2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz Looks Tougher, But There's An Unforgivable Omission
Hyundai's ute, the Santa Cruz, just received a substantial aesthetic update for the 2025 model year. For starters, it looks a lot meaner with a redesigned grille, headlight, and fascia assembly. To capitalize on the off-road trend, there are a few upgrades to the XRT trim. Hyundai Santa Cruz XRTs enjoy a unique to-the-trim front grille, tow hooks, big ol' knobby off-road tires, unique 18-inch wheels, and a modified approach angle to better tackle any dunes you may come across.
The inside has been augmented a bit with the addition of wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and a new infotainment and instrument display screen. The back seat now enjoys cupholders and more USB-C ports for all of the passengers' charging needs. Two new colors, Rockwood Green and Canyon Red, round out the 2025 changes for the Santa Cruz.
Better tech, more trims, and more color choices are all good for a relatively new car like the Santa Cruz. But Hyundai has made a glaring omission from the new ute: the addition of a hybrid or electrified drivetrain.
It could be much better
One of the main selling points of the Santa Cruz's only real competitor, the Ford Maverick, was the option of a hybrid powertrain. According to EPA estimates, the hybrid variant of the Maverick achieves a combined 37 miles per gallon. That's great on any car, much less a compact pickup. An equivalent 2024 (fuel economy figures for the 2025 model aren't available yet) Hyundai Santa Cruz can only attain 23 combined miles per gallon.
Hyundai has an opportunity to hit Ford where it hurts and get fuel-efficient compact trucks out on the road with a hybrid Santa Cruz. Nearly every other Hyundai crossover, with the exception of the Palisade and Venue, has a hybrid or plug-in hybrid variant. The Tuscon, which is very mechanically similar to the Santa Cruz, gets an estimated 35 miles per gallon, and the plug-in variant has been around since 2022.
The 2025 Santa Cruz doesn't appear to be a back compact ute at all; it will likely be the opposite. However, if Hyundai took cues from the rest of its product lineup, the little truck could be much better.