Rival Santa Cruz to be cancelled

[Cherokee]

The problem with the Cruz was it looked like it didn't know what it wanted to be. Was it a truck or an SUV? People that want a truck want it to look like a truck and people that want an SUV want it to look like an SUV. I believe that was the biggest issue. The other issue was bad gas milage and small interior.

On the road I had to look twice. To tell if it was a Honda Ridge line or a Hyundai.
And yes from the front I was looking at every other SUV at the same time.

Like the line in the movie Highlander,
‘There Can Be Only One’

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[FordDiehard]

I didn't consider the Santa Cruz a compact truck, it's larger than a Maverick and closer to a Honda Ridgeline and Tacoma in size.

 

[commadorebob]

So guess that tariff thing didn't work?

Santa Cruz is manufactured in Montgomery, Alabama and are not subject to tariffs for that reason. That was the point of the tariffs, to make things here.

Santa Cruz is being cancelled because it didn't sell well. That's it. Despite being a half hour from the Hyundai plant that builds them, I see way more Maverick than Santa Cruz on the road.

 

[mspmms]

On the road I had to look twice. To tell if it was a Honda Ridge line or a Hyundai.
And yes from the front I was looking at every other SUV at the same time.

Like the line in the movie Highlander,
‘There Can Be Only One’

 

[zorki1c]

3 years head start? It has 5 model years head start already. And prices on new trucks will not be going down. Prices on Mavericks are going up, and features have been deleted. But Ford did increase power in the Hybrids, and give us a bigger infotainment system.

I expect the Gen 2 Maverick will go up in Price, (think $32K base for 2028) with more power available and features. The new EV truck will be come the value leader, starting at $30k. And this is how Ford will make the new EV truck successful.

If the Gen 2 Maverick gains a couple inches of interior space, and a little more bed length while maintaining the efficiency and overal length through creative design, it will continue it's run away success.

Oh, and bring out that high roof van version too.

Do all that and it will be a Ranger

 

[Timothyd]

Kind of saddened this morning to read Hyundai is discontinuing the Santa Cruz next year. I was kind of hoping, in the sense that competition is good for the breed, that they would bring out a vastly improved small truck. Now it looks like their next truck will be Ranger sized.


https://www.autonews.com/hyundai/an-hyundai-sunsets-santa-cruz-pickup-early-0129/

I wonder how Santa Cruz owners feel about their ride being orphaned? Yeah, I know Hyundai will still be around so they'll be supported for a long time.

 

[mspmms]

I wonder how Santa Cruz owners feel about their ride being orphaned?

Santa Cruz discontinued | Hyundai Santa Cruz Forum

"It's official. We now own a 5 year only unicorn"

 

[SorryDad]

I remember when Chrysler increased their 5 year/50,000 mile warranty to a 7-year/70,000-mile warranty in 1987.
I remember the commercials as well with Lee Iacocca. As a matter of fact.. here's a little nostalgia.


Of course this YouTube video didn't help sales of the Hyundai Santa Cruze.
Skip to 15:00 for the part where the engine says that's it I'm done.🪦


Diagnosis, it seems they ended up with a hole in the block.
Good thing Hyundai offers a 10-year warranty.

And it so it happened that this Hyundai video was the deciding factor. I was aware of previous Kia recalls where the engines were being replaced and at the same time, a friend's new/used Kia Soul's issues became a warranty engine replacement as well.

 

[Duke Nukm2001]

This is something I can certainly speak to. I’m sitting in my 2024 Santa Cruz company vehicle right now that I’ve driven probably 25,000 miles.

I was looking for a new backup vehicle, the last few weeks and from a couple friends having them and also specifically being pleased with fuel efficiency I bought a 2025 maverick hybrid last Friday

My cumulative fuel efficiency for the last 5000 miles, in this non-turbo Santa Cruz which includes mainly highway driving is 24.8 miles per gallon

I do really like the locking bed floor storage that the Santa Cruz has but that’s all it’s got over the Maverick and I’ve literally only driven the Maverick now maybe 50 miles

Welcome to the club Brother!

 

[Cancunbadlands]

Santa Cruz discontinued | Hyundai Santa Cruz Forum

Depreciation hit

 

[mspmms]

Depreciation hit

Yes, and now the realization . . .

Meme => link

 

[Cherokee]

“Good thing Hyundai offers a 10-year warranty.”
They had to do something because Hyundai and Kia’s can’t take the miles.

The reason I despise these crap cars is the quality of the steel. Too high in silica,
Becomes brittle after six or seven years of heat cycling.
They do great in crash tests when new but after six years they tend to come apart in a crash, literally.
I’ve seen them go in ten different directions when hit in the front.

I won’t even ride in an older one, I’ll call a cab first.
Of course you don’t see that many old ones and I know why.

Both Kia and Hyundai vehicles are crap.
Engine oil consumption is a factor in two that people I know have.
Both these two examples burn about a quart per two tanks, both below 150,000 miles.

 

[Solaryellow]

It was a weird car and I think the world needs more weird cars, so I will mourn its passing.

But I never for a moment considered buying one. Lack of a hybrid option + my own inability to shake the stigma of the brand meant that it was never really an option for me.

Your last half of a sentence hit the nail on the head. People can blame tariffs and a multitude of other, non-germane reasons but ultimately it falls on the inability to sell the vehicle. Right or wrong, Hyundai does have a negative stigma surrounding it. One look at the sales figures from release until now solidified that it wasn't a seller at least to the degree of keeping it in production.

 

[scharris99]

This is something I can certainly speak to. I’m sitting in my 2024 Santa Cruz company vehicle right now that I’ve driven probably 25,000 miles.

I was looking for a new backup vehicle, the last few weeks and from a couple friends having them and also specifically being pleased with fuel efficiency I bought a 2025 maverick hybrid last Friday

My cumulative fuel efficiency for the last 5000 miles, in this non-turbo Santa Cruz which includes mainly highway driving is 24.8 miles per gallon

I do really like the locking bed floor storage that the Santa Cruz has but that’s all it’s got over the Maverick and I’ve literally only driven the Maverick now maybe 50 miles

My ecoboost fuel mileage is showing exactly that same number right now

 

[JonP_Maine]

While Hyundai has certainly improved, I owned one of the first models back in the 1980s. My ex-wife wanted "a red one" and against my better judgement, I bought it. XLS trim; I forget the model. It was a complete POS and so yes, I now have a bias. Build quality was just awful.

Looks like the Santa Cruz was a decent vehicle although the 22-23 models had powertrain issues. They weren't selling very many of them which is likely why they were pulled.

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