The compact pickup truck Santa Cruz has gone into production at the Hyundai factory in Montgomery, Alabama, USA. Sales will begin later this summer.
The same factory also produces Elantra, Santa Fe, Sonata, and Tucson models. The Santa Cruz itself comes based on the Tucson platform and belongs to what its manufacturer calls a special vehicle category: Sport Adventure Vehicle, or SAV. The definition ties together features found in common pickups, crossovers, and SUVs.
Buyers can choose from two 2.5-liter petrol engines: a naturally aspirated one rated at 190 PS (187 hp / 140 kW) and a turbo capable of 275 PS (271 hp / 202 kW). The former links to an eight-speed A/T and the latter to a DCT.
Paying extra unlocks HTRAC all-wheel-drive system with a mode called Sports, which redirects more torque to the rear axle than the front one.