2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz

Is the 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz the right truck for your work?

Unibody compact pickup based on the Tucson crossover, with an open bed and car-like handling.

Light-duty business use where a full-size truck is more vehicle than the job needs: sales and estimating visits, light service calls, and businesses whose staff need occasional bed use but drive mostly on road.

Typical specifications

Ranges across common configurations of this model. The figures for any individual vehicle depend on its cab, wheelbase, drivetrain and upfit.

Payload

1,411–1,753 lbs

Towing

3,500–5,000 lbs

Seating

5 seats

These are model ranges, not a specific truck. Payload in particular varies by well over 1,000 lbs across configurations. Always confirm against the door-jamb sticker and the manufacturer documentation for the exact vehicle before you buy or load it.

Configurations to choose between

• Single crew-cab body style only
• 2.5L naturally aspirated and 2.5L turbocharged
• Front-wheel drive and HTRAC all-wheel drive
• Lockable, weatherproof under-bed storage

What buyers get wrong

This is a unibody crossover with a bed, not a work truck. Payload tops out around 1,750 lbs and towing around 5,000 lbs, which is a fraction of a half-ton pickup, and the bed is too short for full sheets of plywood. Hyundai has also reportedly ended production after the 2026 model year, so factor long-term parts and resale into any multi-year fleet decision.

Body types it is built as

Who buys the Hyundai Santa Cruz

• Mobile Repair Services
• Pest Control
• Telecom & Low Voltage
• General Contractors

What else to consider

Vehicles commonly cross-shopped against the Hyundai Santa Cruz.

• Chevrolet Silverado 2500HDThree-quarter-ton pickup with Work Truck trim aimed squarely at fleets.
• Ford F-250 Super DutyThree-quarter-ton pickup, the workhorse of most contractor fleets.