2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz

The 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz is the perfect rugged pickup for this year, boasting a modern interior, plenty of tech and safety, impressive fuel economy, and multiple trims to choose from. You have two powertrain options for this model, with the base SE and SEL trims configured with a 191-horsepower four-cylinder engine, while the higher trims (Night, XRT, and Limited) feature a peppy 281-horsepower turbo-four.

Of course, there are plenty more specs to highlight, so continue reading to learn all about the 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz!

What's New for 2024?

When it comes to the 2024 changes to the Santa Cruz, we see the SEL Premium trim replaced with a new XRT variant, following the pattern of other models like the Palisade, Santa Fe, and Tucson. Inside this new XRT model, you have a leather-wrapped steering wheel, black faux-leather upholstery, adaptive cruise control, Hyundai's Digital Key, wider fender flares, side steps, and bed rails.

The 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz also offers LED projector headlights as standard across all trims and haptic feedback through the steering wheel for lane-keeping assist and blind spot collision avoidance features. It's also worth noting that all trims, minus the base SE Santa Cruz, offer dual-zone climate control and an automatic defogger for all weather conditions.

Rugged Exterior

Some of the main perks of driving a 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz come outside the vehicle. Upgrades like standard LED projector headlights are standard now, and the newest XRT trim offers drivers wider fender flares, side steps, and bed rails. You have much of the previous-gen exterior detailing as before, so this pickup is sticking to what it does best for 2024.

  • Exterior highlights: Distinctive grille, LED projector lighting, integrated rear bumper side step, alloy wheels, LED cargo light

2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz Dimensions

In addition to its rugged yet adaptable exterior features, the dimensions of the 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz make this pickup truck worthwhile. The dimensions for the latest-gen Santa Cruz are:

  • 196 inches long
  • 75 inches wide
  • 67 inches high

Moving onto its truck bed size, this model boasts the following measurements:

  • Bed Length (Top, Gate Closed): 48.4 inches
  • Bed Length (Floor, Gate Close): 52.1 inches 
  • Bed Length (Floor, Gate Open): 74.8 inches 
  • Bed Width (Maximum): 53.9 inches

There is plenty of space to tote large goods from point A to B, in style, we may add. This pickup truck is not only great for working, but it has plenty of room for passengers. Whatever you need your Santa Cruz to be, the 2024 nameplate should check off the boxes.

Efficient Interior

Inside the 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz, you see a modern cabin with plenty of technology and comfort features. As one of the nicest interiors in its class, the Santa Cruz has a fully digital gauge cluster and a traditional shifter on the center console, making driving a bit more intuitive.

Moreover, higher Santa Cruz trims offer upscale elements such as:

  • Leather-wrapped steering wheel
  • Black faux-leather upholstery
  • Dual-zone climate control

Whichever 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz you buy, you're sure to be impressed. From the driver's seat back to the rear passenger space, there is a lot happening, which makes this pickup truck a perfect choice for families, groups, or those with pets.

2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz Cabin Space

When it comes to the cabin space and cargo room inside the 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz, you see quite a bit of people/storage capacity. For your cabin, it measures:

  • Headroom front (with sunroof, front/rear) - 38.4 / 39.6 inches
  • Legroom (front / 2nd-row) - 41.4 / 36.5 inches
  • Shoulder room (front / 2nd-row) - 57.6 / 56.1 inches
  • Hip room (front / 2nd-row) - 55.4 / 53.5 inches

Cargo space is also impressive. This pickup truck offers a 52.1-inch cargo bed with 27 cubic feet of cargo space for everyday storage and toting, which is competitive for its class and price range. It's also worth mentioning that the 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz boasts a mostly flat floor bed and a lockable in-bed trunk that doubles as a cooler.

Fuel Economy and MPG

Onto the fuel economy for the 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz pickup, you have the EPA rating for its base engine, a 2.5-liter four-cylinder, with 22 MPG in the city and 26 MPG on the highway. For the AWD version of the base engine, your ratings fall to 21 city and 25 highway MPGs.

For the turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine, these models will offer 19 MPG in the city and 27 MPG on the highway.

Engine, Drivetrain, and Performance

For the engine, drivetrain, and performance of the 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz, you see two engine configurations: 

  • The base SE and SEL trims come with a 191-horsepower four-cylinder engine
  • Higher trims (Night, XRT, and Limited) boast a 281-horsepower turbo-four

The base engine is available in FWD or AWD, while the 281 HP configuration is strictly AWD. As we described above, FWD tends to save more fuel when traveling long distances on the highway or in the city.

2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz Towing Capacity

For the towing capacity of the 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz pickup truck, this is where it shines brightly. Base SE or SEL models offer up to 3,000 pounds towing capacity (3,500 with trailer brakes). In contrast, higher trims with the 281 horsepower engine can tow up to 5,000 pounds with AWD and optional trailer brakes installed. Although you don't see class-leading towing capacities from this nameplate, that's not to say it still can't be the perfect work truck.

Your payload capacity is also 1,411 across all trims, which is great for everyday load-bearing

2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz Trim Levels and Pricing

Moving onto each of the 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz trims, this is where each model pickup truck offers something special to drivers. Your base trims, SE and SEL, will have standard features and fewer bells and whistles than Night, XRT, or Limited models, which is something to be wary of. Pricing for this nameplate runs between $26,900 and $41,320, with the Limited trim being the most expensive.

2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz SE

This is your base model, Santa Cruz, starting at $26,900. It has the following base features:

  • 191-horsepower 2.5-liter GDI-MPI 4-cylinder engine⁠
  • 8-inch color touchscreen display audio⁠
  • Wireless Apple CarPlay® integration for your iPhone®⁠
  • Wireless Android Auto™ integration for your Android phone⁠
  • 18-inch alloy wheels

2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz SEL

This is your next jump in trim, sharing many of the same standard specs as SE models. Its starting price is $29,650, and you have these features:

2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz Night

Here is the beginning of the higher-level Santa Cruz models, with a starting MSRP of $38,460. It features these things:

  • 281-horsepower 2.5-liter Turbocharged GDI-MPI 4-cylinder engine⁠
  • Dark 20-inch Alloy wheels⁠
  • Dark front grille and accents⁠
  • Dark front and rear lower fascias⁠
  • Black H-Tex™ Seating Surfaces

2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz XRT

Moving on to the newest Santa Cruz edition, we have the XRT trim. It retails for $40,100 and features the following:

  • 281-horsepower 2.5-liter Turbocharged GDI-MPI 4-cylinder engine⁠
  • HTRAC All-Wheel Drive⁠
  • Smart Cruise Control (SCC) with Stop & Go⁠
  • XRT Wide fender cladding⁠
  • Side steps

2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz Limited

Lastly, we have the top-tier 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz model, with a starting price of $41,320. This vehicle will offer the most standard tech, safety, comfort, and higher-end exterior and interior detailing.

  • 281-horsepower 2.5-liter Turbocharged GDI-MPI 4-cylinder engine⁠
  • HTRAC All-Wheel Drive⁠
  • Highway Driving Assist (HDA)⁠
  • Surround View Monitor (SVM)⁠
  • Blind-Spot View Monitor (BVM)

Safety and Driver-Assistance Features

Regarding the safety and driver-assistance features inside a 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz pickup truck, you see things like standard forward-collision warning, automated emergency braking, lane-departure warning, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert. Moreover, higher trim models see bonus safety features like highway driving assist, surround view monitor, and blind-spot view monitor standard.

The IIHS has also given this year's Santa Cruz its prestigious Top Safety Pick award, meaning it passes crash testing with near-perfect results.

Infotainment and Connectivity

Inside the 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz are plenty of reasons to be excited about its infotainment and connectivity. For the newest nameplate, we see all trims minus the base SE come standard with an eight-inch infotainment touchscreen, with the option to upgrade to a larger 10.3-inch display. You also have wireless charging, Android Auto, and Apple CarPlay connectivity, plus the Limited trim offers a premium Bose audio system for enhanced radio play on the road.

Is the 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz Right For You?

If you love a modern, highly capable, and affordably priced pickup truck that prioritizes comfort and safety, the 2024 Santa Cruz is a great option. This model is a Top Safety Pick by IIHS and proves powerful with an available 281 horsepower turbocharged engine in higher trims. Your safety, tech, and infotainment shine through as well, making this pickup truck feel more refined than many in its class. With up to 5,000 pounds towing capacity, you can use this truck for work or leisure, thanks to its versatility.

You can't go wrong with the 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz!

Get Your 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz at Colonial Hyundai

p>With this in-depth guide fresh in your mind, there is no better time to swing by your local Hyundai dealership, Colonial Hyundai, to test drive a brand-new 2024 Santa Cruz. We're located in beautiful New London, CT, and we can't wait to help you find the truck of your dreams!