Today on Rush to Reason, we’re taking a closer look at the 2026 Hyundai Santa Cruz. This episode offers a thorough examination of the Santa Cruz’s key elements, from its turbocharged engine to the flexible interior and truck bed configuration. We discuss its performance in urban environments and consider its value for those seeking utility without sacrificing comfort. Tune in to learn why this car-truck hybrid offers a unique solution and whether it aligns with your transportation goals.
Okay, we are back. Rush to Reason, Denver’s Afternoon Rush, KLZ 560. That time of the week where we squeeze in our car reviews. We replay these for Drive Radio on Saturdays as well. Richard, what have you driven lately?
SPEAKER 02 :
Yeah, I drove an interesting car, and interesting in a good way, because folks may not know what it is. And that is a 2026 Hyundai Santa Cruz XR Key. And this, folks, is kind of a… I mean, it’s a… truck car car truck however you want to say it the biggest definition of the word dad right it has a you know kind of car suv sort of front and then it’s got a little bit of truck space in the back and for some folks it may be perfect for others you may look at this and say that i’m not sure about that thing all i can say is i would just give this vehicle a chance because it may surprise you right dad so again we drove the xrt trim level um it comes with a two and a half liter four cylinder 281 horsepower engine It now has an 8-speed automatic, Dad, that replaces the dual-clutch transmission that was in it before. What else is new for 26? The turbocharged engine is new. It has a new terrain mode. Styling is pretty much unchanged. It did see a little bit of a price increase, which we’ll get to in just a second. And outside of that, it’s pretty much, again, kind of very similar from 2025 to 2026. As far as that pricing, Dad, and I mentioned it, the SE starts about $31,000 and then goes all the way up to the Limited, which goes to about $45,000. And this vehicle that we drove with the XRT was right there, about $40,000 to $43,000. Interior, it’s everything that you would expect with the Hyundai, right, Dad? It’s everything that you would want on the inside. A lot of nice trim pieces, a lot of great pieces. Sorry for the background noise. But a lot of nice… features on the inside that are really going to help, I guess, Really improved the vehicle on the interior, Dad, and what I mean by that is it feels like a sedan, and it feels like a car, so you’re not so overwhelmed with some of the truck features that you may get with some other vehicles. And then at the flip side, Dad, is it does have that full truck bed that you’re able to use and utilize. Oh, sorry, and let me rephrase. It’s not a full-size truck bed, right?
SPEAKER 01 :
It’s shorter than that. That’s right.
SPEAKER 02 :
It’s kind of a mini truck bed, so it’s not going to fit a full 4×8 sheet of plywood with you being able to put the bed up, whatever it is. However, will it let you store some gear and store some things in the back of it that you may not want in the interior of the car? And that’s absolutely something that it’ll do. The only downside to me, Dad, and I don’t even know if it’s a downside, is the interior space is not that great, right?
SPEAKER 01 :
It’s a little tight. You have to realize that the car itself is, because I’m not calling it a truck, because it really does drive and act more like a car that has the ability to still put some stuff in the back. it’s sort of like having an SUV only without that overhead area that would limit you on what you could actually carry in an SUV. So think of it as an SUV with a little bit of a truck bed where it’s got like a four-foot – I have to look it up. It’s around a four-foot bedder. So I’ve driven this car in the past. Again, a car I actually really enjoy. But to your point, yeah, it’s not – I mean, this is not a – I’m not trying to beat it up, Richard. It’s not a four full size adult car. It’s, you know, two adults with maybe some kids in the back or something, or you’re going to do something different with your cargo or whatever. But it’s really not designed to run around with, you know, four full adults in it.
SPEAKER 02 :
No, I would totally agree with you, and that is exactly what I would tell you. And it’s not a bad thing. And real quick, yes, 4.3 feet with the tailgate closed. That’s what I thought, yeah. 74.8 inches, so about 6.2 feet with the tailgate open. So you almost get a full-size kind of truck bed if you want to leave that tailgate down. But you said it best, Dad. I don’t know if it’s a family of four or whatever it might be. If you’ve got some small kids, this may work for you. But really, this is kind of a it’s got the back seat. Put some stuff in it, but you’re really not going to have a whole lot of usable space. Back to the interior features, again, it’s got a lot of the car features in it. It’s got heated seats on this vehicle, which is nice. Dual zone climate control. It’s got the easy-to-use navigation or infotainment system that Hyundai is known for and that we’ve really become to like over the past number of years. It works really well in that regard. But like you say, the size, and for some people, Dad, I’ll say this. the size may fit you, right? It may fit what you’re looking to do, especially if you’re in a more urban environment and you don’t want even a midsize truck, right? I know you were kind of talking in the segment before about putting your cars in the garage, right? If you’ve got a smaller garage, this gives you the ability of doing that without having to clean out all the stuff that you were mentioning before, right?
SPEAKER 01 :
The other plus side to this car, Richard, is this has got a really, I mean, again, the XRT is a little bit higher priced car, but you can buy this car starting for under $30,000.
SPEAKER 02 :
Yeah, well, I think 2026, you’re right above 30. I think it’s right about 31 is where you’re at. But to your point, Dad, it’s really hard to get the functionality and the utility of this vehicle for this price range, right? I think that that’s something that can’t be overstated. One other thing, and I do want to mention it, Dad, fuel economy, it does have a little bit smaller of a fuel tank. 18 and 25 so for an average of about 20 miles per gallon but again it does have a turbocharged engine dad which at our altitude does work well but i will say this you’re driving around for a full week i will say that i have gone through quite a bit of fuel um it doesn’t feel like i have i can just tell you that you know driven the car for that amount of time not even a full week yet and i’m almost out of fuel right and so for if you’ve got longer commutes whatever it might be just something to consider would it prevent me from buying this car Absolutely not. So encourage folks to check them out, Dad. Like we said, 2026 Hyundai Santa Cruz. They’ve got lots of different trim options, lots of different features that you can look at. Get out, test drive this vehicle, and we really highly recommend it on this vehicle, Dad, because the size piece of it could be great for you, could be not so great, but you need to feel it and see it for yourself to do that. And when you do do that, let them know that John and Richard Rush from Drive Radio and Rush to Reason sent you.
SPEAKER 01 :
This is John Rush from Rush to Reason and Drive Radio. Thank you so much for listening. Check out more of our podcasts at RushToReason.com or Drive-Radio.com.
Today on Rush to Reason, we’re taking a closer look at the 2026 Hyundai Santa Cruz. This episode offers a thorough examination of the Santa Cruz’s key elements, from its turbocharged engine to the flexible interior and truck bed configuration. We discuss its performance in urban environments and consider its value for those seeking utility without sacrificing comfort. Tune in to learn why this car-truck hybrid offers a unique solution and whether it aligns with your transportation goals.
