The Santa Cruz is a FWD truck that comes with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder. And yet, you can tell that adding a turbocharger does the job nicely. That’s because Hyundai only cares to provide the best in turbocharging. With an All-wheel drive like that, there’s no telling what this model will do for SUVs and truckers alike.

Most of the top models for other brands don’t really drive as well as this one from Hyundai does. It is able to zip through as an SUV better than anything. One thing to remember is that the rearview window is still tiny beyond compare. It does not do the driver justice, needless to say.

Hyundai Knows What They’re Doing

We can take an educated guess about the base engine’s performance, though. Aside from model-specific programming, the standard powertrain is identical to the one in the Hyundai Tucson. Being that it only needs only in the SUV it has to move a vehicle that’s at least 200 pounds heavier when similarly equipped. That thing needs 9.3 seconds to hit 60 mph from a stop. Yet, efficiency-minded transmission programming made it feel even slower.

More compact than any other pickup on the market — yes, even the upcoming Ford Maverick — the Santa Cruz is well-suited for urban parking and narrow lane maneuverability. But it isn’t exactly a microtruck, either. The Santa Cruz measures 195.7 inches bumper to bumper, 118.3 inches of which make up the wheelbase. That means this compact pickup is only about an inch shorter than Hyundai’s three-row Palisade SUV with a wheelbase that’s 4 inches longer. Standing next to the little ‘ute in the real world, however, it’s hard to jive with those numbers With a fairly low 66.7-inch height, the Santa Cruz seems much more compact.