[Cruz]

Here is a short article about what Hyundai should do to win the competition against Honda Ridgeline. According to GearsofBiz, the main weapon in Santa Cruz hands should be its low MSRP, exemplary towing capacity, and good fuel efficiency. What do you think will help Hyundai Santa Cruz win this battle against Honda Ridgeline.

To read more gearsofbiz.com/hyundai-santa-cruz-vs-honda-ridgeline-what-hyundai-needs-to-win/202298

 

[Santana]

At this rate its almost even game but considering the fact that nothing about the production Santa Cruz is set in stone, we won't know exactly what it will be like. But what I can say is that if they offer us an SC that is a true rival to the Tacoma and Colorado and not so much the Ridgeline then they will see some reasonable level of success.

 

[Cruz]

I think Honda Ridgeline shouldn't be a serious snag on SC's way. The most important rivals for Santa Cruz will be Tacoma, Colorado and probably upcoming Ford Ranger Raptor. I think it will be really hard to beat these competitors, so Hyundai needs to come up with some really impressive advantages in their Santa Cruz.

 

[Santa]

If Hyundai wants to beat the Honda Ridgeline then it'll need to at least haul up to 5,000 pounds and have a paylod allowance of more than 1,584 pounds. There's also the question of engine and we don't know what Hyundai has in store for the Santa Cruz.

 

[Chris9702l]

I guess I maybe wrong on this but I don't see the Santa Cruz really competing with the Ridgeline, Colorado, or the Tacoma. The last ones are basically lightweight trucks and the Ridgeline is a slight step down from a truck. What I got from reading about the Santa Cruz was it was going to be a similar concept of an updated Subaru Baja. The Baja was based on an Outback but instead of the back cargo area you got a little truck bed. What I got out of the Santa Cruz was that it would be based off of the Hyundai Tucson, an SUV where instead of the the back area you get a small truck bed. If you thought the Santa Cruz was going to be in the same league as Ridgeline, Colorado, or the Tacoma (all trucks) then why on earth would you be waiting around until 2021 when you could just go out and buy a truck now. I absolutely loved my Baja but it grew old. I want an updated version! The Ridgeline is a small stepdown from a truck whereas the Santa Cruz would be a small step up from a car/SUV. In this role the Santa Cruz would kill it. I don't care about towing capacity. But I would kill for the small truckbed to throw a mountain bike into or make Home Depot trips in.

Something that always struck me was that the government and insurance companies always labeled the Baja as a "truck". It was never really a truck to me but a car with a small bed in back.

Chris

 

[don4331]

Chris:

Hyundai is waiting for the next version of the Tuscon which is supposed to be significantly larger (8 passenger). The Santa Cruz would then be built off that platform.

Therefore it would be similar in size Colorado/Tacoma/New Ranger. For intents, it would be Hyundai's version of Ridgeline, same unibody, same size, same overall styling (4 doors/4' box).

And to be honest, having waited this long, build Santa Cruz on existing plant would be mistake give the new platform in due before '20.

No one is willing to risk $1B developing a vehicle which they will only sell 30k* units total when they could sell 25k** year over year of a larger one.

I wanted it to do same things as my recently deceased Ranger - economic daily driver, ability to throw Home Depot/garden center load/mtb in box or tow the jet ski to the lake in summer/sleds to mtns in winter (3k towing would be nice). As it is, the Escape + trailer is the solution and it is PIA to have to reserve and rent a u-haul trailer when I need a cargo trailer, but there isn't room in garage for 3 trailers (thx to high ceiling/lift there is room for 2).

*Baja and Rampage total sales numbers were around that range.
**Ridgeline numbers are ~25k/yr.

 

[martinbrown230]

At this rate its almost even game but considering the fact that nothing about the production Santa Cruz is set in stone, we won't know exactly what it will be like.

 

[DTL]

Last post on this topic looks like May 2019, so as a current Ridgeline owner I am hopeful to get some more recent info now that we know a lot more details on the SantaCruz as of yesterday. The SC looks great but the smaller bed is a drawback for me I guess. I also like the bigger interior of the RL and reliability of Honda. I do not know much about Hyundai reliability in general so input on that would be welcome. Probably something I would have to sit in to assess regarding roominess of interior but from what I have seen, I would definitely drive one for comparison before buying a new RLine.

 

[Santana]

Welcome to the forum @DTL.

The Santa Cruz pickup will be priced well under the Honda Ridgeline, around the mid-to-high $20k range in the US is what Hyundai will go with. As for reliability, a 2019 study (below) put them right at the top, and it's consistent with other reports that have come out in recent years. How likely are you to get the Santa Cruz?

 

[DTL]

Welcome to the forum @DTL.

The Santa Cruz pickup will be priced well under the Honda Ridgeline, around the mid-to-high $20k range in the US is what Hyundai will go with. As for reliability, a 2019 study (below) put them right at the top, and it's consistent with other reports that have come out in recent years. How likely are you to get the Santa Cruz?

View attachment 680

I would definitely give it a close look before buying a new Ridgeline. The short term reliability of Hyundai looks pretty good but I do tend to keep cars until they wear out and Honda has always been good for longevity but the Hyundai short term reliability does look good. The Ridgeline is more truck than I, or most non-construction workers, need so the SC mightbe an option if the pricing is low enough. Thanks for your response. Much appreciated !

 

[MontanaEd]

Am I missing the right thread, or is no one talking about how The Santa Cruz and the upcoming Ford Maverick might compare? Both Unibody, both smaller than a Ridgeline. Seems like that is where the competition is going to be.

 

[Mellow]

Here's what it looks like next to a Ranger:

 

[Sparkland]

There is absolutely no way the SC entry point will be $25K. That is undercutting the Ridgeline by nearly $13K at MSRP. I know Hyundai's are value priced, but the starting prices of Tucson's and Santa Fe's have crept up over the years. If Hyundai could manage that price w/AWD, then they will see significant sales gains on the Ridgeline.

 

[MontanaEd]

Since I'm not buying anything for about a year, One thing I plan to do is cross shop the Santa Cruz and Maverick. My only issue there is that I've had negative experiences at the local Ford dealer. So, I'd like to see a Santa Cruz next to a Ranger to get an idea how the Santa Cruz and Maverick compare sizewise. Seems like the Santa Cruz will be bigger.

 

[JASmith]

Here's what it looks like next to a Ranger:

I like that its considerably lower, as that's one of the issues with our Ram 1500 is the folks have issues climbing in these days. I also appreciate that a small pickup has a, gasp, trailer hitch!!! Still don't understand why no SC's are showing these yet.

I don't like how boring it looks though at least in this preproduction state. SC styling is miles beyond this.

 

[MontanaEd]

Yeah, I think the Santa Cruz definitely has a more stylized approach. So far, the spy photos of that Maverick make it look pretty plain.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but my impression is that size wise the Santa Cruz would slide in between the Ranger and the Maverick. Seems like the Santa Cruz width is on par with Ranger / Ridgline / Tacoma, but other dimensions are smaller.

 

[Mellow]

Yeah, I think the Santa Cruz definitely has a more stylized approach. So far, the spy photos of that Maverick make it look pretty plain.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but my impression is that size wise the Santa Cruz would slide in between the Ranger and the Maverick. Seems like the Santa Cruz width is on par with Ranger / Ridgline / Tacoma, but other dimensions are smaller.

Yup, that's what I was thinking... a little shorter length-wise and about 4 inches shorter height-wise... easier go get into but not a lot smaller.. The maverick looks to be a lot smaller... hard to tell until we actually see more side-by-side shots...

Here's a shot I took this weekend at Lowes.... Boy have times changed. The Maverick may actually be closer to the old-Ranger size.

 

[JMII]

Thanks for that pic. I loved my old Ranger sizewise... but the new one??? Looks like a monster truck in comparison. This is the main reason I didn't buy a new Ranger yet. I am waiting to actually stand next to a SC to feel it out. A neighbor of mine had a new Ranger and the first time I walked past it I knew it was bigger then my current Dakota. The Dakota is the perfect size (for me) but I wouldn't mind going smaller... which I assume the SC is.

Dimensions are one thing, but how it feels to my gut is more important honestly. For example my wife's Q60 is 6" shorter then my C7, but the C7 seems bigger when you walk up to it. Granted the C7 is much lower and wider so your eyes play tricks on you.

 

[Pilotalan]

So, I've decided to wait for the Santa Cruz, after cross shopping the Ridgeline, F150, Ram, and test driving a new-gen Turscon. Here's the email I sent to my Honda dealer:

"Right now, I have decided to wait for the Hyundai Santa Cruz to come out. I am leaning that way, and as a business owner I always like to pass along what the factors were in my decisionmaking. The factors that led to this are:

Pros: unibody construction, comfort, drive quality, Honda reliability, flexible bed space, trunk in bed.

Cons:
1 - Technology is about a generation behind:
Adaptive cruise does not have low-speed follow, shuts off at 25mph. I commute 80 miles a day, ACC with low speed follow is a major fatigue reducer.
ACC is jerky and inconsistent.
Lane centering is spotty, doesn’t work well off the interstate.
Unable to remote start the vehicle via the Honda app. My office is a long way from the parking lot.

2 - Honda lacking common features (especially since they are available in Canada, not in USA):
Ventilated seats
Heated rear seats
Power folding mirrors
Rear climate control panel
Rain-sensing wipers

The Santa Cruz is plenty of truck for me and ticks all the boxes above. Without the Santa Cruz as an option, it would be a difficult decision between the Ridgeline with its shortcomings and buying an F150 or Ram (at $25k more).
If the Ridgeline had current gen tech and driver aids, it would be an easy choice. If the Black Edition had most/all the features a Canadian Ridgeline has, it would be “shut up and take my money”.

 

[Vols]

So, I've decided to wait for the Santa Cruz, after cross shopping the Ridgeline, F150, Ram, and test driving a new-gen Turscon. Here's the email I sent to my Honda dealer:

"Right now, I have decided to wait for the Hyundai Santa Cruz to come out. I am leaning that way, and as a business owner I always like to pass along what the factors were in my decisionmaking. The factors that led to this are:

Pros: unibody construction, comfort, drive quality, Honda reliability, flexible bed space, trunk in bed.

Cons:
1 - Technology is about a generation behind:
Adaptive cruise does not have low-speed follow, shuts off at 25mph. I commute 80 miles a day, ACC with low speed follow is a major fatigue reducer.
ACC is jerky and inconsistent.
Lane centering is spotty, doesn’t work well off the interstate.
Unable to remote start the vehicle via the Honda app. My office is a long way from the parking lot.

2 - Honda lacking common features (especially since they are available in Canada, not in USA):
Ventilated seats
Heated rear seats
Power folding mirrors
Rear climate control panel
Rain-sensing wipers

The Santa Cruz is plenty of truck for me and ticks all the boxes above. Without the Santa Cruz as an option, it would be a difficult decision between the Ridgeline with its shortcomings and buying an F150 or Ram (at $25k more).
If the Ridgeline had current gen tech and driver aids, it would be an easy choice. If the Black Edition had most/all the features a Canadian Ridgeline has, it would be “shut up and take my money”.

Your cons are the EXACT reasons I haven't bought a Ridgeline. I couldn't have said it any better. Even if Honda would have just brought the features to the US that are offered in Canada, I likely would have bitten the bullet and dealt with the outdated tech since it still had some form of ACC (I actually haven't driven Honda ACC).

Although after watching the electric F150 reveal, I'm almost tempted to wait for some kind of hybrid/electric option in the SC, Maverick, or next gen Ranger. I have a feeling the gas mileage of the SC won't be spectacular (still probably best gas powered truck), but I think I want to future-proof a little by going hybrid or electric.