2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz vs 2023 Chevrolet Silverado 1500

Being a newbie in a given field means having to catch up to established leaders, but it can also bring a different perspective. Hyundai has never sold a pickup truck in the United States, and its first effort is unlike anything else on the market.

The 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz is the first truly compact pickup to be sold in the U.S. in over a decade, and unlike conventional body-on-frame pickups, it features car-like unibody construction. This packaging sacrifices some capability, but that’s beside the point. Hyundai didn’t design the Santa Cruz to compete directly with conventional trucks. It doesn’t even call the Santa Cruz a pickup; it prefers the term “sport adventure vehicle.”

While it may win over some truck buyers who want a pickup that’s easier to park, the Santa Cruz will appeal mainly to new-car buyers who want to replace a sedan or crossover SUV with something a bit more rugged.

To figure out where the Santa Cruz fits into the current automotive landscape, we spent a day driving it around on roads in and around its namesake California city. Hyundai also offers base SE, SEL Activity Package, and SEL Premium trim levels, but we sampled a range-topping Santa Cruz Limited model for this test drive.

There was once a time when we expected less out of specialized vehicles. Cars were for families, trucks were for the work sites, and SUVs were for hunting lodges. That concept left decades ago. Today, we expect our vehicles to sort of do it all. There’s no better example of this than in the full-size truck market. These are incredibly capable, powerful vehicles that are also expected to be reliable, comfortable commuting vehicles that have the latest in-car and infotainment technology.

The 2023 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 is in a tough spot. The big pickup has the work-truck credentials covered, but some stiff competition in the refinement department. A critical update to address these issues arrived for the 2022 model year. While the exterior updates were subtle, the big changes came inside the cabin. For 2023, the Chevy Silverado 1500 receives power upgrades for the optional Duramax diesel engine. A new ZR2 Bison off-road trim is available as well. But the real work to keep the Silverado relevant came in 2022 with those interior updates. Read on to learn if those changes are enough to keep the Silverado 1500 competitive in the perpetually evolving full-size pickup truck market.