Is the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz a Good Car? 5 Pros and 4 Cons

The all-new 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz isn’t nearly as strange as the average oddity one might see while strolling the famed boardwalk in its namesake California (say, for instance, a sweaty, emo sax-playing singer). Still, like people are strange when you’re a stranger, the Santa Cruz is the new kid in town among pickup trucks — and it doesn’t look like the others.

Related: 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz Review: A Good Kind of Weird

That shouldn’t come as a huge shock, given the current automotive landscape includes “coupes” with four doors and “SUVs” on tiny car-based architecture with no all-wheel drive. But as the compact pickup truck segment looks to reestablish itself after a lengthy hiatus — see, also, the all-new-for-2022 Ford Maverick — the Santa Cruz’s smaller size, unibody frame and convention-defying design feel radical in the rather traditional truck market.

Does it drive as different as it looks? Will it appeal to pickup purists? Is this so-called “Sport Adventure Vehicle” really a pickup at all? We got some seat time in it, considered these and other questions, and gave it our expert assessment. For all its weirdness, we generally dug it — but that’s not to say it’s beyond reproach.

For our full take, be sure to check out Cars.com reviewer Brian Normile’s comprehensive critique via the related link above. But for a rapid-fire rundown of hits and misses, keep reading.

Here are five things we fancy and four things we abhor about the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz.

Things We Like

1. Unconventional, Not Undesirable

Unlike your average Tinder date, the Santa Cruz actually looks better than its photo when you see it IRL. It has a bit of a Chevrolet Avalanche thing going on, which we mean as a compliment while acknowledging that’s not a consensus opinion. 

2. Good in Bed

What the Santa Cruz lacks in bed size (4 feet with the tailgate closed; 6 feet with it open), it makes up for in cleverness. Notable features include an available retractable tonneau cover and a middle-position tailgate configuration for hauling sheets of plywood or drywall.

3. Primed for the Party

The Santa Cruz is just begging to be immortalized in a bro-country song by Florida Georgia Line on tailgate-party-ready features. These include a lockable underfloor storage compartment with drain plugs in the bed, perfect for filling up with bagged ice and cold beverages; a lockable side compartment available with a 115-volt power outlet as well as LED lighting above and within the bed; and easy-access steps integrated into the rear bumper.

4. It Has Pull

Boasting a maximum towing capacity of 3,500 pounds, or 5,000 for AWD models with the more-powerful turbocharged engine offering, the Santa Cruz takes it in a tug-of-war battle not only with its chief rival, the Maverick, but with some mid-size pickup trucks and SUVs as well.

5. Could Pick Up SUV Shoppers

Truck types likely won’t cotton to the Santa Cruz — but it could lure some out of SUV homogeny: “Whether that’s because of a purist’s idea of what a pickup should be, the Santa Cruz’s relatively small bed, specific additional capabilities mid-size and larger pickups might offer, or some other reason, this Hyundai might just need to look for a different kind of buyer,” Normile writes in his review. “The Santa Cruz makes a compelling case as an SUV alternative with a different sort of utility.”

Things We Don’t

1. Superficial Sumptuousness

Hyundai cheaped out on cabin comfort where touchpoints are concerned. Front-seat surfaces are plush to the touch but not padded when pressed — plus it’s hard plastic aplenty for those in the back. The interior is stingy with spots to stash your stuff, too.

2. Wired? Weird. Why?

Let’s see if we have this straight: The standard 8-inch touchscreen offers wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, while the upgraded 10.25-inch display on the highest trim level can use those smartphone-mirroring functions only via a wired connection … and a Santa Cruz with the upgraded display comes with a wireless charging pad despite lacking wireless smartphone mirroring, while the smaller standard screen with wireless integration doesn’t necessarily come with a wireless charging pad? Someone at Hyundai must’ve been making mischief with the dry-erase markers after a whiteboard session.

3. Stop Trying to Make “Touch” Happen

Like the related Tucson SUV, the Santa Cruz employs touch-sensitive dashboard controls for audio and climate functions in higher trim levels. When will automakers learn that this unintuitive, smudgy and generally disagreeable layout is like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole? On second thought, a peg-and-hole system might still be preferable to this, because at least it would give the sort of tangible knobs and buttons most of us seem to prefer.

4. On Bended Knees

While adults riding in the back will appreciate the airspace around their upper half, the longer-limbed occupants may find themselves feeling cramped on longer rides. That’s due to the low seat cushions and the rather severe angle it puts their knees.

More From Cars.com:

• Shopping for a 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz? Research One, Here
• Find a 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz for Sale Near You, Now
• Hyundai Santa Cruz Starts $3,685 Over Ford Maverick, But What More Do You Get?
• 2022 Ford Maverick Pricing Starts at $20,000, But What Does That Include?
• 2022 Ford Maverick Vs. 2021 Ford Ranger: How Do Their Interiors Compare?

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