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Continuing its momentum with refreshed models, Hyundai unveiled its Tucson crossover and Santa Cruz pickup truck at the New York International Auto Show in Manhattan.
Known as an “adventure sport vehicle” and not a pickup truck in Hyundai’s corporate parlance, the 2025 Santa Cruz benefits from massive external styling that incorporates more vertical lines and redesigned headlight accessories on both sides of a more competitive grille on all models. The hours of daylight on with the lights can also be a key discovery in all the difference games kids will play on their next family car vacation.
Regardless, the Butch XRT edition is moved to Santa Cruz, taking those new styling elements and raising them to eleven. This edition has its own bumpers and grille, giving way to a set of tow hooks that protrude from your chin and expand. the angle of approach. These are 245/60R18 all-terrain tires (nearly 30 inches in off-road jargon) wrapped around an XRT-specific wheel design.
The tweaks are most significant in the cabin, where there’s a new dashboard and a new curved widescreen display that houses an available 12. 3-inch driver data package and a 12. 3-inch infotainment screen. All versions sold in Canada take advantage of the latter. There are also new HVAC controls, adding switches and buttons (as they are), as well as redesigned air vents and an updated guide wheel design. The integration of a wireless smartphone, a multitude of USB-C ports, and the ability to use biometric identity awareness in all internal settings.
In Canada, the Santa Cruz comes with a 2. 5L turbocharged engine with 281 horsepower and 311 lb-ft of torque connected to an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission (DCT). These are family specs, there’s a new trailer. mode for the 2025 style year. All-wheel drive is popular in this country and the truck is designed to support 5,000 pounds when properly equipped.
This popular crossover accounts for a significant portion of Hyundai’s monthly sales in Canada, so it’s behooved the logo not to spoil it with reckless modifications. Luckily for them, most of the tweaks seem to be positive, starting with style revisions that reflect a lot. of what I just described for the Santa Cruz. That makes sense, of course, since those two models have a very high percentage of the windshield.
The changes will offer a wider look, aided by simplifying the single hours of sunlight that light fixtures run from ten lighting zones to eight units, which are larger than last year. So if you see a Hyundai salesperson counting the number of light fixtures, on the front of a new Tucson in the front row of a dealership, you know they’re temporarily looking to see if it’s a 2024 or 2025 model. At the rear, the wiper blade is 3 inches longer to sweep more surface dominance over the rear. window. Finally, new elevated bridge-style roof rails add capability and strength to the outward-facing XRT.
Yes, there will be an XRT variant of the Tucson for 2025. Se benefits from prominent under-door cladding as well as a dark chrome grille, the latter of which is reserved for the top trim. The wheels, similar, if not the same, to those of the Santa Cruz XRT measure 18 inches in diameter and feature a wrench theme; However, there doesn’t seem to be any additional ground clearance compared to the other versions.
Some attention is also paid to the cockpit. A redesigned curved widescreen display is almost equivalent to that of the redesigned Santa Cruz, adding additional dials and switches for controls used as audio and ventilation. A gear selector now shoots out of the guide column, while a new sprint tray above the glove box adds more garage space and a position to store your phone.
Speaking of which, the wireless charger is moving to a more convenient location for the driver. Look for USB-C ports, wireless smartphone mirroring, fingerprint authentication sensor, and an available front-facing display.
A trio of familiar powertrain features are available. A 2. 5L fuel engine makes 187 horsepower and 178 lb-ft of torque, while the hybrid has a 1. 6L turbo engine that’s part of a team that makes a total of 231 horses and 258 lb-ft. feet of torque. Also available is a plug-in hybrid, smart for 268 horsepower and the same torque as the regular hybrid. It has a battery capacity of 13. 8 kWh, which can be enough for at least 50 kilometers (31 miles) of all-electric driving when situations are right. All-wheel drive is available.
Look out for 2025 Tucson models with a 2. 5L engine that will arrive in Canadian dealerships in June, while turbo hybrid and 1. 6L plug-in hybrid models will be available later this summer.
2021 Castrol-Wakefield Automotive Writing Award, Finalist
Finalist – 2023 AJAC Travel & Adventure Journalism Awards through Genesis Canada
Winner: 2023 AJAC Road Safety Journalism Award through Volvo Canada
Email: matthewkguy@hotmail. com
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