The first-ever Sport Adventure Vehicle from Hyundai turned out to be pretty neat. The 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz is a pickup truck with unibody construction that puts it quite close to the modern crossovers. With an attractive SUV-like design, solid specs, and a roomy bed for loading cargo, this vehicle makes an excellent choice for anyone seeking utility and versatility.
The 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz comes with two powertrain options. One is a 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine with an output of 191 horsepower and 181 lb-ft of torque. The other is a turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with 281 ponies and 311 lb-ft of torque. Both pair with eight-speed automatic transmission and an all-wheel drive, though the turbocharged one also offers a dual-clutch option.
Overall, the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz is an easy-to-maneuver pickup truck that provides quite a pleasant driving experience. Its blend of premium comfort and modern tech particularly attracts the eye, making a strong selling point at a time when interior design is more significant than ever. Among the fierce competition, the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz aims to promote versatility and simplicity.
Let's explore the interior of Santa Cruz in more detail to see precisely where this pickup truck stands with its design.
Modern Design Inside Out: How The Hyundai Santa Cruz Looks And Operates
The 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz doesn't provide a level of luxury you would expect from some German rides, for instance — which is expected, considering the reasonable price tag. Still, this pickup truck comes with such a sleek and intuitive cabin layout for the cost that makes it a fair trade-off. With quality materials, high-end tech, and all kinds of features, Santa Cruz's interior is attractive and convenient according to all standards.
First and foremost, the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz is easy on the eye. All the interior parts are blended to give a sense of refinement and relaxation. There are no unnecessary buttons and knobs to distract the drivers, and everything is easy to operate straight on. The learning curve is minimal.
Many drivers will also like the traditional shifter on the center console and the fully digital gauge cluster. The former sets this pickup truck apart from other all-modern rides that insist on push-button setups. The latter provides better visibility and more convenience on the road since it's located right behind the steering wheel.
Secondly, the Santa Cruz is quite roomy for a compact pickup truck. As with the versatile and convenient cargo bed that only looks cramped, the passenger space inside the pickup truck is surprisingly good. The highly-supportive seats with heating and ventilation options also add to the overall comfort and make the Santa Cruz modern and desirable.
The Digital World Of The Hyundai Santa Cruz Interior
The 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz has a modern infotainment system with all the features you would expect from a contemporary ride. Although some may not like the lack of physical buttons and knobs, an 8-inch touchscreen and an optional 10.3-inch touchscreen have intuitive controls and operate with ease. These screens also pair wirelessly with Apple Car Play or Android Auto and send audio through an eight-speaker Bose sound system.
What we also like about the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz is the Bluelink Connected Car tech. This service lets drivers start the vehicle, lock and unlock the doors, turn on the climate control, heat up or ventilate the seats, and much more, all from a distance. The Hyundai Digital key also comes in handy for unlocking the doors and starting the pickup truck remotely, but if you prefer talking to your new vehicle, you can use dynamic voice control.
The Hyundai Santa Cruz: Heightened Level Of Safety With The Hyundai SmartSense
The interior of the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz wouldn't be complete without the proper safety and driver-assistance features. The famous Korean automaker is investing time and money in autonomous driving just like all the other players on the market — since that seems to be the most attractive innovation currently.
Thus, the Santa Cruz sports Hyundai SmartSense, an internally-built autonomous driving system, including forward collision-avoidance assist with pedestrian detection, rear cross-trafic collision-avoidance assist, blind-spot collision-avoidance assist, smart cruise control, and more. Although this is still not close to fully-autonomous driving, the Santa Cruz still gives quite enough hands-free driving experience.
What's more, all these features help with safety on the road, allowing drivers to spot and avoid potential hazards on time and with greater accuracy. So, the interior of this pickup truck is not only good-looking and modern but packed with convenient features people can use daily for an improved driving experience. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz scores as a top pick this year.