Is it a truck? Is it an SUV? Does it matter? It’s 2025 and no vehicle embodies the idea of unabashed individuality quite like the Santa Cruz, Hyundai’s mashup between sports utility vehicle and pickup truck. In many ways, it’s the perfect vehicle for the modern age. At first glance, its most apparent feature – the dynamic styling – feels like a determined statement meant to shake off all expectations of what a truck or an SUV should be. But a closer look unveils a confidence by Hyundai to appease a wider array of drivers by combining the best of both truck and SUV design. It’s a combination that ends up satisfying a particular itch.
For 2025, Santa Cruz gets a beefed-up XRT trim that adds some mild off-road stylings and capabilities, while doubling down on features that will please truck enthusiasts. How does it stack up as a daily driver for a Dad Driver? Depends on what kind of Dad Driver you are and what type of benefits you need from either an SUV or a truck. The 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz can arguably be the ultimate Dad vehicle in some very interesting ways but its shortcomings unfortunately narrows the kind of Dad audience this truly will appease.
What This Dad Digs about the 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz XRT
Destined to Turn Heads – Say what you will, Hyundai went balls to the wall in 2021 when it first introduced the quirky Santa Cruz. Five years later, it still stands out in an ever increasing market of stand out vehicles. Compact trucks are back in style now – maybe even more so than they were in 2021 – but the Santa Cruz has always embodied nostalgia, destined to turn heads. Maybe that’s because it draws inspiration from classic mashups like the El Camino.
While the exterior stylings to the Santa Cruz can admittedly be polarizing there are some seriously cool design cues that any driver can, and should, appreciate. Not to mention, the visual enhancements Hyundai includes in the XRT trim for 2025 are impressive. Most notably, the Santa Cruz received refreshed, XRT-exclusive front and rear bumper fascia designs. The front grille is now wider and more menacing, incorporating redesigned headlamps and impressive daytime lights. The road tow hooks, courtesy of the XRT trim, are a fantastic pop of color upfront.
The side profile of the Santa Cruz has a nice sense of motion, even when the vehicle is parked, with all the lines on the body pointing to the nose. The chunky, all terrain tires that come with the XRT trim, ratchet up the intensity of that motion. With these new design features Santa Cruz looks aggressive and nimble, ready for whatever you throw at it.
Drives like an SUV – Pop the hood of the Santa Cruz and you find a 2.5L turbocharged engine, producing 281 horsepower and 311 lb-ft of torque. Paired with an 8-speed dual-clutch transmission, this engine configuration provides quick, responsive shifting making for a nimble driving experience. The Sanata Cruz handles more like an SUV than a truck and that makes a world of difference if urban streets are where you’ll spend most of your day driving. On the highway, there’s more than enough power to easily pass motorists and weave in and out of traffic. Off-road, the Santa Cruz is confident and agile enough to tackle most terrains – even if it isn’t very taller nor high off the ground.
All Party in the Back – No sense in creating an SUV-truck mashup if the vehicle’s bed isn’t functional and innovative. Thankful Hyundai has equipped the Santa Cruz with a very capable truck bed that has something for all kinds of truck enthusiasts. First off, the Santa Cruz comes with a lockable, roll-away tonneau cover that’s essential for those Dad Drivers who need secured storage while on the go. There is also some nifty under-bed storage that’s perfect for utility use; I can imagine carrying camping or sporting gear like guns in this space while leaving the bed open for other hauling uses. There’s also a 115V outlet in the bed, perfect for powering a camp site or work tools.
Interior Highlights – While the Santa Cruz interior design was a bit of a letdown, there were some highlights worth noting. In particular the redesigned dashboard which prominently features a panoramic curved infotainment display. This display seamlessly combines driver information featured in the gauge cluster with the infotainment features we’ve come to expect from Hyundai. The rest of the dashboard is minimalistic which leans into the truck persona but it’s also a bit lackluster. The front seats, however, are very comfortable and are placed at the perfect height to give the driver a sense of confidence behind the wheel.
What Gets This Dad’s Downvote
Tight Rear Seats – The awkward rear doors give it away. Besides having a funky shape, their small size hints at the tight rear seat area that lays behind them. With 36.5 inches of legroom, there is, in fact, a decent amount of room for the average adult but not enough room for that adult to sit comfortably on long trips. My kid’s bulky car seats made matters even worse. The unmovable upright seats mean there is no wiggle for my daughter’s extra long legs and I can’t imagine if the seats had to be turned backwards to accommodate a toddler. The upside: despite the cramped door frame and the tight space between the child car seats and the back of the front row seats, my daughters found it particularly easy to climb in and out on their own.
Small Truck Pricing – From size to features, the Ford Maverick is the simplest truck to compare the Santa Cruz with. Each vehicle has their pros and cons but the Santa Cruz is priced around $1000 dollars more in all trim levels when compared to the Maverick. Sure, the Santa Cruz is quirky but the Maverick has slightly more interior space and its visual features are universal.
The 2025 Santa Cruz starts at $28,750, which feels right on the money – no pun intended. But the XRT trim we tested starts at $40k. Compared to the Maverick Tremor which starts at $37k, the Santa Cruz can be a tough argument to make.
Not Without Its Charm
Respect to Hyundai for keeping the small truck sector interesting with the 2025 Santa Cruz. Sure it’s a bit of a “frankienstein” between a truck and an SUV but it fills a niche in the truck segment that has been forgotten for too long. Who is this niche truck for? Not all truck enthusiasts will see the potential in the Santa Cruz but for my money, this is the perfect truck for the Dad Driver who has young children that have transitioned out of car seats. The back seat is simply more bearable without bulky child seats latched in.
The 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz has eclectic style, rugged charm, turbo pep, and enough practicality for most discerning drivers. With plenty of space in the bed and ability to do some off-roading, the Santa Cruz might also be the dadmobile we didn’t know we needed.
Phillip is a filmmaker, an award-winning playwright, screenwriter and craft beer aficionado. He writes about cars, car tech, and various other cool Dad things. He lives, works and plays in Dallas, Texas.
