Its downfall though is its low-hanging front fascia, which makes it susceptible to scraping in the front.
The Santa Cruz proves surprisingly capable off-road, with confident all-wheel power and surprising grip despite its street tires. The Ridgeline gets a set of terrain modes, including Mud and Sand, but leaves power-distribution decisions to a computer that doesn’t always seem to know what to do on slow, steep terrain. While both trucks get all-wheel drive (AWD) with active torque-vectoring to help manage grip, the different AWD controls of each contribute to the difference in feel. Hyundai’s new truck felt more confident, clearing the log pile and even deep moguls without drama. The Ridgeline did just fine on Mudfest’s off-road course, but sometimes hesitated a bit while negotiating steep obstacles and needed some throttle-goosing to get going. In the dirt, where you’d most expect the more seasoned Ridgeline to dominate, the Santa Cruz winnows out a surprising advantage. Our on-pavement verdict: Santa Cruz hands down. Other than this, Hyundai’s new pickup felt surprisingly composed through the turns. The only off note was the Hyundai’s shift logic, which occasionally seemed unprepared for quick transitions on the track, prompting the tires to chirp at odd moments. The Ridgeline’s 18-inchers and offroad tires gave it a bit of a handicap on the track, but smoothed out its ride quality both on-road and off. This combination specifically (the base Santa Cruz gets a less powerful non-turbo 2.5 and conventional automatic), makes it feel far quicker and more spirited than the Honda. While the Ridgeline gets a single-option 3.5-liter V6 with 280 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque, top-trim Santa Cruzes are powered by a 2.5-liter turbocharged four with 277 horsepower and 311 pound-feet, paired with a snappy dual-clutch automatic. The Ridgeline’s taller tires on 18-inch wheels were a handicap here (the Santa Cruz was running 20s), but even so, the Santa Cruz’s handling advantages were unmistakable. The taller Ridgeline by contrast feels a bit soggy when pushed-despite the slight increase in track width it received for 2021, it body-rolls its way through turns and its loose steering does it no favors. The Santa Cruz’s wide, low stance, modest size, and quick steering make it nimble and responsive on the track. Alex Kwanten Santa Cruz Versus Ridgeline: On the PavementĪlthough the Honda Ridgeline has traditionally been known as the most carlike of trucks, the Santa Cruz makes it feel like a tractor in back-to-back testing. The Ridgeline is a car-like drive compared to a Toyota Tacoma, but feels ponderous compared to the Hyundai, with plenty of body roll.
#Santa cruz pickup series
Driving both trucks in quick succession on the track and on the offroad course was an eye-opening experience-here’s how they compared on a series of crucial truck measures. It’s only natural to wonder how this newcomer stacks up against its closest predecessor, and luckily, we happened to have both a Santa Cruz and a Ridgeline on hand at Mudfest, an annual truck-and-SUV faceoff event hosted by the Northwest Automotive Press Association. Calling the Santa Cruz a “sport activity vehicle” and overtly avoiding the term “truck,” Hyundai sets its sights on active weekend-warrior types who might occasionally need a small bed for hauling gear or project materials. The new-for-2022 Santa Cruz is also a unibody, front-drive-based rig, but it’s smaller than the Ridgeline and consciously makes no overtures to traditional truck owners. Hyundai takes a different tack with its first-ever pickup. But Honda purposefully restyled it last year to make it look more like a traditional truck. As we said in our 2021 review, the Ridgeline does 85% of the things that most truck buyers will ever do with their vehicles.
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