Rumors that Hyundai would introduce a pickup to the U.S. market have swirled for years, however they invariably perceived to fall simply wanting reality. The rumblings usually targeted around a life-size model, a daring and ballsy shot across the bow of the Detroit 3, nevertheless at the 2015 Detroit car show, Hyundai shocked everybody with a singular and extremely a lot of not life-size truck. It’s known as the Santa Cruz, and it boasts a unibody style, a compact footprint, and a diesel.
Neither a correct Truck Nor a Honda Ridgeline revived
Hyundai says that it came up with the Santa Cruz’s basic format once “intently paying attention to customers” and recognizing their wants, and apparently enough of these of us needed a CUV-type vehicle with a dirt-friendly place to stash shipment.
Critically, those self same folks didn’t need to affect a truck’s Brobdingnagian size, poor fuel economy, or price. however that cluster has got to be a little bunch, right, particularly within the bigger’s-always-better U.S.A.? Indeed—but Hyundai’s analysis shows that life-size pickup purchases ar decreasing each among ladies and also the under-30 crowd which those teams might be wooed with the proper vehicle. therefore was born the Santa Cruz, one amongst the cooler-looking vehicles ever to be focus-grouped into existence.
At first blush, it’d be straightforward to jot down off Hyundai’s 1st U.S. pickup as a form of Honda Ridgeline copy. Sure, it’s car-based—we’re told the conception relies on a current Hyundai crossover, doubtless the one with “Santa” in its name—and it options unibody construction, however not like the Ridgeline, the Santa Cruz is compact. however compact? It’s smaller than Chevy’s new “mid-size” Colorado, and it’s so much lower as well. It additionally isn’t a correct four-door crew cab just like the Honda, creating do instead with a proportion-friendly extended-cab configuration with rear-hinged suicide doors.
It’s Bratty—In a decent approach
Hyundai/Kia chief styleer Peter Schreyer did a wonderful job curating the Santa Cruz’s design, and also the trucklet belies its tidy dimensions with a strapping façade. the big polygon grille is flanked by rutty headlights and deeply sculptured fog-lamp nacelles. injured fenders feature 3 tie-down hooks to each one to afford theoretical homeowners nearly endless cargo-securing choices for stuff stacked on the roof. whereas a number of bystanders remarked that the Cruz feels like a Subaru Baja—the Outback-based trucklet offered from 2004 to 2006—we suppose it additional closely resembles Subaru's smaller (and so much older) Brat visually and in spirit.
Like the Brat, the Santa Cruz strives to supply nearly infinite utility. to take care of a parking-space-friendly footprint, the Santa Cruz’s pickup bed is sort of short however will be regarding the length of that of a mid-size pickup, or roughly 5 feet.
The extension mechanism is especially nifty: the complete aft section of the bed slides out sort of a drawer, transportation the tailgate, taillights, and rear bumper with it. (Unbelievably, this can be a feature Hyundai really is considering for production.) The bed additionally offers a intrinsic slide-out tonneau cowl, yet as a embarrassment of tie-down hooks. In spite of what the Santa Cruz’s cab style would possibly recommend, the truck could be a real five-seater, creating it as helpful (at least on paper) for transportation folks as a typical crossover.
In fact, Hyundai refers to the Santa Cruz as a “crossover truck” and says that payload, most towing, and ground clearance weren’t Brobdingnagian issues throughout its development. Be that because it might, we’d recommend that Hyundai maybe avoid any mention of deliberately effort capability on the table, particularly within the ego-driven yank truck market. Still, some cross-country ability is baked in, because of offered all-wheel drive, and also the plastic-lined bed ought to repel scratches and dents with ease.
This being a plan, there's fantastical small beer all over. large openings on every front-fender vent . . . what exactly? under no circumstances the Earth’s crust–melting heat generated by the Santa Cruz’s turbocharged two.0-liter diesel four-cylinder engine. (With a hundred ninety H.P. and three hundred lb-ft of force, however, the oil-burner feels like the proper match for alittle pickup and is claimed to come back fuel economy within the “high-30-mpg” vary.) Oh, and also the pizza-sized Brembo brakes with yellow-painted calipers appear excellent for the track days no Santa Cruz—concept or production—will ever participate in.
Build It currently or Be Killed With hearth
There’s no official statement on whether or not Hyundai can build the Santa Cruz, however signs purpose toward the affirmative. additionally to the extremely specific powertrain details, Hyundai born mention of a mysterious second powertrain option—and conception cars don’t supply engine selections.
We’re thinking the naturally aspirated two.4-liter four-cylinder could be a risk, if not the company turbocharged two.0. And we’re told the trucklet would be front-drive as commonplace, with AWD nonmandatory. we have a tendency to additionally perceive that the extended-cab look would be it for configurations, though the corporate continues to be deciding between a suicide-door configuration and a additional typical forward-hinged resolution.
That’s plenty of “would be” and “it will” speak for vaporware, that has North American country excited. If Hyundai will notice the capability at its Alabama plant to make this issue, and it will keep the bottom value nice and friendly (the low-to-mid-$20K vary, for example), and pencil within the diesel for the U.S. market, we predict it may have a completely unique entry to a phase the corporate has long been expected to enter. And doing its 1st U.S.-market pickup in such a friendly, nonthreatening configuration heads off issues regarding prayer full-size-truck patrons. currently those whispers round the trade can communicate what metric weight unit, Ford, Toyota, et al. arrange to do regarding it.
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