If there was any question as to whether a market exists for small, more car-like pickup trucks last year’s sales figures answered with a resounding “yes.” The Ford Maverick, Honda Ridgeline, and this Hyundai Santa Cruz found a combined 155,000 customers in 2022…not too shabby. Now, I drove the new Santa Cruz last year when it first hit the streets and loved its combination of quirkiness and versatility but lamented …
I’ve always been supportive of car companies who dare to do something different. Which leads me to this new pickup truck/SUV called the Santa Cruz. I fell in love with it when I first saw it in concept form years ago but unlike most automakers who keep their experiments in the design lab Hyundai has the guts to actually bring this one to market. And it’s a curiosity worth exploring.