Hyundai Santa Cruz - 2022

jack_christie

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Oh look, they sawed the roof of the trunk area off a crossover, brilliant!

stupid fucks.
 
3,500# towing capacity is pretty damn good for a vehicle of that size, it's exactly the same as the 4-cyl Tacoma.

To give you an idea of how miserable the Tacoma is as a real truck:
Top of the range 4 door Tacoma TRD Pro payload capacity: 1,155 lb.
Subaru Crosstrek base model with any transmission: 1,155 lb.

That's right, a Subaru Crosstrek has the same payload as a top of the range Tacoma.
 
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For some reason I find the Ridgeline offensively ugly, but not this.
I want to hate these for being unibody, but seeing as the Cherokee also is and does just fine, I kind of can't.
 
3,500# towing capacity is pretty damn good for a vehicle of that size, it's exactly the same as the 4-cyl Tacoma.

To give you an idea of how miserable the Tacoma is as a real truck:
Top of the range 4 door Tacoma TRD Pro payload capacity: 900 lb.
Subaru Crosstrek base model with any transmission: 1,155 lb.

That's right, a Subaru Crosstrek has more payload as a top of the range Tacoma.
Corrected the payload numbers after looking at my friend's new 2021 Tacoma door sticker.
 
How is this different from a Chevy avalanche, Ford Explorer sport-trac, or any other “truck” that’s just an SUV with an open air trunk? The only use I can see cars like this have are being a refrigerator delivery business who only need to transport one at a time.
 
They are good for bulky light weight items, you can stick four filthy mountain bikes in the back and hose it out when you get home.
 
How is this different from a Chevy avalanche, Ford Explorer sport-trac, or any other “truck” that’s just an SUV with an open air trunk? The only use I can see cars like this have are being a refrigerator delivery business who only need to transport one at a time.

The Avalanche was actually an interesting idea. Take a Suburban, wack part of the back off, install a foldable divider and a tonneau, and you get a fairly useful pickup with an area that can be sealed off if needed. Now, the problem with them was GM did the GM thing and didn't make sure they wouldn't just rot completely out in the areas they modified, but I'll give them an E for effort.

The Sport-Trac was filling a spot in the Ford lineup, the Crew Cab Ranger. I mean, that's all it was. A friend had one, it was a "real" truck in the sense that it has a full frame and the bed is separate from the cab. I'd complain about the super short bed, but....

That brings me to my truck. The 5 foot bed is useful 99% of the time, the time it isn't is when you go to haul the ubiquitous 4'x8' sheet goods. Honestly, the length isn't the problem, it's the width (TWSS). There's not 4' between the wheel wells in the bed. So you either have to lump it in sideways, build structure to elevate over the wheel wells or take a trailer with you.

Now on to the 4' bed of the Santa Cruz and mostly the aforementioned mountain bikes, or any bike in general. They aren't going to fit with the tailgate up. With my 5' bed I can wedge one in with the front wheel on and that's it. To haul more I have to take the front wheel off and then it touches the front and back of the bed. You'll probably need a tailgate pad to fit them in. And that's a maybe.
 
The Avalanche was actually an interesting idea. Take a Suburban, wack part of the back off, install a foldable divider and a tonneau, and you get a fairly useful pickup with an area that can be sealed off if needed. Now, the problem with them was GM did the GM thing and didn't make sure they wouldn't just rot completely out in the areas they modified, but I'll give them an E for effort.

The Sport-Trac was filling a spot in the Ford lineup, the Crew Cab Ranger. I mean, that's all it was. A friend had one, it was a "real" truck in the sense that it has a full frame and the bed is separate from the cab. I'd complain about the super short bed, but....

That brings me to my truck. The 5 foot bed is useful 99% of the time, the time it isn't is when you go to haul the ubiquitous 4'x8' sheet goods. Honestly, the length isn't the problem, it's the width (TWSS). There's not 4' between the wheel wells in the bed. So you either have to lump it in sideways, build structure to elevate over the wheel wells or take a trailer with you.

Now on to the 4' bed of the Santa Cruz and mostly the aforementioned mountain bikes, or any bike in general. They aren't going to fit with the tailgate up. With my 5' bed I can wedge one in with the front wheel on and that's it. To haul more I have to take the front wheel off and then it touches the front and back of the bed. You'll probably need a tailgate pad to fit them in. And that's a maybe.

It's a bigger Subaru Baja....
 
It's a bigger Subaru Baja....
My favorite memory of these has to be the review John Phillips did for it in Car and Driver. I can't find it online, but there was a photo of him sitting in a plastic chair at a table having a picnic while the car was in motion.
 
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Redneck Limo
 
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