The 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz small pickup enters the new year with a $1,600 price increase and the addition of standard wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The base 2025 Santa Cruz SE costs $29,895, including a $1,395 destination fee, Hyundai disclosed.
This small pickup with a 4-foot bed features a more vertical and broader front end to distinguish it from the related Hyundai Tucson. The interior ditches the smudgy touch panel for climate controls, bringing back dials and knobs to control the now standard 12.3-inch touchscreen.
The price increase dwarfs that of the 2025 Ford Maverick, which now starts at $27,890 with the front-wheel-drive hybrid powertrain. All-wheel drive boosts the price to $30,090.
In our latest comparison, the 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz edged the Ford Maverick for its sportier appeal and better overall value, even though it can't match the lower cost of ownership of the Maverick hybrid and its 37 mpg combined.
The powertrains carryover, with SE, SEL, and SEL Activity grades using a 2.5-liter inline-4 rated at 191 hp and 181 lb-ft of torque. It has an 8-speed automatic transmission and front-wheel drive. Optional all-wheel drive adds $1,500. Those models can tow 3,500 pounds.
AWD comes standard on the off-road-oriented XRT model and the premium Limited grade. Those models employ a 2.5-liter turbo-4 rated at 281 hp and 311 lb-ft, and it uses an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic with paddle shifters. A Tow mode helps increase the towing capacity to 5,000 pounds.
Every Santa Cruz comes with automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, active lane control, blind-spot monitors, a safe exit warning, and a driver attention monitor. For added assurance, Hyundai includes a 5-year/60,000-mile warranty, as well as three years or 36,000 miles of complimentary oil changes and tire rotations.
Standard features on the base SE include the 12.3-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, keyless start, and four USB-C ports.
Step up to the $31,595 Santa Cruz SEL for a power driver's seat, heated front seats covered in synthetic leather, dual-zone climate control, and roof rails.
We recommend the $34,595 SEL Activity for its integrated tonneau cover, a bed rail system, LED bed lighting, a sunroof, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, and a wireless smartphone charger. With AWD, it's $36,095.
The $41,395 XRT with standard AWD boosts power and towing capacity with its more potent engine, and it adds front tow hooks and rides on 18-inch wheels wrapped in 245/60-sized all-terrain tires. Convenience features include a surround-view camera system, blind-spot cameras, navigation, a more advanced hands-free driving system, and paddle shifters.
The $43,895 Limited adds Bose audio, a fingerprint scanner to use in place of a key fob, leather upholstery, a heated steering wheel, cooled front seats, and 20-inch alloy wheels.
Built in Alabama, the 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz goes on sale in the next few weeks.
