At the upcoming New York International Auto Show happening later this month, Hyundai will celebrate the North American debut of the facelifted Tucson as well as the world debut of the refreshed Santa Cruz.
Starting with the Santa Cruz, its refresh comes nearly three years after the compact pick-up truck first broke cover back in April 2021. Hyundai isn’t providing much in the way of details for now, but it did say the new Santa Cruz will offer an “even more rugged exterior redesign along with a reimagined cabin featuring new infotainment, improved ergonomics and additional advanced driver assistance systems.”
We also get a teaser image of the new grille on the XRT trim level, which appears to have an insert with rows of rectangles, along with a new lighting signature. The accompanying sketch of the Santa Cruz’s rear shows a more rugged lower apron with larger cladding while retaining the clever side steps – the taillights look to be unchanged in terms of shape.
The pre-update 2024 model year Santa is available with two Smartstream petrol engines, both with a capacity of 2.5 litres. The naturally-aspirated version serves up 191 hp and 245 Nm of torque, while the turbocharged option is rated at 281 hp and 422 Nm. NA variants are front-wheel drive with an eight-speed automatic transmission, but turbo models get all-wheel drive and an eight-speed wet dual-clutch gearbox.
While not appearing like a conventional pick-up truck, the Santa Cruz has found quite a number of buyers in the United States. According to data from Hyundai as well as US auto sales data provider Good Car Bad Car, 36,675 units of Santa Cruz were sold in the US last year, which is more than the Ford Ranger at 32,334 units.
As for the updated Tucson, the SUV has already been revealed last November and brings with minor but noticeable changes at the front. These include a new take on the brand’s ‘Parametric Jewel’ daytime running light signature – fewer elements but larger in individual size – along with a more angular bumper design.
More significant changes are found on the inside, starting with a redesigned dashboard that features a conjoined dual-screen setup, a new steering wheel with four dots (Morse code for ‘H’), a new control panel for the climate system and a gear selector stalk (previously buttons on the centre console).
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