Hyundai Motor has presented its first pickup - Santa Cruz. The automaker classifies the model as a Sport-Adventure Vehicle (SAV), Motor reported.
The compact Santa Cruz has a monocoque body, a transverse engine layout, and a four-door cab with two rows of seats. The model has no direct competitors in the American market, at least until the appearance of the Ford Maverick with a similar design. Until recently, the 5.3-meter Honda Ridgeline remained the most compact truck in the United States, but the Hyundai Santa Cruz is even smaller and is close in size to the Fiat Toro / Ram 1000.
In the US, the model will be offered with two engines to choose from. The first one is with a capacity of 193 horsepower, which is combined with an eight-band automatic. An alternative would be a turbo engine of the same volume, developing 280 horsepower and working in tandem with an eight-speed 'robot' with two clutches. Both versions are equipped with HTRAC all-wheel drive with a rear axle clutch.
The salon, as expected, was copied from the Hyundai Tucson, but it was not without simplifications: the pickup received a classic automatic transmission lever instead of a push-button panel. There is no visor above the 10.25-inch digital instrument panel, and there are practically no physical keys on the center console: a 10.25-inch multimedia system screen is located on the top, and below it is a climate control sensor unit.
The Hyundai Santa Cruz comes standard with an eight-inch touchscreen media system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support, and an analog dashboard. But already in the 'base' there is an automatic braking system with the function of recognizing pedestrians and cyclists.
