2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz

Further proof that automotive trends are cyclical, the 2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz has helped resurrect the compact pickup, a species that largely disappeared after the 1980s mini-truckin' boom flamed out, with its survivors relegated to service with landscapers and pool cleaners. But the Santa Cruz takes us back to when stubby short-bed pickups roamed the highways with small, fuel-efficient engines still capable of heavy lifting.

The Santa Cruz twists the formula, though. Where old compact trucks offered two doors, bench seats, and a longer bed atop a small boxed truck frame, the Santa Cruz is a four-door crew cab with a short 4-foot bed, built atop a car-like platform similar to the Hyundai Tucson SUV. This makes it more comfortable to drive and gives it better handling than a traditional small truck. The Santa Cruz's base engine isn't particularly exciting, but a strong turbocharged engine is optional and boosts the truck's maximum towing capacity to 5,000 pounds. Thoughtful features, such as a cargo bed storage well and sliding bed top, come in handy for storing items out of sight or carrying extra supplies. 

This year, Hyundai is making a few noteworthy changes to the Santa Cruz. Blind-spot warning is now standard equipment on the base SE trim, and adaptive cruise control is now standard on the SEL Premium. Previously, you could only get adaptive cruise on a loaded Santa Cruz Limited. Also new for 2023 is the Night trim. It comes with special blacked-out trim and wheels as well as standard turbocharged power and all-wheel drive.

Overall, we like how the 2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz combines small SUV comfort with some pickup utility. It also has significant advantages over its main rival, the Ford Maverick. For more on how the Santa Cruz stacks up, be sure to read our full Expert Rating below.