If you stay tuned into the truck market, you have probably heard about the new 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz. Compact pickup trucks are all the rage right now, but does the Santa Cruz actually get the job done as needed? Check out some of the pros and cons for the most talked-about new truck on the market.

Here are some pros for the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz compact pickup truck

One of the main talking points for the Hyundai Santa Cruz is that it is a compact pickup truck. This means it is easier to park and maneuver than a full-size truck. The Santa Cruz has a bed that buyers can use for work or leisure, but it performs more like an SUV when it comes down to it. Business Insider says the “surprisingly versatile bed” is a major pro.

The trunk bed does it all. Under the bed itself, there are storage areas and built-in steps to make loading and unloading even more accessible. Hyundai offers a roll-up bed cover that makes it even more weather-proof, too. It will not be the best choice for heavy-duty cargo five days a week, but it certainly gets the job done for more light-duty situations.

The trip Santa Cruz Limited trim comes with a four-cylinder 281 hp engine with 311 lb-ft of torque. This one comes in at $41,000, a lot higher than the advertised $20-ish thousand.

Cons of the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz compact pickup truck

While the truck bed was a major pro, it also comes with some cons. Big and bulky loads aren’t going to fit into the truck bed. Business Insider says some 4×8 foot sheets of plywood will fit but on top of the tailgate. Tools and such will be fine, but you won’t be carrying heavy-duty equipment on the regular, either.

“The Santa Cruz is more about transporting bikes, beach chairs, and mulch than heavy-duty building materials.” 

Business Insider

Hyundai doesn’t call the Santa Cruz a truck but instead refers to it as a “sport adventure vehicle.” The main competitor is the $20,000 Ford Maverick, the Santa Cruz falls a bit short until you level up. The Maverick comes with an all-wheel drive and a turbo engine, but you have to jump to the $35,830 SEL trim to get that with the Santa Cruz. The top trim doesn’t come with physical buttons, which might be a con for some potential buyers.

The Hyundai sport adventure vehicle does it all for a reasonable price

While the price is more in line with any other new car, truck, or SUV on the market, the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz has a lot of pros. For active safety features, it comes with lane-keep assist (LKA), lane-departure warning (LDW), and forward-collision warning (FCW) standard. The Limited trim gets blind-spot monitoring (BSM) and a camera to go with that. The base trim levels also come with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

It is a funky-looking truck that fits with this vehicle. The Santa Cruz checks many boxes without being too boxed in (if you will) by labels. Since it is based on the Hyundai Tucson SUV, the back seat isn’t the biggest, but it exists. There’s plenty of room for all of the necessary weekend essentials and then some.

When it comes down to it, the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz is the perfect vehicle for some buyers. If you need a versatile part-SUV, part-truck, the Santa Cruz is worth scheduling a test drive.