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2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz Unveiled, No U.S. Rival From Chevy Or GMC

Hyundai just pulled the sheets on the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz pickup truck. Chevrolet and GMC currently do not offer a direct rival for the U.S. market.

The all-new 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz was previewed by a series of teaser sketches revealed earlier this month, as GM Authority covered previously. Now, we’re getting a look at the final production vehicle.

The 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz is offered as a utility vehicle that blends elements of both the pickup truck segment and SUV segment, featuring a four-door cabin and open rear bed section. The front fascia includes lighting signatures within the grille and a lower skid plate element, while the side view reveals available 20-inch wheels and “armor-like” wheel arches. Exterior dimensions include a 195.7-inch overall length, 75-inch overall width, 66.7-inch overall height, and 118.3-inch wheelbase. The upper bed length is 52.1 inches, while the upper bed length is 48.4 inches.

The mechanical spec includes two possible powertrain options, starting with a standard 2.5L I4 gasoline engine producing 191 horsepower and 181 pound-feet of torque. The standard engine mates to an eight-speed automatic transmission. Alternatively, the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz is optional with a turbocharged 2.5L engine producing 281 horsepower and 311 pound-feet of torque, connecting to an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission with steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters.

Both engine options are offered with HTRAC all-wheel drive, with multiple mode selections and electronic variable torque splitting. The standard four-cylinder is rated at 3,500 pounds with regard to towing, while the turbo model with AWD boosts towing to 5,000 pounds.

Standard interior tech includes Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist with Pedestrian and Cyclist Detection, Lane Keeping Assist, and Driver Attention Warning, while the options list includes Blind-Spot Collusion-Avoidance Assist, Blind-Spot View Monitoring, and Highway Drive Assist, among others.

Production of the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz kicks off in June, with availability this Summer.

Chevy and GMC currently do not offer a direct competitor for the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz in the U.S. market. That said, GM does offer the Montana small pickup in South America, and is currently working on a new generation.

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Jonathan is an automotive journalist based out of Southern California. He loves anything and everything on four wheels.

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Comments

  1. GM should do this with the next generation Equinox. It could be the new El Camino.

    Reply
    1. El Camino would be a PERFECT name for a Chevy competitor. They should then give it the removable roof panel setup like on the new Hummer. It could really be an awesome vehicle if done right. So . . . it’ll probably never happen.

      Reply
      1. Tall 4-door CUV based El Camino = heresy. Like the “Blazer” thing they’re selling currently – it ain’t no Blazer. Let’s stop whoring out GM’s iconic nameplates already. The last worthy El Camino successor, the 2009 Pontiac G8 ST, tragically never saw the light of day. That one would’ve more than lived up to the legend, but nothing from new gm will ever come close. RIP Holden.

        This is as close as you’re gonna get: xxx-https://www.lefthandutes.com/

        Reply
  2. Look! A new Brat with a really tall bed!

    Reply
    1. That’s exactly what I thought!

      Reply
  3. Looks way better than that ugly Maverick.

    Reply
  4. Looks more like UAV(urban activity vehicle) than “UTILITY” vehicle.

    Reply
    1. Innovative design????? Mini sport trucks have been around for 40+ years! Great Marketing 101 though.

      Reply
  5. #1 the folks at Hyundai say this is not a truck but a life style activity vehicle to avoid the Ridge line argument of is it a truck or not.

    #2 the bed is so very small so the use will be limited.

    #3 it is not going to be dirt cheap. You are still going to see prices around $30k.

    #4 While Ford too the hard truck look route they went the other way. Who is going the right. way?

    #4 will they get enough folks from the CUV segment to buy or will they have to fight for the same small group the Ridgeline is fighting for?

    #5 with the small size come the problems of a very small bed and rear leg room nearly as bad as a Camaro.

    This will be interesting to watch as this is no sure segment here. GM is smart to wait here. I do admit a Blazer with a bed would be interesting. But is there enough buyers to cross over?

    As cool as the Blazer was the lack of sales is what killed it. Same for the S10 at one time.

    Reply
    1. Most models grow with each generation change and with the S10 and pickups in general it was no different!
      Although it was discontinued in North America, a new generation was developed for South America and sold in some markets like Colorado, getting bigger and modern and sharing some components with North American Colorado, so that it could compete with other pickups that have been renewed over time.

      Reply
      1. The size often is matched to the demands of that current market.

        The crew cab is very dominate in the market today and doing a small crew is difficult.

        The original S10 crew was a mess as the bed was too small and the rear leg room was not good. It was in South America long before we had the S10 crew here. But with it’s coming demise GM did not redo much for it here till it was discontinued.

        There was only one truck here when it was renewed in the present gen. The size was dictated mostly by the crew cab that still has the best rear leg room and folding back seat. The Ranger is unable fold flat in the back due to space.

        Reply
        1. The bigger issue is GM cuts corners on every truck below their full size line. If you run to the dealer and sit in near equally priced Colorado vs Silverado there simply is no contest. They have zero interest in cannibalizing sales from their gravy train

          Reply
          1. The truth is this. Mid size trucks cost nearly as much as a full size truck to build. But there is a limit to how much they can charge.

            Sales drop off in the high $30k range fast. Also they sell only 20% the number of full size trucks sold. So you lose scale along with low margins profits.

            This is why so little money is invested and so little changes made to the Ranger, Nissan and Taco over the years.

            This is why Ford is working hard on the Maverick as based on the C2 platform it shares with a number of other Fords the margins on profits are much higher.

            They have no fear of cannibalizing any full size sales they are just trying to make money with the mid size class that is difficult.

            Note this is not my opinion it is what the lead of design at Ford stated in the ASE Automotive Magazine.

            You can make up what ever you like but I will listen to the guy trying to design and build a profitable vehicle.

            FYI, I own a Canyon. My interior is as good and better than a full size Chevy. The seats are cooled, the dash is stitched and padded, the silver trim you see is all real aluminum and not plastic. Finally the switch gear is all the same as the full size. Could it be better? Yes but so can the full size too.

            Reply
    2. #3 ridgeline starts at 36k for the stripper, 40k for similar equipped
      #4 different segments. I went from a series of rangers (84,05,09) to 01 Rav4 and compact SUV’s since. Currently with a ’16 sportage. We struggle to get our 4 bikes on the hitch mount, also have roof mounts. Not interested in a 45k ranger or a 50k monster truck.
      #5 The 2022 tucson grew by 8inches (!) over the 2021 included an additional 4″ of rear seat room. This reverses that so it will have interior size of 2019 tucson – same as our current sportage – which is/was plenty for many.

      There is a market, pricing will be everything here. The domestics struggle to build anything smaller profitably (it likely costs ford *more* per ranger than per F-150) but Hyundai is really good at lower priced products so might succeed here.

      Match the Tucson: Make the base 24k, a nice one 31k and top of the line 36 and they have a winner IMO. Any ‘premium’ over the Tucson would be a deal breaker as the truck looks and feels cheaper to make.

      Reply
  6. The Concept Santa Cruz was way better looking. Does every truck need 4 doors?

    Reply
    1. It depends! Most markets require 4-door models due to practicality and since Santa Cruz was not developed with a focus on work, it would not make sense to develop specific configurations.

      Reply
    2. The market anymore is a Crew cab market. This vehicle is not targeted for work so have it the ability to carry 4 people is important for recreational activities,

      Reply
  7. Rumors indicate that Chevrolet is developing a pickup derived from the Tracker on the GEM platform for South America, competing with Fiat Toro and Renault Oroch. VW has plans to launch a production version of the Tarok concept, which uses a large part of the Taos body.

    Reply
  8. Not much of a truck but it’s nice looking. So glad the massive headlight housing, wrapped up across the fender to the wheel well trend may be ending. The lamps behind the grille approach is a nice change and somewhat harkens back to the hidden lighting approach from the 1960s.

    Reply
    1. The lights behind the grille are DRLs. The headlights are in the lower bumper assembly that looks like fog lights. The Palisade has the same weird design, as well as the Venue and Kona, to a certain extent.

      It’s like they want you to think they have very fancy looking headlights, but they couldn’t meet lighting requirements, so they hid the real ones elsewhere.

      Reply
  9. Just bring back Studebaker Wagonaire.

    Reply
  10. Bring back the Chevy Avalanche!

    Reply
  11. If the bed has a fold out cage that extends it the length with the tail gate folded down …now you have me interested.

    Reply
    1. It does, extends bed to 6feet. 550lb capacity on the tailgate. Tailgate can be opened partially to allow 4×8 sheets to load across the top of the wheel wells and be supported by the tailgate too.

      Reply
  12. looks like they copied GM’s bumper steps!

    Reply
  13. Hyundai does it again. They will dominate the market segment very quickly.

    Reply
  14. How many product debuts on here now have we seen, “No GM competitor”? Does that tell you something? Product planning is terrible. GM cuts product lines instead on improving them to at least industry standards. No creativity or imagination. With the exception of the Corvette, they produce mid- to lower-pack products in each segment. The design teams across all brands are too conservative. Hyundai and Kia are running circles around them. Wake up GM before you are asking for another government bailout.

    Reply
    1. According to rumors, GM is developing a model on the GEM platform to be positioned below the S10 and to replace Montana. Because of this it will probably be restricted to Latin America.

      Reply
    2. Chris GM went broke doing a competitor for nearly everything half a$$ and not doing what they were good at to the best of their ability.

      Today the market has changed and most companies are no longer addressing every little niche.

      Some companies also have larger global markets where they can spread their sales out more. Some of the Asian companies hold an advantage as they can sell in their own home markets where most American products will never sell. While the Asian companies find it easy to sell here.

      You can not compare companies on face value anymore as the markets play a big role in what they offer and why,.

      GM is also invested in the future EV products and they will hold a great advantage there. Like it or not the EV segment is coming and it will continue to grow as ICE will slowly decline.

      Reply
  15. Optional Blindspot Collusion Avoidance Assist? I’m all in.

    Reply
  16. man, it looks nice..engine might be not that big but i like it that it is naturally aspirated..I am a chevy guy through and through, (1990 cavalier, 2003 monte carlo, 2017 Camaro LT, 2021 Camaro 2LT)…but this does look nice and functional…

    Reply
  17. Dammit, Hyundai…time to update that awful and dated logo of yours!

    Reply
  18. This Ute is why Hyundai (& Kia) each year come a little bit closer to besting GM in the US each year. GM would never allow Chevrolet such a sharp design, that’s reserved for premium GMC & Buick. As a result the Chevrolet would be an uncompetitive vehicle except for sub prime buyers.
    I’m so tired of Barra promising engaging EVs being just around the corner while discontenting Traverse and Arcadia buy removing rear entertainment systems so that margins will pleaser Wall Street next quarter as opposed to thinking in any long-term manner. Same could be said with the sale of Opel never imagining that relations might truly sour with China leaving The General a regional player.

    Reply
    1. That’s ACadia by the way.

      Reply

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