The Hyundai Santa Cruz has been given a facelift in the United States and will go on sale there later in the summer. First introduced in April 2021, the updated compact pick-up truck gets some styling tweaks on the outside, a refreshed interior as well as a new rugged XRT variant.
Starting with the outside, the nip and tuck is aimed at giving the Santa Cruz “an even bolder, stronger design,” the South Korean carmaker said in its release. The changes are limited to the front, with the vehicle sporting a more prominent grille that not only has more vertical lines, but also incorporates larger chambers for the integrated LED daytime running lights.
The XRT variant mentioned above gets a few exclusive exterior features to make it stand out, including slightly different front and rear bumper designs, a black grille instead of a chrome one, front tow hooks, wrench-inspired 18-inch wheels, 245/60 profile all-terrain tyres and an increased approach angle.
Inside, the Santa Cruz’s dashboard has been overhauled for a more contemporary look that dials back on the curves. The digital instrument cluster and infotainment touchscreen are now housed in a single frame, with both displays now larger at 12.3 inches instead of 10.25 inches.
The dual-screen setup also sees the air vent be positioned further down than before, and there is a new panel containing controls for the audio, navigation and climate systems. Other revisions in the cabin include a new three-spoke steering wheel and a rear seat centre armrest with cupholders. The front upper seatbacks have debossed logos in the XRT model.
The Santa Cruz’s infotainment system also gets an update to go with the new touchscreen, gaining support for wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, over-the-air (OTA) software updates, Bluelink+ telematics, a fingerprint scanner and the Hyundai Pay in-car payment service. There are also USB-C ports now, along with Digital Key 2 Touch. Driver assistance sees the addition of Forward Attention Warning, while the XRT gets a surround view monitor and blind spot cameras.
Powertrain options are the same with two Smartstream petrol engines, both with a capacity of 2.5 litres. The naturally-aspirated version serves up 191 hp and 245 Nm of torque, while the turbocharged option is rated at 281 hp and 422 Nm. NA variants are front-wheel drive with an eight-speed automatic transmission, but turbo models get HTRAC all-wheel drive, an eight-speed wet dual-clutch gearbox and a new tow mode.
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