The 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz Is Successfully Truckier
Truck drivers want one thing and that’s a truck. So, when the Hyundai Santa Cruz debuted with messages to not call it a truck because it’s an adventure vehicle may have caused issues. But the 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz is here with beefy upgrades to clear up confusion.
2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz: What’s new?
The 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz is back with a slight refresh to give it truckier vibes. While it hasn’t as been as popular as the boxier Ford Maverick, it has benefited from steady growth and increasing demand.
Shedding its curvier look to look more confident and aggressive will only help it compete. It looks great with a blockier front end, larger grille, and eye-catching wheel designs.
Two new shades of paint include Rockwood Green and Canyon Red. The interior has an available shade of Medium Grey.
Also, the Santa Cruz XRT got tougher looks and functional upgrades to better compete with the Maverick Tremor. It has red tow hooks with a unique grille design and a beefier bumper to improve the approach angle.
Hyundai hasn’t specified the new figures, but it’s worth noting that it also rides on 18-inch wheels with improved all-terrain tires. A revamped rear bumper completes the look and a 360-degree camera is standard to improve off-roading visilty.
The interior has tech upgrades, including a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster and a 12.3-inch infotainment system that sit side by side on a massive curved display. It has plenty of physical controls and there’s a new storage bin above the glove box.
Plus, the air vents and steering wheel were refreshed. The rear armrest now has two cup holders and USB-C ports are scattered throughout the cabin.
The new Forward Attention Warning system uses an infrared camera to monitor the driver’s face to prevent distracted driving.
Other than that, the Santa Cruz has the same engine options. The standard 2.5-liter for-cylinder engine provides 191 hp and 182 lb-ft of torque.
Upgrade to the turbocharged inline-four engine for 281 hp and 311 lb-ft of torque. This engine has a new tow mode and the Hyundai Santa Cruz can still pull up to 5,000 lbs.
The 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz will arrive at dealerships this summer and the new pricing hasn’t been announced.
