Unused XRT trims brings difficult glance, soft-roader reassurance.
Textual content and images via Amos Kwon
2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz XRT AWD
Shorten Bottom MSRP: $40,000
As Examined Worth: $42,075 (incl. $1,395 inland freight & handing)
Evaluate
Vans are scorching, and that’s evidenced via stratospheric gross sales volumes. However the way of living unibody pickup truck area is a little more difficult since they don’t grant the similar use and ruggedness as body-on-frame fashions. The Hyundai Santa Cruz competes with the Ford Maverick and the Honda Ridgeline, and the Santa Cruz pushes to produce its minute truck much more distinct with a refresh for 2025. The “more rugged” XRT snip pushes a extra off-road leaning model even supposing there’s disagree extra field clearance and disagree skid plates. What it does get are extra rugged tires, trim-specific wheels, decrease door coverage, some suspense tuning, and (in spite of everything) a couple of entrance fix issues. Except that, it’s extra of a classy difference in lieu than a purposeful one. The shorten 48” mattress is extra for outdoorsy equipment than for wearing hay bales, however the upside is a degree of use and practicality that works higher for extra people than a bonafide pickup truck would.
Design
There’s disagree mistaking the Santa Cruz for one thing discovered on a development website online loaded with equipment and lumber. The profile is graceful and edgy day the redesigned entrance finish is if truth be told extra truck-like than earlier than with a blockier grille trend, better headlight housings, and a unused decrease grille.The unused crimson tow hooks at the entrance are a welcomed addition for 2025, too. The XRT advantages from chunkier fenderwell snip, satin unlit decrease door coverage pads to check the outside snip, and a regular sliding tonneau guard.
Energy and Efficiency
The Santa Cruz XRT comes usual with HTRAC all-wheel pressure and a 2.5-liter four-cylinder turbo mill beneath the hood with 281 horsepower and 311 pound-feet of twist. It’s mated to an eight-speed twin seize transmission. The naturally-aspirated 191-horsepower 2.5-liter four-banger bottom engine isn’t to be had at the XRT, and that’s a excellent factor since the extra tough engine is the one person who feels competent. 60 mph from a standstill arrives in about 6 seconds, and throttle reaction is nice-looking excellent. The twin-clutch transmission supplies competent transferring tasks.
Experience and Dealing with
The XRT snip advantages from smaller 18” wheels than the 20” variations at the fancier Restricted snip. The softer tires with taller sidewalls additionally support grant a at ease trip over maximum surfaces. It feels anything else however truck-like, making it very best for city jaunts. That stated, we nonetheless didn’t shy clear of mounting the curb when parking head-in for tight spots. The decrease trip peak and the magnificient guidance produce for superb maneuvering. It’s even higher than the Honda Ridgeline for speedy lane adjustments and hitting apexes. We discovered ourselves taking part in the pressure greater than we anticipated.
Connectivity
For 2025, the Santa Cruz ups its in-car tech with a unified infotainment display and tool lump pairing. The distant gadgets from the 2024 type have been superb, however this setup is each higher having a look and functionally more uncomplicated. It seems extra just like the model BMW has in its automobiles.There’s disagree shroud over both of the 12.3” gadgets, however visibility in shining daylight residue uncompromised. Additionally of notice is the up to date infotainment instrument that includes wi-fi Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
What’s most vital to us, even though, is the alternate from the gloss unlit contact controls for condition and audio, changed via a unused keep an eye on unit with knob and button controls. There are nonetheless a couple of contact condition controls, however they now sit down on a matte floor that’s now not the fingerprint and dirt magnet the impaired unit was once. We will be able to testify that the unused setup is far more uncomplicated to function day using and likewise higher having a look. It lets in the vents to take a seat decrease at the sprint for a extra cohesive glance with progressed capability.
Room and Sympathy
There’s such a lot to like concerning the cabin of the Santa Cruz with regards to field and reassurance. The unused ergonomics of the sprint, middle stack, and middle console strengthen reassurance and operation, nevertheless it’s the spaciousness in each rows that glimmers for on a regular basis significance. The entrance seats have excellent cushioning and backup. The seating place is rather like a vehicle with excellent sightlines over the sloping hood. The 8-way energy entrance seats with lumbar produce it simple to get into a really perfect place, and most commonly delicate surfaces meet your elbows and hands. The diverse adjustments to the internal of the Santa Cruz support playground it forward of each the Honda Ridgeline and the Ford Maverick.
We have been particularly inspired with the rear seats that grant 39.6 inches of headroom, 36.5 inches of legroom, and 56.1 inches of shoulder room. Seating for grand occupants doesn’t provide a condition, or even the center place isn’t an terrible playground to take a seat, simply now not for lengthy journeys. Welcomed additions for the 2025 XRT are rear vents and charging ports. Bank isn’t plenty, however there are sensible areas. We like the sprint bank shelf and the weighty charging binnacle. The door wallet are at the tiny aspect, however the middle armrest, cupholders, rear under-seat bank, and seatback wallet are rather excellent.
Price
Simply over $42k isn’t reasonable for a tiny off-road-esque pickup truck. It’s a few magnificent greater than the all-wheel pressure gasoline model of the Maverick Lariat and about 3 magnificent not up to the Ridgeline Trailsport. Age Hyundai touts the Santa Cruz as a Recreation Journey Car in lieu than a pickup truck, the Santa Cruz effectively ft the order between tiny truck and mid-size SUV. The method works neatly, and the adjustments for 2025 produce the Santa Cruz much more interesting. The possibility that drivers will pull the XRT snip off the crushed trail isn’t prime, however like such a lot of “ruggedized” trims within the business nowadays, it’s great to grasp you’ll.
Amos has been an automobile scribbler and essayist for just about twelve years. He has written for Equipment Patrol, Askmen, Primer Novel, Fatherly, and is the wave automobile essayist for the usual males’s way of life website online, Cool Subject material. Up to he loves monitoring supercars such because the Mercedes-Benz AMG SLS Unlit Sequence and the BMW M5 Pageant, he’s maximum happy via in reality magnificient and reasonably priced mainstream automobiles just like the Mazda3 and the unused Chevy Trax. His dream vehicle is the Ferrari 288 GTO, however he’d govern for nearly any gas-powered, rear-wheel pressure, guide transmission vehicle. He lives in Evanston, IL, along with his spouse and 3 youngsters.
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