[Dex]

Seriously...

The South Korean company rolled out the Santa Cruz concept, a car-based ute that could arrive here in about three years' time.

It probably won't generate the kind of sales of a workhorse body-on-frame ute such as the Toyota HiLux, but the city-friendly Santa Cruz could soon have a cult following of its own. History certainly suggests it could find plenty of fans in Australia.

If the Santa Cruz does lob in 2018, it will arrive here just months after Australia's last car-based ute rolls off the Holden production line in Elizabeth, South Australia.

The Commodore-based ute will die in 2017, a year after the Falcon-based ute is killed off.

These two once represented some serious sales volume for the two brands, but they are not the only car-based utes that have been loved by locals.

Hyundai Santa Cruz concept proves there's life in the car-based ute yet: Car News | CarsGuide



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[TxHotrod]

Well one could guess that there are two types of people who bought those Australian utes. People who got them for just utility (non v8 models) and people who bought them as a Hotrod (v8 engine). I don' think it would be hard to convince the utility folks to go with the SC, especially if it is also offered with the same 100k mile warranty as us.

The people who got the V8 model, will probably will be buying the new global Ford Mustang and a beater truck to haul their parts in. It might be possible to get some of the younger generation tuner guys interested with a turbo gas model and AWD perhaps.

I've already wrote off getting a 2016 Tacoma since thy are grandfathering in the age-old slow and thirsty 2.7L 4-banger and ditching the manual option unless you go V6. It's already more truck than I want to pay for. If the bed extender goes into production, and then you add on an one of those aftermarket tailgate bed extenders I'll have almost the same size bed, same h/p with the 2.0L gas engine, and much less weight to lug around. No reason not to downsize I can find.. But I would never ever ever trade my 06 Mustang GT in for one! LOL

 

[TimmyB]

There are MANY vehicles that are more "salable" (e.g., station wagons) outside NA, specifically outside the US. Land is cheap, here, and wide-open spaces abundant. That is, except for our large, urban areas. Then, the road gets congested, parking is difficult, etc. A place where large cars and trucks don't thrive. That is why they are focusing this on the "urban adventurer", as they call it.

This vehicle WILL do well in OZ, now that Ford and GM are closing all their plants down there, and that means no more Utes. I also believe it will do well in any congested area, with tight streets and narrow parking, which is most of Europe. If they can build this as a world-vehicle, I have little doubt as to their success.

 

[Colin]

I could see the Santa Cruz doing quite well in Australia and Latin America. I bet that Hyundai will release it in Australia at the least. They love vehicles like this down there.

 

[Santana]

No doubt.
Aussies would need a V8 to make this viable to for them

 

[Colin]

No doubt.
Aussies would need a V8 to make this viable to for them

Do you think that they will put a huge engine in the Santa Cruz? It could be a lot of fun, but would it actually make business sense?

 

[TxHotrod]

Nissan did it with the Nismo Juke thingy. Perhaps a good way to bring more attention to them as special built car, but I don't ever seeing it making production that way. Could you vision the SC with a Ford Raptor like conversion? It would be cool looking I bet.

 

[Santana]

Nissan did it with the Nismo Juke thingy. Perhaps a good way to bring more attention to them as special built car, but I don't ever seeing it making production that way. Could you vision the SC with a Ford Raptor like conversion? It would be cool looking I bet.

It would help for their marketing strategy, show some extremely potent SantaCruz, then come time for production, offer consumers some mild performance improvements, along the likes of what the Nismo Juke is like, THAT would be cool, just enough but not too much.

 

[Colin]

I think that it could add a unique aspect to the Santa Cruz that would help to draw people in instead of them buying a CUV or pickup truck. It would be utilitarian but also a performance car. Could be really cool actually.

I'm not sure they need an engine quite as powerful as what was in the Nissan Juke NISMO, but a big engine would be awesome.

 

[TimmyB]

Keep in mind, one of the reasons that Hyundai will be able to build this vehicle is they have so much room to play with in their car/truck mix, as far as the US EPA is concerned. Manufacturers have to hit their corporate fuel economy numbers, and they are only allowed a certain percentage of trucks. (I wish I knew what those numbers were; anyone on here an expert at it?) Either way, Hyundai has a very small percentage of trucks, compared to most of the others.

What I am saying is, it's not likely they'll put a beast engine into this thing that gets much lower gas mileage. Maybe a small V6 with a turbo, on the very outside, is all I can imagine.

Given how much power you can get out of a tiny little 2.0T right now, I don't even want to imagine how this vehicle would do with a turbo-six in it!

 

[Santana]

True.
At least they already have platform they can use for it and mess around with and with their vision of it, it's not going to be a massive jump from the vehicle already on the platform their going to use.

 

[Dex]

I think once you start getting into hi-po off road packages its starting to get away from the whole urban adventure that seems key...



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[Colin]

But some people are going to want off road features so Hyundai should offer those. I do wonder what features will be offered to flow from the whole urban adventure thing. Any ideas? Or will it mostly be things you would expect on any other adventurous off-road type vehicle.

 

[Santana]

they'll have to walk before they can run
going that direction has a certain level of expectations that come with it for success and further complicates things.
i rather see some hints of this being in their agenda before even suggesting it.

 

[BahamaTodd]

Well obviously there are different levels of offroading. With AWD the Santa Cruz should be able to handle light trails or sand at the beach. Its very limited beyond that for the capabilities of a small CUV with independent suspension all around.

Plenty of videos out there offroading the Tucson or ix35.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUJnjibXwRg

 

[Colin]

I think that the Santa Cruz's off-road ability will be limited since it doesn't appear to have the highest ride height.

 

[Santana]

while that video is good at showing what it can do, there's nothing really special going on their, naturally that sort of ability is what it'll have.

 

[RoadWhale]

Santa Cruz off-road chops

Of the videos I watched (three of them) it seems reasonably capable considering the tires under it. No, it wouldn't be a challenger for, say the Jeep Renegade but it would be sufficient for the average couple going camping at a lakeshore or off a typical logging trail. I'm not a fan of how much wheelspin I saw when it lifted one tire high off the ground in the first video (linked above) but considering where these trucks are most likely to be driven, they'd more than meet the need.

 

[BahamaTodd]

Well the lack of a limited slip differential is going to cause your wheel spin. The SC is supposed to come with Hyundai's new HTRAC AWD system which they debuted with the new Genesis sedan. The new system has more control over the torque split between the wheels so I'm sure that will be beneficial for light offroading.

 

[Colin]

The Santa Cruz isn't going to be the best off-roader ever, but was anyone expecting that? I bet that most of the action that it will see is on city streets, and even if it was "off-roading" I am thinking it would be more dirt roads than intense trail riding.