Hyundai Santa Cruz ute debuts, but there's bad news for Kiwi buyers

Tuesday, 20 April 2021

Hyundai has finally revealed its production ute, the Santa Cruz.

Hyundai’s first go at a ute has finally been revealed, the unibody-based Santa Cruz.

The lifestyle-oriented truck takes its design from the Tucson, particularly up front, where it has a chequered grille with the outer spots illuminated as daytime running lights.

Low-mounted headlights sit in the corners while the lower intake houses a radar unit for advanced driver aides.

Hyundai has finally taken the wraps off the Santa Cruz ute. Too bad it won’t be coming here.

Compared to its SUV sibling, the Santa Cruz has a 248mm longer wheelbase and is 315mm longer in overall length. There are some proper hardware changes here, as opposed to chopping up a Tucson, sticking a tray on and calling it a day.

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The Santa Cruz will come in four-wheel drive guise, which nets it more than two tonnes of towing capacity and some decent off-road chops.

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A ten-inch digital instrument cluster will be optional.

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Speaking of which, Hyundai has added a 1323mm long bed, with towing capacities of 1587kg and 2267kg for the two launch variants (FWD and AWD figures respectively). That’s not far behind the local utes and plenty for most people who want a truck for the lifestyle aspect over the more traditional workhorse.

Underneath the Santa Cruz is a unibody platform which should give it a more car-like driving experience. Hyundai is offering two engine options, a 2.5-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder producing 141kW/244Nm and a turbocharged version of the same engine with 205kW/420Nm. The former gets an eight-speed automatic while the latter gets an eight-speed dual clutch.

Interestingly, those output figures are quoted as minimums by Hyundai, which means they could rise as the model ages.

Inside is a 10-inch infotainment screen along with an optional 10-inch instrument cluster behind the steering wheel. A Bose audio system is another optional extra while leather upholstery and plenty of active safety features are standard.

Production starts in mid-2021, but interested Kiwis are out of luck. A spokesperson for Hyundai NZ confirmed the Santa Cruz is set to be exclusively left-hand drive for the time being.

There was a rumoured workhorse that could use an array of four- and six-cylinder options, including a 204kW/588Nm 3.0-litre straight-six turbodiesel borrowed from the Genesis GV80. That's well above the current Ranger Raptor and edges out Volkswagen's V6 Amarok too.

If we were to get a Hyundai ute, it would probably be this one instead of the Santa Cruz, but there’s no word on if it actually exists.