(Image/Hyundai)

Hyundai just pulled the wraps off its long-awaited pickup, the 2022 Santa Cruz. This unibody truck boasts a four-door cab, 52 inch bed, and a standard 2.5L engine making an expected 190 horsepower. In addition to available all-wheel drive, there’s an optional turbocharged 2.5L engine that Hyundai says will produce an estimated 275 horsepower and 310 lb.-ft. of torque.

The Santa Cruz is big news for North America—a market that really, really likes its pickup trucks. And from what we can tell on the spec sheet, Hyundai’s new truck is bringing the goods against some of the obvious competitors, namely the Honda Ridgeline and upcoming Ford Maverick.

Hyundai wasn’t shy about describing the off-road capabilities of the Santa Cruz, but we’re anxiously awaiting some independent testing and reviews. (Image/Hyundai)

2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz Engine, Transmission & Drivetrain

The standard 190 hp four is backed up by a traditional eight-speed automatic. Yet when buyers opt for the turbocharged 275 hp engine, they get an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission along with those nifty paddle shifters on the steering wheel.

Either engines can get Hyundai’s HTRAC all-wheel drive setup that boasts active torque control to modulate the power sent to each wheel.

At full boil, the turbo four-banger in the Santa Cruz is expected to make over 300 lb.-ft. of torque. (Image/Hyundai)

Key Santa Cruz Specs: Towing, Bed & More

In standard trim, the 2022 Santa Cruz has a stout 3,500-pound tow rating and with the higher output engine and AWD, towing capability goes up to 5,000 pounds.

This should give you a good idea of how much stuff the Santa Cruz can lug in the bed. There’s a pretty big trunk underneath the floor too. (Image/Hyundai)

The 2022 Santa Cruz also has what Hyundai calls a “Multi-Utility” bed, which is just a fancy way of saying its got some adjustability and configuration options. And you’ll see that in the spec sheet, where Hyundai lists two different bed lengths, 48.4 inches for the “upper” part, and 52.1 inches for the “lower” part. (We’re thinking that’s perhaps due to the tonneau cover storage assembly.)

In addition to a lockable tonneau cover, the bed features a big locking rear trunk compartment under the bed floor.

As of now, it’s shorter, narrower, and lower than pretty much every other truck in its class, so it’ll be interesting to see how the Santa Cruz does in attracting new, and perhaps first-time, truck buyers.

Hyundai says Santa Cruz production begins in June and its new truck should appear on lots by the summer. In the meantime, you can check out the official Santa Cruz press release from Hyundai here.

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