2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz Reviews, Pricing & Specs

Hyundai sells the 2025 Santa Cruz in five trim levels: SE, SEL, SEL Activity, XRT, and Limited. The first three models feature an underpowered naturally-aspirated 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine, while the XRT and Limited models boast a more satisfying turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder. Prices range from $30,245 to $44,245, including the $1,450 destination charge. Our 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz XRT test truck came with optional carpeted floor mats and a manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of $41,925 with destination.

While the Santa Cruz’s styling might represent an acquired taste, Hyundai has tried to improve it for 2025. Across the lineup, revised front styling, wheel designs, and paint colors give the Santa Cruz a fresh look. The XRT off-road-themed variant takes things further with an improved approach angle and standard all-terrain tires wrapped around a bolder wheel design.

The modifications help the Santa Cruz XRT look more like a pickup truck and less like the Tucson crossover SUV on which it is based. However, whether you like it or not remains a matter of personal taste. We’re not fans of some of the design details or the new Rockwood Green paint (replacing California Sand), but the underlying forms and proportions are pleasing.

Inside, a new high-tech dashboard debuts, dominated by a panoramic curved display. Our test truck contained two 12.3-inch digital display screens, with the instrumentation panel on the left and an infotainment touchscreen on the right. The 2025 Santa Cruz also features revised infotainment and climate system switchgear, a redesigned steering wheel, and new air vents. Hyundai also carved a practical storage shelf into the dashboard, located in front of the passenger. But the Santa Cruz retains its traditional transmission shifter, which imparts a sense of quality and solidity every time it is used.

Driving a turbocharged Hyundai Santa Cruz is fun because the engine produces a robust 281 horsepower at 5,800 rpm and 311 pound-feet of torque between 1,700 rpm and 4,000 rpm. Those represent increases of 90 hp and 130 lb-ft of torque over the standard engine. Better yet, the turbo-four makes its power on regular gas instead of premium.

Of course, those gains come at a price. Only the more expensive Santa Cruz XRT and Limited models offer the turbocharged engine, which gets slightly lower gas mileage. For example, the SEL Activity with all-wheel drive (AWD) is EPA-rated to return 24 mpg in combined driving, while the Limited AWD promises 22 mpg. The XRT is the least efficient version of the Santa Cruz, at 21 mpg. We averaged 21.1 mpg while driving the XRT on our mountainous Southern California evaluation loop.

While the Santa Cruz XRT is satisfyingly quick, its transmission is quirky. It features an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission (DCT), which can contribute to sensations of turbo lag and uneven power delivery. Switching from Normal to Sport mode helps reduce, but not resolve, those issues. Hyundai is aware of the DCT’s shortcomings, and the 2026 Santa Cruz drops it in favor of a traditional eight-speed automatic with a torque converter. That transmission was already standard with the base engine, which is also available with front-wheel drive (FWD) as well as AWD.

Additionally, the XRT’s standard all-terrain tires compromise handling on paved roads. On the freeway, we suspect they were the cause of the Santa Cruz’s disconnected on-center feel when driving at speed. On winding mountain roads, they had limited grip in curves and corners. The upside to the XRT’s tires is a comfortable ride and good grip in the dirt. Hyundai’s little truck soaks up bumps and cracks in the pavement, and handles speed bumps and humps with ease. It is also easy to park, thanks to its compact dimensions. Light off-roading revealed the XRT’s admittedly modest talent when the pavement ends, but it can go places a typical car or crossover can’t.

However, while descending a mountain grade, the Santa Cruz’s brakes heated up and started to rumble, accompanied by slight brake pedal vibrations. Since Hyundai rates this truck to tow up to 5,000 pounds, that’s a concern on a cool day with only a driver aboard and no cargo in the bed.

Slide inside the Santa Cruz’s cabin, and it looks and feels more like a crossover SUV than a typical truck. There is a sense of style to it, with higher quality materials than you might expect. But that doesn’t mean it lacks the functionality of a small pickup.

The new shelf located in front of the front passenger is genuinely useful; the center console provides clearly defined compartments, and small trays are nestled into the door-panel armrests. Under the center armrest, you’ll find a sizable storage bin, and beneath the back-seat cushions, a deep tray holds plenty of items. Unfortunately, it also makes it harder to load larger things into the cab for weather- and theft-proof storage.

Don’t worry, though, because the 4-foot cargo bed contains a locking in-floor trunk similar to what you’ll find on a Honda Ridgeline. Our XRT test truck also had a retractable tonneau cover that was somewhat fussy to use. But when it’s closed and the tailgate is locked, cargo is secure. Fixed loops and adjustable cleats help you tie cargo down when hauling larger items.

Most versions of the Santa Cruz have standard heated front seats. Our XRT also featured an eight-way power-adjustable driver’s seat and artificial leather upholstery. The front seats are comfortable, but only the driver’s chair is adjustable for height. Rear-seat room is snug for taller adults, but the Santa Cruz has softly-padded front seat backs to improve passenger comfort.

Every 2025 Santa Cruz includes a sophisticated 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system featuring navigation, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, SiriusXM satellite radio, Bluelink+ connected services, Hyundai Pay technology, a digital key system, fingerprint scanning, and more. Over-the-air software updates keep the technology up to snuff, and physical controls for the infotainment system are located on the dashboard underneath the center air vents.

If you know how to use a smartphone, you’ll also know how to use this infotainment system. The user interface is intuitive, and the native voice recognition technology is capable enough that you won’t quickly resort to Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. Since the Santa Cruz features stereo knobs and a separate climate control panel for heating and air conditioning, you may find that you rarely need to touch the screen.

Wireless smartphone charging is now standard on all Santa Cruz trim levels, and the charger thoughtfully indicates its status to ensure you know it is working properly. And while we didn’t use some of the unusual tech features in the Santa Cruz, few pickup trucks offer fingerprint scanning, digital-key systems, or automated payment technology.

Comparatively, the Santa Cruz’s connected services are far more common, but the difference here is that Hyundai Bluelink+ is free to use for the lifetime of the vehicle as long as you’re the original owner. Highlights include a remote car finder service, safe teen driver functions, a panic notification system, automatic emergency assistance, and much more.

Another small—but appreciated—feature is the Santa Cruz’s leading vehicle departure alert system. Turn this feature on, and if you find yourself aimlessly scrolling your socials while waiting for traffic ahead to move, it will tell you when it’s time to drive. Of course, if you’re first in line, there won’t be a leading vehicle to detect, so you’ll be on your own.

Like other Hyundai models, the Santa Cruz comes standard with several driver-assistance features under SmartSense branding. Highlights include: forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane departure warning, lane-keep assist, and lane-centering assist.

Starting with the XRT trim level, the Santa Cruz features an intersection collision-braking system, a surround-view camera system, blind-spot cameras (called Blind Spot View Monitor in the brochure), and adaptive cruise control with automatic speed adjustment for curves. Highway Driving Assist is also standard on the XRT and Santa Cruz Limited. It pairs the adaptive cruise control with the lane-centering assist system for highway use.

We tested Highway Driving Assist on various types of roads, and it worked well most of the time. However, we found it more useful in light-traffic situations than in urban areas with heavier traffic, simply because in the latter environment, drivers are constantly monitoring both the system’s behavior and that of other motorists. That can get tiring. Additionally, we found the automatic curve speed-reduction feature was irritating to other motorists because it decelerated excessively, resulting in traffic congestion behind the Santa Cruz.

New testing performed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) reveals some concerns. Specifically, the Santa Cruz earns a “Marginal” rating in the latest moderate overlap frontal-impact assessment, and the SmartSense technologies receive that same rating for their effectiveness in preventing a front crash. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gives the Santa Cruz the highest five-star rating in each collision evaluation, coupled with a four-star rollover resistance rating.

Purchasing a new Hyundai can seem cost-effective, especially if you opt for one from the 2025 model year. Through 2025, Hyundai includes three years of complimentary scheduled maintenance with every new vehicle purchase. That perk ends starting with the 2026 model year. Still, the automaker’s excellent warranty and roadside assistance plans remain in place, and Bluelink+ is complimentary for the lifetime of the vehicle as long as you’re the original owner.

Unfortunately, although the Santa Cruz is one of only two small trucks for sale in the United States, its rival costs less, offers better fuel economy, and provides a broader range of trim levels. The 2025 Ford Maverick isn’t quite as technologically sophisticated as the Santa Cruz, and the Ford is more truck-like than the Hyundai. But with its available hybrid powertrain and fuel economy ratings reaching as high as 38 mpg in combined driving, it makes a strong case for itself.

Not only that, but lightly-used versions of larger midsize pickups are also price-competitive with the Santa Cruz. That opens you up to a long list of alternatives that offer more interior room, a larger cargo bed volume, increased towing capacity, and enhanced off-roading capability.

Still, we’re fans of the Santa Cruz with the optional turbocharged engine under its hood. Zippy, enjoyable to drive, and equipped with tech you can’t find in rivals, it’s a good little sport truck if that’s what you seek. And we’d choose the Hyundai Santa Cruz Limited trim level instead of the XRT for its better on-pavement driving dynamics.