- Tougher Exterior: The Santa Cruz gets a more rugged look with a redesigned grille, vertical lighting elements, and underbody-style trim.
- Off-Road Capability Boost: The XRT trim gets exclusive features like blacked-out grille with tow hooks, 18-inch all-terrain tires, and better approach angles for improved off-road capability.
- Tech-Heavy Interior: Major interior upgrade with an optional dual-screen infotainment system (12.3-inch each for instrument cluster and infotainment), wireless phone connectivity, and over-the-air updates
Of all the midsize pickups on the market, the Hyundai Santa Cruz was among the most crossover-like, sharing a lot in common with the Tucson. For 2025, the Santa Cruz has been toughened up a bit to make it look more like a traditional pickup truck, as Hyundai pointed out at the New York International Auto Show, where the updated pickup made its global debut.
“More vertical lines and redesigned headlamps bookend a menacing new grille incorporating larger chambers,” said Brad Arnold, Hyundai North America’s senior design manager. “These changes give the 2025 Santa Cruz a more planted, robust stance.”
Although the updated Santa Cruz looks familiar, the closer you get, the more differences you notice. For instance, the overall shape of the grille has remained, but the slats within it are bigger, and chunkier, contributing to its meatier look. The lighting elements now stack more vertically, contributing to the pickup’s rectilinear design.
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Hyundai has also added a piece of trim on its trim that looks like underbody protection. Whether it will actually protect the Santa Cruz from anything is not clear, but the pickup will be more capable off-road, at least in XRT trim.
The model gets exclusive front and rear bumpers, an XRT-exclusive blacked out grille that accommodates tow hooks, and it gets 18-inch wheels that are inspired by wrenches. Wrapped in 245/60R 18 all-terrain tires, and with better approach angles, it all contributes to make the truck more comfortable on the dirt.
Inside, the XRT model has debossed logos on the front seat upper backs, as well as surround view and blind-spot monitors. Updates to the truck’s interior are coming throughout the lineup, though. If the Santa Cruz is more of an athletic jock on the outside, it has become more of an A/V club nerd on the inside.
The Santa Cruz now benefits from Hyundai’s (optional) curved panoramic display. It’s made up of a 12.3-inch instrument screen behind the wheel, and a 12.3-inch infotainment screen in the middle of the dash. Since this is a pickup, the automaker hasn’t given up on buttons, and there is physical switchgear for frequently used audio and HVAC controls.
To go along with the very wide infotainment screen, the dash is also slender and wide, with air vents that appear to stretch from door to door. A new steering wheel offers better control, and for the rear seat passengers, Hyundai has added a center armrest with two cupholders.
The truck comes standard with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and it supports over-the-air updates. It is also equipped with a Digital Key 2, a fingerprint scanner, Hyundai’s in-car payment system, and its Bluelink+ connected vehicle tech.
Familiar powertrain choices
While the interior and exterior have been refreshed, what’s under the hood has not. The Santa Cruz still comes with two engine options, a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with 191 hp (142 kW / 194 PS) and 181 lb-ft (245 Nm) of torque, and a 2.5-liter turbo that makes 281 hp (210 kW / 285 PS) and 311 lb-ft (422 Nm) of torque. Both are attached to an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, which has been tuned slightly. Its multidisc hydraulic torque converter improves responsiveness, and a downsized oil pump minimizes frictional losses.
The naturally-aspirated engine can tow up to 3,500 lbs (1,588 kg), while the 2.5-liter turbo can pull 5,000 lbs (2,268 kg), and comes standard with all-wheel drive.
For 2025, the Santa Cruz will be offered with new colors called Rockwood Green and Canyon Red. Medium Gray seating surfaces will also be available. Prices for the updated truck have not yet been announced, but the model is expected to start reaching U.S. dealerships this summer.
