2026 Hyundai Santa Cruz: Bakersfield Buyers Guide

Not quite a truck, not quite an SUV

Hyundai built the Santa Cruz for the buyer who wants a bed without wanting a body-on-frame ride. It shares its bones with the Tucson, so it drives like a crossover — car-quiet on the 99, easy to park at the grocery store on Ming Avenue — while still opening up to a sealed, lockable 27-cubic-foot bed with a drain plug, sidewall storage bins, and heavy-duty cargo D-rings. That bed is 52.1 inches long and 53.9 inches at its widest, enough for a full sheet of plywood laid flat between the wheel wells, or a dirt bike headed to Hart Park with the tailgate down.

It's an unusual enough shape that Hyundai calls it a "Sport Adventure Vehicle" rather than a truck, and the badge fits: standard tie-down points, an available 115V power outlet in the bed's sidewall storage, and an available retractable tonneau cover turn the bed into gear storage on the weekend, then it's back to hauling groceries and kids on Monday.

Two engines, one clean split

SE, SEL, and SEL Activity share a 191-hp 2.5-liter four-cylinder paired with an 8-speed automatic, front-wheel drive standard with HTRAC all-wheel drive optional. EPA estimates run 25 combined with front-wheel drive, 24 with all-wheel drive. XRT and Limited move to a 281-hp turbocharged 2.5-liter — for 2026, finally backed by the same smooth 8-speed automatic instead of the dual-clutch transmission earlier turbo Santa Cruz trims used — with HTRAC all-wheel drive standard and EPA estimates of 20 combined. The horsepower jump is real (281 versus 191) and so is the towing jump: 3,500 pounds on the base engine (5,000 if you spec SEL Activity with AWD) versus 5,000 pounds standard on both turbo trims.

Pick your 2026 Santa Cruz

What Santa Cruz owners tell their neighbors

Bakersfield Hyundai carries 4.4 stars across more than 2,600 Google reviews, and the Santa Cruz shows up in them by name. Clove Lagos wrote after a recent purchase: "I have bought all my cars from Hyundai Dealership... I just purchased the Santa Cruz and my family and myself love the car." Monte Wilson credited both the truck and the sales floor: "Hyundai has the comfort and safety features, and styling and performance that far exceed and outperform other brands... Besides, it looks good too." Years earlier, Connie Cable custom-ordered hers built to spec: "The Santa Cruz Truck was a custom made it order. Love love love it."

Service gets the same kind of mention. Michelle Pratt brought her Santa Cruz in for an oil change and singled out the manager who helped her: "I took my Santa Cruz in for an oil change and had the privilege of dealing with manager David. What a refreshing pleasant experience... I highly recommend Bakersfield Hyundai service department." Dealer principal Patrick Beck answers reviews like these personally, a habit that shows up across years of the dealership's Google page.

Owning one in Kern County

A crossover-truck earns its keep differently out here than on the coast — the bed hauls fence posts and feed sacks as easily as camping gear, and the unibody ride means it doesn't beat up your spine on the daily commute the way a full-size truck does. Central Valley summers and ag-country dust are still real maintenance factors, covered in the service & repair guide, along with why Hyundai's complimentary maintenance program no longer applies to a 2026 model. Money questions — including Bakersfield's roughly 8.25% sales tax and how the $1,600 freight charge factors into a real quote — live in the pricing & leasing guide.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Hyundai Santa Cruz being discontinued?

Hyundai has signaled it's winding down this generation of the Santa Cruz within the next model year or two, to be replaced eventually by a different kind of pickup. None of that changes what's on the lot today: the 2026 Santa Cruz is a current, fully warrantied Hyundai with the same 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain coverage and parts support as every other 2026 model. If anything, a final production run is worth asking about for inventory and current offers.

Are there any problems with the 2026 Hyundai Santa Cruz?

The most notable running change for 2026 is a fix, not a flaw: the turbocharged XRT and Limited move to a conventional 8-speed automatic, replacing the dual-clutch transmission that drew complaints about hesitant low-speed shifting in earlier model years. Ask a sales advisor for a back-to-back drive if you're comparing an earlier Santa Cruz to a 2026.

How many miles per gallon does a Hyundai Santa Cruz get?

EPA estimates run 25 mpg combined (22 city / 30 highway) with front-wheel drive on SE, SEL, and SEL Activity; 24 combined with all-wheel drive on those same three trims; and 20 combined (18 city / 25 highway) on the turbocharged XRT and Limited, both AWD-only.

Which is better, the Ford Maverick or the Hyundai Santa Cruz?

They solve the same problem differently. The Maverick offers a hybrid powertrain the Santa Cruz doesn't; the Santa Cruz counters with a roomier cabin, a longer powertrain warranty, and — on XRT and Limited — considerably more horsepower. The honest answer comes from a side-by-side test drive at Wible Road.

Does the Santa Cruz have a hybrid version?

No — as of the 2026 model year, every Santa Cruz is gasoline-powered. Hyundai offers hybrid and plug-in hybrid options on the related Tucson if electrified power is the priority.

Five trims, one bed, your call

The trim guides above break down exactly what each step buys, but the shape stays constant: real bed, real cabin, real warranty. Bakersfield Hyundai keeps the current lineup in stock at 5300 Wible Road, with live new inventory online and certified pre-owned Hyundais if a used Santa Cruz fits the budget better.