Hyundai Santa Cruz Review: Not Living Up to the Hype?

by AutoExpert   |  3 June, 2024

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You want the lowdown on the worst pickup ever? Forget that spiky monstrosity from Tesla, we're talking real stinkers here. This might surprise you, but it involves Hyundai.

Yup, Hyundai. Their cars look pretty awesome lately but we can't say the same about Santa Cruz - definitely not their best work. 

Hyundai Santa Cruz

Remember way back in 2015? They showed off this wild concept truck at the Detroit Auto Show. It looked awesome, all sleek and targeted at Millennials (whatever that means these days). It even had a crazy turbodiesel engine that promised both power and amazing gas mileage.

Hyundai Santa Cruz

Fast forward what feels like forever, and what do we get? Basically a Tucson with a tacked-on bed. Don't get us wrong, it's a good-looking little ute, but that's kind of the problem. It's all show and no go.

The bed? Forget about throwing a dirt bike in there unless you want to become a pro at bike disassembly. Even the fuel economy is a letdown. You'd expect a smaller truck to sip gas, but it's not much better than a regular SUV.

Hyundai Santa Cruz

Look, the Santa Cruz is a cool idea in theory. But in reality, it feels more like a wannabe truck than the real deal. And that, friends, is why we nominate it for the title of Worst Pickup Ever. At least it has some stiff competition, though!
 

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