The Santa Cruz is, with the high-power turbo four, all wheel drive, a full active safety suite, moulded composite bed liner and a factory-installed tonneau cover, is a very upscale vehicle. Unlike other markets where a variety of power units are offered, Canada only gets the hyper-premium turbocharged 2.5L four. The turbo is hooked up to an eight-speed. dual-clutch, automated manual transmission that sends power to all wheels.

The Santa Cruz is fronted by a design that reflects a direct link to the Hyundai Tucson. The rest of the vehicle is curvy, stylish, and unique. It is surprising Hyundai has chosen this path as pickup buyers, even those buying a unibody pickup, generally seek very conservative styling. Honda’s first Ridgeline, which eschewed traditional pickup styling cues for an “out there” design, was rejected by the marketplace, leading Honda to adopt very conventional styling for the second-generation of its pickup.

The Santa Cruz is equipped with a moulded bed liner that contains a covered compartment with a conventional household electrical receptacle as well as a Honda-Ridgeline-like covered bin under the cargo floor. The cargo bed, which is only four feet long, is covered with a multi-segment, retractable, roller-blind-like  tonneau cover made up of solid segments. Like the Ford Maverick, the tailgate can be locked at an angle to act as the last perch for long items, like 4 x 8 sheets of plywood, the forward end of which rest on the flat surfaces above the wheel wells. The cabin is fronted by the new dashboard from the Tucson. The various touch surface controls used previously have been replaced by simple, functional, knobs and buttons. Rear seat legroom is tight.

Unlike Ford, which offers a wide variety of models on the Maverick, unibody pickup, Hyundai only offers premium and hyper-expensive versions of the Santa Cruz. The sole powertrain offered is a 281 horsepower 2.5L turbo four sending power to all wheels via an eight-speed, dual-clutch automated manual transmission. Three trims, Preferred, XRT and Ultimate, are available. The base Preferred trim is comprehensively equipped. The XRT trim adds wireless cellphone charging, additional soft-touch cabin trim, active cruise control, 64 colour ambient lighting, a sunroof and a 360 degree camera system, but is significantly overpriced. The Ultimate trim adds a plethora of features including leather seating, ventilated front seats, rain-sense wipers, a Bose-branded audio system, auto-dimming rearview mirror and a six-way power passenger seat and is very good value. Launching the Santa Cruz as a hyper-premium product led to potential buyers sitting on the sidelines waiting for a “normal” model. The “normal” model never arrived and now the truck is essentially dead in the water.

The Santa Cruz should be reliable during the warranty period. Unproven engine and transmission makes leasing a good way to secure a Santa Cruz.