By The pickup truck market is getting bigger constantly, so it’s no wonder that even companies that don’t have much of a truck pedigree and getting in the game. As one of the major carmakers, Hyundai is no exception. As we’re writing already, the Korean manufacturer is working on two pickups. One of them will be designed for the international market, to compete with models like Hilux, Navara etc. On the other side, the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz will be a pickup for the North American market and it is about to bring some pretty interesting design solutions. We expect to see it by the end of next year.
2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz Redesign
We should start with the base design characteristics of the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz, as that is the most interesting part of the new model. Untypically for a pickup truck, this model will ride on a unibody platform. This is a pretty uncommon solution for the class, but this won’t be the first time to see such a design approach. Honda Ridgeline practices such design philosophy for years and it actually works pretty well. On one side, such design ensures a significantly better driving experience compared to BoF trucks. On the other, you won’t be able to tow as much as models like Colorado, Tacoma, Ranger etc.
It looks like Hyundai is ready to go even further than Honda. One of the interesting things is that the company’s spokesmen call 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz a crossover. The thing is that this model is expected to be notably smaller compared to most mid-size pickup trucks. We heard from Hyundai officials that the goal is to make a vehicle that is practically a compact crossover, but with brings practicality and everyday functionality to a higher level, thanks to an open cargo bed.
Styling
When it comes to aesthetics, we presume you know where to look. This isn’t the first time we hear Santa Cruz’s name. This truck is something the company is working on since 2015 when we saw a concept version for the first time. It’s not hard to presume that many styling solutions will be taken from this concept version, while new fancy details borrowed from all-new models like Santa Fe are expected as well. The new model is expected to look very attractive. It will be compact in size and highly maneuverable, while a little bit uncommon styling will definitely be of great help when it comes to sales numbers.
Of course, it’s still early to talk about interior at the moment, but we may expect a lot of design solutions borrowed from the other models in the lineup. In practice, this means high overall quality, attractive lineup and lots of tech goodies.
2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz Engines
When it comes to engines, we don’t expect surprises. The new truck will rely on proven units and base models will probably feature a 2.4-liter four-cylinder unit, probably with a max output of 185 horsepower. Considering that this pickup truck will feature pretty compact dimensions, we don’t expect some big V6 engine in the offer. More likely, higher trims will be equipped with a 2.0-liter turbo-four engine. It comes in different output versions, but we presume a 235-hp unit would be a great pick for this occasion.
2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz Release Date and Price
At this point, it’s early to talk about a more precise launch date. On the other side, we presume it will arrive either in the second half of 2021 or in early 2022. When it comes to the price, we expect that base versions will go somewhere between 22.000 and 25.000 dollars.
Comments