The new 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz is now here at Keith Hawthorne Hyundai of Gastonia. It has the style and performance that Honda and Ford apparently overlooked. The new Santa Cruz will dress up your driveway a lot more than the Ford Maverick or the Honda Ridgeline, and it comes with the kind of power and performance you're going to want in a compact pickup. Here's a quick preview of why you'll love this truck, and Ford and Honda won't.
Performance
You'll appreciate the fact that the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz gives you two choices in engines, something you won't get with a Honda Ridgeline. Your choices start with an economical, naturally aspirated four-cylinder that delivers 191 horsepower. The more powerful turbocharged option is four cylinders that produces 281 horsepower, which is more than the Ford Maverick, with more torque than the only engine offered by the Honda Ridgeline.
Interior
The new Santa Cruz at Keith Hawthorne Hyundai of Gastonia surrounds you with the quality interior design that Ford and Honda seem to have left out. Instruments and seats feel much more upscale and inviting than this Hyundai pickup's low price tag would suggest. The transmission is controlled by a solid, traditional shifter instead of the gimmicky rotary knob you might get elsewhere, and seating is comfortable with every mile you drive.
When you and your passengers need to charge your cell phones, you can get that job done thanks to wireless device charging. Ford Maverick lets passengers just battle it out for a charging port. Another helpful feature is smartphone compatibility that Hyundai includes standard. That means you can get access to your favorite Apple and Android apps using only your voice, while your hands stay firmly on the wheel and your eyes on the road.
Infotainment
With the affordability of the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz, you might be thinking the Santa Cruz has to trim costs somewhere, right? Unfortunately for Honda and Ford, you won't see skimping when it comes to infotainment. There's an 8-inch touchscreen in the base trim, and a more generously-sized 10.2-inch screen in higher trims. The base audio comes with six speakers and there's a premium eight-speaker Bose audio system available.
In fairness, we should mention that the Honda Ridgeline and the Ford Maverick both provide an 8-inch touchscreen, and you might expect they would at least give you the option of upgrading to a larger screen if you want. For some reason, though, both Honda and Ford have decided you don't really need that option and they sincerely wish you luck with their smaller screen wherever you drive around Clover SC or Hickory NC.
Space and Storage
Look in the back and you'll find an efficient 4.34-foot cargo bed right behind the cabin. The bed is thoughtfully organized, starting with a tonneau cover you can lock to keep valuable things safe. You also get the practicality and flexibility of a trunk conveniently located in the bed for extra storage space and extra security. We're not sure if the designers of the Ford Maverick just forgot to include those features or they just needed to cut some corners.
Test drive the shortbed pickup that got it right the first time
We have a limited number of new 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz pickups available so we hope you'll seen us soon to try one out. We do have a feeling these trucks will be in high demand, so we encourage you to investigate this practical, stylish new pickup option as soon as you can. Contact us today to arrange your own personal test drive at Keith Hawthorne Hyundai of Gastonia in Gastonia, NC.
