’s mid-size and costs more.
Ride is extremely comfortable in the Hyundai, which rides on a 118.3-inch wheelbase with a suspension perfected for a Tucson family’s style comfort. Sure, there’s 8.6-inches of ground clearance so a driver can go off paved roads, but let’s get real. That’s a seldom-attempted task for most truck and SUV owners except out West.
Ride not only excels but handling is light and responsive too. This feels, not surprisingly, like a crossover, not a truck with their heavier and more vague steering. Keeping Santa Cruz in a highway lane and parking it in a crowded lot are simple tasks. No second guessing, will I fit in that parking space?
Then there’s power. The tested top-trim Limited packs a turbocharged 2.5-liter I4 that doles out 281 horsepower and 311 pound-feet of torque. It’ll jump away from any stoplight and its new 8-speed automatic transmission responds with smooth shifts.
Car and Driver reports a 0 to 60 mph time of 6.0 seconds, pretty impressive for this roughly 4,200-pound pickup. That’s about 1,800 pounds less than a full-size pickup.
Towing power is 5,000 pounds, certainly enough for a camper, modest boat, or two-place snowmobile trailer. Note too, the Hyundai features four drive modes activated via a toggle on the console. Snow is the setting designed for northern tier states.
The three entry-level trims start out with a non-turbo I4 creating a more modest 191 horses with a 181-torque rating. That earns an EPA estimate of 22 mpg city and 30 mpg highway. Again, this is where the hybrid Maverick wins out with ratings of 33 mpg city and 42 highway. I got 31.8 mpg in a FWD Maverick hybrid four years ago.
Meanwhile, the tested Santa Cruz Limited was rated 18 mpg city and 25 mpg highway, but I can assure you the turbo power feels much more satisfying to drive. However, I managed a somewhat disappointing 21.3 mpg considering I’d averaged 24.8 in the 2022 model.
For 2025 Santa Cruz received styling updates that carry over to this model year but looks already were a strong point.
The grille and 3-wide lights look modern and more crossover/SUV like with Hyundai’s jeweled light and grille design. Roof and panel lines are more swept back and smooth than other pickups, so not as boxy. The Hyundai isn’t one to blend in. Folks notice the Santa Cruz. That was helped here by being bathed in Hyundai’s new $500 Blue Stone paint, a subtle blue gray that won favor among neighbors and friends. Classy!
Due to its size and crossover-like stance there are no running boards, nor need there be on Santa Cruz. One climbs aboard as with any crossover or compact SUV, and inside finds a typically stylish Hyundai interior, black perforated leather seats and soft door trim. A gunmetal gray textured fabric lines door panels and dash facing, including a helpful shelf in front of the passenger’s seat. That’s perfect for holding a cell phone.
Dash layout is simple to view and use with a mildly curved dual screen spread across from driver to just over the dash’s center stack. Digital readouts on the instrument panel are simple to read and can be adjusted, while the 12.3-inch touchscreen for radio and navigation is equally simple.
Below the screen and satin chrome-trimmed center air vents are the climate controls with big dials for dual temperature settings along with functional haptic buttons to push for heated and cooled front seats and a heated steering wheel. All work perfectly and the heat or cool responds quickly. A wireless phone charger is in the cubby under the stack.
Overhead is a standard small sunroof and manual shade, appropriately sized for the pickup.
Seats are well shaped and comfortable with power front seat adjustments and two-memory settings for the driver’s seat. Front seats are heated and cooled and the steering wheel is heated. Rear doors are full-sized, but knee room is more limited in the rear seat, so best for kids although adults can ride there for jaunts around town without too much whining.
Gotta talk about the bed as this is a pickup. It’s just a four-footer, but composite-lined and covered by an easily retractable hard plastic tonneau cover. This enables Santa Cruz to haul luggage or items you don’t want exposed to sun or rain, just like a crossover or SUV.
But if you have a larger item that needs to extend up beyond the bed’s sides, just release the tonneau’s lever by the easy-lower tailgate and push it back. There’s a strap inside to let a person easily pull the cover back in place as needed. Clever!
The bed walls are grooved to allow shelving for 2-tier storage if one needs to stack items and there’s a hidden cooler compartment in the bed and an electrical outlet.
A full stable of safety equipment is standard too, including Hyundai’s blind-spot cameras that show up in the digital instrument panel when turn signals are engaged.
Pricing starts at $31,350 for a front-drive SE with the 191-horse engine. The SEL goes for $33,000 and the SEL Activity trim for $36,050. Adding AWD costs $1,500 on these three trim levels.
Move up to the more off-road capable XRT that comes with AWD and the turbo I4 and the price jumps to $42,950. That trim also adds a terrain mode for mud, snow, and sand, plus comes with a 360-degree camera, blind spot monitor, dark chrome and more rugged trim.
The tested Limited with the turbo I4 and AWD lists at $45,300 with delivery and here just upgraded the color and added carpeted floor mats for $240 to end at $45,790, so still below the average new car price of $50k.
Assembled in Montgomery, Ala., any tariffs should have a minor impact on Santa Cruz.
Near perfect and stylish, there’s not much to dissuade buyers from Hyundai’s Santa Cruz if in need, or want, of a pickup.
FAST STATS: 2026 Hyundai Santa Cruz Limited AWD
Hits: Stylish pickup inside and out, good power, excellent ride and handling, plus AWD. Big touchscreen, heated/cooled seats, heated steering wheel, wireless charger, sunroof. Useful bed with 2-tier storage, hidden compartment/cooler, electrical outlet, composite bedliner, easy-retract tonneau cover. Good safety package and warranty/maintenance plan.
Misses: No hybrid yet, gas mileage a bit low and big A-pillar/mirror blocks side view.
Made in: Montgomery, Ala.
Engine: 2.5-liter turbo I4, 281 hp
Transmission: 8-speed automatic w/Shiftronic
Weight: 4,191 lbs.
Wheelbase: 118.3 in.
Length: 195.7 in.
Payload: 1,568 lbs.
Tow: 5,000 lbs.
MPG: 18/25
MPG: 21.3 (tested)
Base Price: $45,300 (includes delivery)
Invoice: $43,552
Major Options: Blue Stone paint, $500
Carpeted floor mats, $240
Test vehicle: $45,790
Sources: Hyundai, www.kbb.com
