New XRT trims brings tough look, soft-roader comfort.
Text and pictures by Amos Kwon
2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz XRT AWD
Trim Base MSRP: $40,000
As Tested Price: $42,075 (incl. $1,395 inland freight & handing)
Review
Trucks are hot, and that’s evidenced by stratospheric sales volumes. But the lifestyle unibody pickup truck segment is a bit more challenging since they don’t provide the same utility and ruggedness as body-on-frame models. The Hyundai Santa Cruz competes with the Ford Maverick and the Honda Ridgeline, and the Santa Cruz pushes to make its little truck even more distinct with a refresh for 2025. The “more rugged” XRT trim pushes a more off-road leaning version despite the fact that there’s no additional ground clearance and no skid plates. What it does get are more rugged tires, trim-specific wheels, lower door protection, some suspension tuning, and (finally) a pair of front recovery points. Aside from that, it’s more of an aesthetic distinction rather than a functional one. The short 48” bed is more for outdoorsy gear than for carrying hay bales, but the upside is a level of utility and practicality that works better for more folks than a bonafide pickup truck would.
Design
There’s no mistaking the Santa Cruz for something found on a construction site loaded with tools and lumber. The profile is sleek and edgy while the redesigned front end is actually more truck-like than before with a blockier grille pattern, larger headlight housings, and a new lower grille.The new red tow hooks on the front are a welcomed addition for 2025, too. The XRT benefits from chunkier fenderwell trim, satin black lower door protection pads to match the exterior trim, and a standard sliding tonneau cover.
Power and Performance
The Santa Cruz XRT comes standard with HTRAC all-wheel drive and a 2.5-liter four-cylinder turbo mill under the hood with 281 horsepower and 311 pound-feet of twist. It’s mated to an eight-speed dual clutch transmission. The naturally-aspirated 191-horsepower 2.5-liter four-banger base engine is not available on the XRT, and that’s a good thing because the more powerful engine is the only one that feels competent. 60 mph from a standstill arrives in about 6 seconds, and throttle response is pretty good. The dual-clutch transmission provides competent shifting duties.
Ride and Handling
The XRT trim benefits from smaller 18” wheels than the 20” versions on the fancier Limited trim. The softer tires with taller sidewalls also help provide a comfortable ride over most surfaces. It feels anything but truck-like, making it perfect for urban jaunts. That said, we still didn’t shy away from mounting the curb when parking head-in for tight spots. The lower ride height and the excellent steering make for great maneuvering. It’s even better than the Honda Ridgeline for quick lane changes and hitting apexes. We found ourselves enjoying the drive more than we expected.
Connectivity
For 2025, the Santa Cruz ups its in-car tech with a unified infotainment screen and instrument cluster pairing. The separate units from the 2024 model were fine, but this setup is both better looking and functionally easier. It looks more like the version BMW has in its vehicles.There’s no shroud over either of the 12.3” units, but visibility in bright sunlight remains uncompromised. Also of note is the updated infotainment software that comes with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
What’s most significant to us, though, is the change from the gloss black touch controls for climate and audio, replaced by a new control unit with knob and button controls. There are still a few touch climate controls, but they now sit on a matte surface that’s not the fingerprint and dust magnet the old unit was. We can testify that the new setup is much easier to operate while driving and also better looking. It allows the vents to sit lower on the dash for a more cohesive look with improved functionality.
Room and Comfort
There’s so much to love about the cabin of the Santa Cruz when it comes to space and comfort. The new ergonomics of the dash, center stack, and center console improve comfort and operation, but it’s the spaciousness in both rows that shines for everyday use. The front seats have good cushioning and support. The seating position is just like a car with good sightlines over the sloping hood. The 8-way power front seats with lumbar make it easy to get into an ideal position, and mostly soft surfaces meet your elbows and arms. The various changes to the interior of the Santa Cruz help place it ahead of both the Honda Ridgeline and the Ford Maverick.
We were especially impressed with the rear seats that provide 39.6 inches of headroom, 36.5 inches of legroom, and 56.1 inches of shoulder room. Seating for tall occupants doesn’t present a problem, and even the middle position isn’t an unpleasant place to sit, just not for long trips. Welcomed additions for the 2025 XRT are rear vents and charging ports. Storage isn’t huge, but there are practical spaces. We love the dash storage shelf and the big charging binnacle. The door pockets are on the small side, but the center armrest, cupholders, rear under-seat storage, and seatback pockets are quite good.
Value
Just over $42k isn’t cheap for a small off-road-esque pickup truck. It’s a couple of grand more than the all-wheel drive gas version of the Maverick Lariat and about three grand less than the Ridgeline Trailsport. While Hyundai touts the Santa Cruz as a Sport Adventure Vehicle rather than a pickup truck, the Santa Cruz nicely toes the line between small truck and mid-size SUV. The formula works well, and the changes for 2025 make the Santa Cruz even more appealing. The likelihood that drivers will take the XRT trim off the beaten path isn’t high, but like so many “ruggedized” trims in the industry today, it’s nice to know you can.
Amos has been an automotive writer and editor for almost twelve years. He has written for Gear Patrol, Askmen, Primer Magazine, Fatherly, and is the current automotive editor for the popular men’s lifestyle website, Cool Material. As much as he loves tracking supercars such as the Mercedes-Benz AMG SLS Black Series and the BMW M5 Competition, he’s most pleased by truly excellent and affordable mainstream cars like the Mazda3 and the new Chevy Trax. His dream car is the Ferrari 288 GTO, but he’d settle for just about any gas-powered, rear-wheel drive, manual transmission car. He lives in Evanston, IL, with his wife and three children.
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