If you’re a crossover owner looking to make the jump to a vehicle with a bed, good news: the Santa Cruz makes the transition as painless as possible. I picked up the Santa Cruz right as the first crack of thunder announced an incoming storm after a few hours of driving, all my bed-stored gear was still completely dry. Meanwhile, a simple yellow switch on the underside of the cover can lock it. A pull-strap allows owners to bring it back their way without having to move around to the side of the bed. The factory-built tonneau cover-a first of its kind, according to Hyundai-easily retracts with a quick pull of its handle. Bed tie-downs and rails are both standard, and the bed itself includes molded pockets for owners to create a shelf using 2x4s.SEE ALSO: 2022 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid Review: Stylin’ On You There’s also a sizeable underfloor trunk near the tailgate, capable of holding multiple full backpacks. The power-actuated tailgate is height adjustable, so the Santa Cruz can hold 4×8 plywood sheets, at least on an angle and strapped in. A little over four feet long at its shortest point (48.4 inches from the top to the tailgate, 52.1 inches from the bottom), it has a few clever features for the weekend adventurer. Even the styling is hinting at The Word That Can’t Be Named. The tailgate may just be the best part of the design to these eyes, eschewing the oh-so-common vertical taillights for funky, sideways T-shapes. An angled C-pillar leads into a small bed, with a standard (in Canada), locking tonneau cover. Buyers can pop these off and find a handy GoPro mount underneath, though I didn’t try that for myself during the test.SEE ALSO: 2022 Ford Maverick Hands-On Preview: 5 Reasons Ford’s Small Pickup is a Big Dealįrom the rear doors back, the Santa Cruz is of course very different from the Tucson, and indeed any other Hyundai sold on these shores. Round wheel arches feature little tabs right at their tops, with a little line drawing of the truck. Move around to the side and the Tucson’s complicated surfacing is gone, with a simple arrowhead character line running along the tops of the doors. It isn’t a straight copy-paste design job, though: the ‘Cruz has a different grille treatment, unique lighting signature, and a more rugged bumper design. That’s to be expected, as both share the same unibody platform. Also, I really hate the touch sensitive climate and audio controls.From the B-pillar forward, the Santa Cruz bears a striking resemblance to the latest Tucson crossover. That’s a very high traffic area and it will very quickly be scratched by finger rings. Worse yet is that it is also on the door pulls. I know, it looks great in photos but in reality, it attracts dust, fingertips and scratches like a black hole attracting everything to it. Just look at all the glossy black plastics. There’s also a little rear window, just like how you’d get in a pickup truck, and it has a traditional gear selector. Press that button and instead of the climate control blasting air from the four main vents, it softly blows it through perforated vents in front of the passenger and to the side of the driver instrument display (as well as the main vents). The climate control has a diffused setting just like in the Hyundai Tucson. The infotainment touchscreen is just as crisp looking as the driver display with the infotainment system being very easy to learn and use. The driver display is clear and doesn’t reflect too much of the sun’s glare on a cloudless day. Also, the 10.25″ touchscreen & infotainment system does not have wireless Apple CarPlay & Android Auto unlike the smaller 8″ screen. They turn on at full speed when there’s a light drizzle and only turn one once in a blue moon during heavy rainfall. Upgrade to this Ultimate trim and it adds features such as surround view cameras with blind zone view, highway driving assist, ventilated front seats, a 10.25” touchscreen with navigation, LED headlights, and rain sensing wipers. A couple things to note, the automatic wipers are useless. Because the United States market has a lower trim than here in Canada, the Santa Cruz doesn’t come as “fully loaded” as it does in the Canadian market. It has leather and heated seats, heated steering wheel, wireless phone charging, 8” touchscreen with wireless CarPlay & Android Auto, the factory installed tonneau cover, and a full suite of advanced driver and safety aids to name a few. Well, you’d expect it to be at almost $40,000. Gadgets – The entry-level Santa Cruz comes extremely well equipped.
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