In this week’s Ask Nathan:
- The final Hyundai Santa Cruz is pretty damn good.
- Here are some highlights from the 2026 Overland Expo West in Flagstaff, AZ
The first question comes from a fan on my Facebook page: regarding my drive in the 2026 Aston Martin DB12 S. .
Q: Via Facebook: (Paraphrased) Still a Santa Cruz fan, now that they are killing ’em off?
Now that Hyundai is cancelling the Santa Cruz and this is its last year, do you regret buying one?
You said it was pretty good right? So now you have to eat your words.
— Ari L (Taskmaster87)
A: I still maintain it’s a great little vehicle, but…
There are a multitude of things Hyundai should have done early in its design and production. They should have used their tried and true hybrid systems, and never given the thing a dual-clutch transmission. I also feel like the pricing was a bit steep. Still, it was a remarkably utilitarian little thing.
I was very happy with mine. After nearly two years of ownership, I was sad to see it go. My Santa Cruz was one step above a base model, and it had the non-turbo with a regular transmission. As a commuter that cold haul, it did its job well. Considering the difficult climate in Colorado, it was an outstanding snow commuter too.
I simply didn’t need an AWD tiny pickup moving back to Los Angeles – nor a car payment.
As for the new one: well they finally got most of it right. I had the off-road-ish XRT model on loan with the beefy 281 horsepower, 2.5-liter turbo that made 311 lb-ft of torque. It was bolted to an 8-speed automatic transmission that (mostly) provided a smooth drive. It did hang up one time, holding a gear, even though I didn’t select it with paddle shifters, drive mode or anything else. But, otherwise, it was a great drivetrain. I maxed out at about 22 mpg, which was better than I expected with my driving style.
During my loan, I took it deep into the hills and even did some light off-roading. The Continental TerrainContact A/T tires were excellent, a brilliant match for the Hyundai. For bounding through light off-road trails, mud and gravel, only to be used over hundreds of miles of highway, they did great.
The new dash and interior design is a real step up from the older models like mine. Less piano black, and cheap looking switchgear. It’s much better with a nifty 12.3-inch screen. The front seats are still comfy, and the back are useable, but not recommended for tall folks. It feels like a small car, because that’s what it is.
With that turbo engine, it’s legitimately fun to drive as well. It has a payload of over 1,400-lbs, which is impressive. I towed and hauled with it, up to its limits, it did well. Honestly, it’s does so much in a small package, I did more with it than many owners of full-size pickup trucks do.
Still, it had one major problem: the Ford Maverick.
Yep, that Maverick is an excellent little pickup. They offer AWD hybrids, or you could get a gutsy turbo. The Maverick had a more legitimate pickup truck feel, compared to the Santa Cruz, that’s for sure. The Santa Cruz was never built as a direct competitor to the Maverick, and it would have been a hotter seller had the Maverick never come to market. Still, that’s easy to say.
Five years, over 100,000 sold
Yes, production is stopping, but Hyundai did manage to sell well over 100,000 units. Some people were interested, some people cared. Now. Hyundai is looking to replace it with a frame-based pickup truck, and that will be interesting as well. I look forward to seeing where Hyundai will go next.
— N
The last question comes from a fan who saw us (Andre and I) running around the 2026 Overland Expo West in Flagstaff AZ.
Q: Via Facebook: Did you attend the Overland Expo?
I’m heading to Flagstaff right now to see this event for the first time.
What are you covering if you go?
Thanks!
– Anonymous
A: Hi there!
Yes, we were there!
There were lots of vehicles and booths I’d like to highlight. Fortunately, we did a walk-around video (below) and I attached the Nissan Frontier Overland Expo build, the Winnebago ARKA and our Overland Expo West walkaround video below. All three cover nifty products and show hot products for overlanders.
There will be more coverage hitting social media soon!
– N
