2021 Mudfest SUV And Pickup Of The Year Competition - Santa Cruz Wins!
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Hyundai Santa Cruz Owners Registry: Add Your Info Here!
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Didn't see that coming. Having an on road section clearly helped the SC here. However calling this Mudfest seems somewhat laughable. As mentioned this kind of off roading isn't that challenging but represents about as much as a normal owner would push things. For the SC to do this well given the competition and number of reporters involved is impressive. Driving them all back-to-back and ranking the SC at the top in the pickup category shows it works as designed... despite not being a "truck". I can only imagine the comments section on YT calling this competition total BS since the Tacoma didn't win.
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Yeah, he said its been so dry that the mud was dust and the wet section was supposed to be way deeper, lol! Oops.
But it is a wakeup call that 99.9% of the terrain any of us would encounter in normal driving can be handled by most AWD crossovers, SUVs, and pickups. Vehicles have become so capable that you really have to go out of your way to find incompatible roads.
But it is a wakeup call that 99.9% of the terrain any of us would encounter in normal driving can be handled by most AWD crossovers, SUVs, and pickups. Vehicles have become so capable that you really have to go out of your way to find incompatible roads.
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Wow... SC wins in pickup category and 2nd place overall. Very encouraging performance against a fine field of very capable SUVs/Trucks.
Good showing for Hyundai between the GV70 and the Santa Cruz!
But TRD Pro wins my award for the colour I'd most like to see in my driveway ... on a Santa Cruz.
But TRD Pro wins my award for the colour I'd most like to see in my driveway ... on a Santa Cruz.
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Emojis make me think of Hyundai marketing team's reaction to hearing the good press that they won... in the pickup category:The Santa Cruz won the pickup category, but it's NOT a pickup!
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This is one of the reasons Subaru has been so successful I think. It turns out most people wouldn't dream of tackling such rough conditions thus a "soft roader" is actually darn good. Similar to full size pickup truck owners I bet most Jeep owners have never used more then 30% of their vehicles capabilities. And just so I'm not throwing stones the same can be said for sports car owners. Vehicles tend to be really well engineered these days which is why 100k is now considered reasonable mileage to achieve with standard maintenance.
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For the roller test when he had all three wheels with zero traction, an uncommon event, he only tried normal mode and didn't goose it. Giving it more gas and/or trying other modes may have caused the ABS system to respond and brake the spinning wheel up front.
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Yup!
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😂perfectEmojis make me think of Hyundai marketing team's reaction to hearing the good press that they won... in the pickup category:
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Its a soft roader and not meant for rock climbing. It gets the job done... mostly... kind of... sort of
clearly the software needs some tweaking. Wonder why he didn't try snow mode.As mentioned the SC is let down by not having torque vectoring and ability to truly lock up one wheel with the brakes. Also (as mentioned) these tires and DCT are not good choices for off-roading. Overall the video is spot on with what owners are likely expecting.
I'll see how it fairs on the boat ramps I use. I only have 2WD (w/LSD) and have never gotten stuck in 20 years. Now my truck has slipped at low tide and once needed a few guys jump in the bed to add enough weight to help it climb back up. Honestly I'm more worried about the DCT then the AWD system.
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Agreed. Driver skills matter. The on/off gas usage simply does not allow the AWD system to work as designed. But at least he finally stayed in the gas to climb the hill.. and no over heating of the DCT. 👍
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In addition he didn't try snow mode. TK did show that the Canadian version performed better when using the Terrain modes in the admittedly not as scientific test.
It's ironic how many F250 and 2500 'work trucks' are running around that never do any real work. One guy in town has an F250 diesel...apparently to haul around a bucket and a sponge for his car detailing business! As a small business owner that probably makes a heck of a lot more than him I can't imagine trying to write off a $100K truck as a business expense. Add to that all the gleaming full size trucks running around that never go off roading at all...I certainly own one of them...I put 130K on my Tundra and it's never done any off roading to speak of and those that rail against the SC for its wimpy off roading capabilities are really just blowing smoke for no apparent reason. It wasn't designed for it. It's like complaining that basketball players are too tall.
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Spot on - its all about image... you can't own a wimpy truck. If the cool police find out they take your man card away, so best to buy a massive 4x4 and forget this silly SC
Take my Man Card away? After over twenty years of marriage I hope my Wife hasn't lost it!Spot on - its all about image... you can't own a wimpy truck. If the cool police find out they take your man card away, so best to buy a massive 4x4 and forget this silly SC
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After 25 years my wife already has my pants... I assume my man card is still in the pocket
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