The Hyundai product line is now officially enlivening the double cabin segment. The production version of the Hyundai Santa Cruz has finally been officially introduced. After a long time only in the form of a concept car, the first generation Santa Cruz is ready to be circulated and owned by consumers. Mitsubishi Triton, Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger must be careful with the arrival of this car. Reportedly the Hyundai Santa Cruz began production in June this year and is ready to visit the showroom in the middle of the year.
By Hyundai, currently Santa Cruz is being worked on to focus on the United States market, a country that is very interested in a double cabin SUV (Sport Utility Vehicle). The manufacturer of this 'H tilt' claims Santa Cruz combines the best concepts between the SUV, truck and crossover segments.
The development of Santa Cruz is intended to meet the lifestyle needs of modern urban consumers because it has a number of modern features. Moreover, the design is very modern and tends to be futuristic, adopted from the latest Tucson style. As the main attraction, it has a length dimension of up to 1,270 mm with various advantages that the majority of its rivals do not have, especially in terms of safety.
The maneuverability and efficiency of the Santa Cruz is claimed by Hyundai to be on par with the standard mid-size SUV on the market. Hidden under the hood is a 4-cylinder petrol engine that produces 192 hp and 244 Nm of torque. Unlike most modern engines, the Santa Cruz still relies on a naturally aspirated gasoline engine, aka without a turbo induction or supercharger. If you feel less fierce, there is still the option of a 276 hp engine and 420 Nm of torque.
Engine output is channeled to all wheels which adopt a 4-wheel drive (4WD) system drivetrain, then an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. For the sake of practicality to exploit its performance, mounted paddle shifter behind the wheel. So with these technical specifications, Santa Cruz has the ability to carry up to 1,600 kg and increase to 2,300 kg when the turbo boost works.
Regarding styling, the exterior design of Santa Cruz adopts the facelift style from Tucson which was launched in 2020. The shape of the front grille which is like an inverted trapezoid dominates the front fascia, which also seems to blend with the LED DRL series. The position of the headlights is located on the edges of the right and left front bumpers, like the current Hyundai SUVs, namely the Kona, Santa Fe and Palisade.
The bottom of the front bumper is attached to a skid plate as a marker of the elements and utilitarian functions of Santa Cruz. Then on the sides appear wide fenders, which house 20-inch alloy wheels to support the best angles to devour off road terrain. While at the rear, the lamp with a T-shaped LED bar becomes its identity, which is the first to appear on a Hyundai product.
So far, Hyundai has not released detailed photos for the interior of the Santa Cruz. However, it is mentioned that the layout and design direction is similar to the Tucson cabin. A pair of 10-inch digital screens are attached to function as the infotainment system and meter cluster. Connectivity features with Hyundai's flagship BlueLink system come standard on the Santa Cruz.
Some of the technologies that will be brought by Santa Cruz include forward collision avoidance, lane keep assist, driver attention warning, along with blindspot warning, blindspot camera, safe exit assist, highway drive assistance, surround-view monitor and rear-cross traffic alert.
