Don’t call it a truck. Sure Hyundai’s Santa Cruz has a cab up front and an open bed in the back, but please don’t use the T-word to describe it. Unless, of course, using that T-word will boost its cred in the eyes of millions of truck-loving Americans. In that case, drop this thing on a construction site, give it a Bob Seger soundtrack, and sit back and wait for those billions of truck-fueled dollars to roll in.

But until then, please don’t call the Santa Cruz a truck. Hyundai prefers that you call it a Sports Adventure Vehicle.

In all seriousness, Hyundai designed its Santa Cruz for urban adventurers. Literal weekend warriors who enjoy the comforts of city life but need a specialized space that can get a bit dirty. And for these people, the Santa Cruz offers everything they’re looking for. It’s a well-appointed crossover with a bed. But it’s not a truck.

It is bigger than you’d think, though. Photos make the Santa Cruz look car-like. With a bed. Hyundai fanboys will note that the Santa Cruz looks like a Hyundai Tuscon. With a bed. But what will shock you is that, visually, the Santa Cruz feels every bit as massive as something like a Toyota Tacoma or Ford Ranger.

Credit its tall ride height. Or liberal use of chunky black plastic details that further add visual bulk. But the Santa Cruz certainly doesn’t look weak. And we’re enamored of its styling—beyond that signature lighting up front, the rest of the vehicle offers a host of complex curves, creases and character lines, ensuring that it looks like nothing else on the road. This is the futuristic vehicle promised to us in all those old ARTMIC-produced anime series we grew up on. And we’re totally here for it.

There’s nothing futuristic about the powertrain, but it works. Power in our tester comes from the optional 2.5-liter turbocharged inline four, here pumping out a very healthy 275 horsepower and 310-lb-ft of torque. Its transmission is an 8-speed dual-clutch unit, which helps send power to all four wheels via Hyundai’s front-biased HTRAC AWD system. This uprated powertrain also allows the Santa Cruz to tow up to 5,000 pounds.

Like most potential Santa Cruz buyers, we’re not the towing type, so we could care less about those abilities. Besides, if we wanted to tow something, we’d go out and buy a truck. And the Santa Cruz, you’ll remember, is not a truck. But it is fantastic to drive on the road. It’s quick to get off the line – especially in sport mode – and with a flat torque curve, there’s plenty of passing power, too. Its on-road manners are exemplary, offering a smooth ride over most roads, and a stable ride at highway speeds. And despite its long-ish wheelbase, the Santa Cruz is surprisingly easy to park, too.

The interior, as expected of most modern Hyundais, is mostly excellent. Material selection, and overall fit and finish, really elevate the feel of this SAV’s cabin. We’re especially fond of the tactical fabric accents on the dash. Front seats are supportive and offer plenty of adjustability. The fixed rear bench is okay, but we’re not sure we’d want to camp back there for any sort of extended road trip.

That’s not to say that the Santa Cruz is perfect. While there are no outright flaws with the vehicle, there are some things it could be doing better. It’s cabin, while nice, doesn’t feel as open as, say, the Honda Ridgeline. Things here feel a lot darker, a lot more closed-in compared to the Honda.

We’re also not 100% sold on the Hyundai’s use of capacitive-touch controls. Almost everything is controlled via a flat slab of plastic with no reliefs/cutouts/or any sort of physical separation. Granted, the Santa Cruz’ center stack is generally functional, but we wish it had at least a physical volume knob.

And that leaves us with the bed. In practice, it’s likely big enough to handle 99% of all things potential Santa Cruz owners can throw at it. It’s got plenty of cool, built-in storage pockets, and with our tester, even a roll-away tonneau cover. And in full disclosure, it handled our IKEA runs just fine. But we wonder if it’s big enough to handle the “adventure” Hyundai’s self-created moniker suggests. It’s short, shallow, and has a high load floor. If you surf or snowboard, you better hope your board is short enough to be loaded in at an angle. And that’s before worrying about finding space for all the accompanying gear. There’s no way in hell a mountain bike or kayak will fit in the back, either.

There’s also the issue of being able to see the bed from inside the Santa Cruz. Which is to say, you can’t. In other, “real” trucks, a quick glance out back will show you not only what’s inside the truck bed, but the outer corners of the vehicle itself. That kind of visibility is helpful for, we don’t know, parking. The rear window of the Santa Cruz shows nothing but sky, so make sure you get the version with the 360 surround-view camera so that you can avoid hitting any parked cars or small children.

Admittedly, those complaints are small in the grand scheme of things. There are no real dealbreakers here, and any gear-carrying issues can be quickly solved with a cheap rack. The Santa Cruz’s combination of practicality and Instagrammable design suggests that it will remain a hit long after the chip shortage is sorted. Much like the Subaru Baja before it, you can say that the Hyundai Santa Cruz is the ultimate lifestyle vehicle. But remember, whatever you do, please don’t say it's a truck.

Hyundai Santa Cruz

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