Hyundai promises a more capable Santa Cruz with the 2025 model’s launch.
TFL Studios will be on the ground next week at the New York Auto Show covering all the latest reveals, including the 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz. Hyundai’s small truck (as well as the closely related Tucson crossover) will debut on March 27, where we’ll see what the automaker promises is an “even more rugged exterior design.”
While Hyundai did release a sketch to give us some idea of what to expect, we’ll obviously have to wait until next week to get a full picture. Technical specs are not yet available, either, so it’s unclear at the moment how much the ruggedized design will translate into better capability against, say, the Ford Maverick Tremor. The company did say it is also reimagining the cabin and featuring new infotainment, “improved ergonomics” and more advanced driver assistance systems.
On the infotainment front, we’ve seen Hyundai integrate dual-screen systems into all its latest models — most recently the 2024 Santa Fe SUV. I would absolutely expect them to do the same thing here, bringing both the instrument cluster and infotainment display together as a single unit.
A close-up of the new grille shows a rectangular-themed design, while it appears new wheel designs are on tap for both the Santa Cruz and the Tucson. Hyundai specifically mentions the sketch and the grille shot shown above as the Santa Cruz XRT model, so we’re curious to see what else is waiting for us in New York.
Mechanical details of the 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz are still technically under wraps, though they shouldn’t change from the existing model. That means base versions get a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter engine putting out 191 horsepower and 181 lb-ft of torque. A turbocharged version, on the other hand, boosts the output to 281 horspepower and 311 lb-ft of torque, and swaps in an 8-speed dual-clutch from the standard torque converter automatic.
Other pieces of information like availability should emerge next week, though we may have to wait a bit longer for pricing.
