I just bought the 2024 XRT this week. I love all the options but the steps, I’m actually having them removed. I bought the 2” lift kit from 4Wheel Parts and with that I’m upgrading the tires to some rugged Nittos The turbo is snappy. I love the way it shifts. I’ve owned Mustangs, SRT Chargers and a Hell Cat, I also have a 2023 Ram 2500 and a decked out 2005 F-350 but this is by far my favorite vehicle. I am 6’ tall, the lift will make a difference I hope when entering the vehicle. My mom is 70yrs old and she loves it. I’m actually selling her 2018 Jeep Rubicon this month because she is going to buy the Midnight Editon Turbo Santa Cruz. My take, great little vehicles with a few useless caveats

I bought 2022 (Limited) in October of 2021 and now have 41000 miles and have had no problems at all! I wish I could make a u tube video to complain about but have nothing. Off road ? What is that ?

I'll say this. It is nice to have an actual owner do a compare from theirs to what is newest. More logical than a non jeep owner going and reviewing something they know only what they have read about and making claims to whether it is better or worse than the out going model.

I bought one with no intentions of going off road. I got the 2024 XRT trim , certified used 9000 miles and paid $35k w everything included at 6 % through navy federal. So I’m happy with it

The turbocharged engine and adaptive cruise control are the main selling points

So happy I picked up a 23’ SEL Premium over the summer when dealers were ready to deal. When comparing to the XRT trim, the SEL Premium is a better bang for the buck. The vinyl seats seem functional but not all of the cosmetic nonsense. Instead of stickers and useless side steps, I’d rather see better tires and maybe a suspension upgrade. Perhaps throw in the sand/dirt drive mode. The red center caps are just cheesy. Painted calipers might look cooler, but the center caps are leftover from another model and will clash with nearly every color of SC.

I have the Santa Cruz 2022. I paid $30,000 for mine. It has all of the tie downs, the bed cover which retracts and is lockable. I have the bed lights, sun roof, electriacal outlet in the bed, roof .

I came close to buying a Santa Cruz exactly like Nathan’s (even from Schomp Hyundai as they had a basic non activity pack AWD SEL) but the lack of a functional wire harness was the deal killer as I wanted the ability to tow.

The bed rails SHOULD be solid - there are pockets in there under the plastic covers of the bed sides. You can see the little outlines of them on your bed if you look. You can cut them open with a razor/knife. I've had my Ultimate (Limited in Canada) almost two years now and love it. It's my single favourite vehicle I have ever owned. Took over 20 years for something to unseat my previous #1. I don't understand the side steps for the life of me. My wife is also about 5' 1" and has no problems getting in and out. PLUS the doors cover the sill so you don't get mud/snow/dirt on your pants getting in and out. There would be no escaping a mess with those steps. Not s huge fan of the fender flares and garnishes either, honestly. I think the flares make the wheels/tires look too small. It's not a package I'd go for. Overall, I agree with your opinions on it. I'd still take my money and go for the top trim without the accessory book thrown at it. (I'm also a blasphemer who LOVES the DCT in this thing. Haters can continue to hate. That's your right!)

I have a 2022 limited and so far it’s been perfect. Love my Santa Cruz

Did Nathan take over Grumpy Guy reviews? Grumpy Guy reviews need to be a regular series. Car reviews are getting too polite.

I like how they bash this little guy , but that hummer and canyon have had way more issues

Best use of these vehicles I’ve seen is, they have been adopted by the life guard services in Santa Cruz California much better looking than the yellow ford rangers the gave Hasslehoff 😂

Only options I would consider adding on would be the bed lights, the in bed rails, and the aux plug (in case I gotta charger my phone lol). Other than that, I'll pass on the other options.

Considered buying this car - sure glad I didn't! Thank you, Mr Nathan....

Kind of weird but the Santa Cruz doesn't sell well in my neighborhood, haven't seen one. If you love Tesla's, there everywhere and there boring.

Nathan, I like your trim choice a lot more. Thanks for the video.

Saludos desde Chile Nathan, desde el 2012 que los sigo, felicitaciones cómo siempre por el excelente contenido.

Manufacturers need to hear this type of review. Good job Nathan, you are voicing what most of us are thinking. Plastic cladding garnishment does not make a vehicle more off road worthy. This is such a poser vehicle. Other than the engine, it’s a lot of extra cash for nothing useful.

The front section of the XRT makes it look like a bulldog's underbite. 😂

For most in the Hyundai and Kia line ups, base SE models FTW. Hard buttons, reliable mechanical interiors, nice sporty and easy to clean seat materials, and tons of MPGs. We have a base Sonata and an upper trim Sorento. Go base!

Went with a very basic 2024 SE. Most of the options on the higher trim models were features I specifically did not want. No turbo (It has enough power for my needs), No DCT ( not a good choice for off road in my opinion), No bed cover (Uses up the very limited bed space), and more manual dash controls ( not a fan of touch controls). Was difficult to find the lower trim models. Mostly loaded models on the car lots. Probably one reason the Maverick is outselling the SC. I scratch my head wondering what the Hyundai marketing people are thinking.

I'm short and heavy and disabled, so was happy to see the sidesteps.

My 2024 SEL AWD has lumbar control and LED headlights, both missing on Nathan's. Turbo is the only thing I wish I had from the upper trims.

At a minimum the XRT should come with some Falken Wildpeaks.

it needs a lift kit with bigger offroad tires, perhaps a portal lift. I am not sure

What's the point of the stupid step bars when the vehicle is no higher off the ground than a non-XRT model?

Both are what my dad would call a First street 4 wheel drive. Not much good once you get them off the street. They do let you pound your chest on the freeway.

The XRT is not worth it. You can get a Ridgeline RTL for about the same price. If I was ordering a Santa Cruz, I'd go base with maybe the engine upgrade and a few of the other options.

Hmmm some of the SRT's actually seem to be light off-road packages . . . that is just a butch appearance package for those people who want an 'off-roader' who never take them off road.

The red center cap is friggn hilarious. So is the thicker plastic around the wheel well. It looks extra bad with the mallcrawler tire choice. Hyundai is doing a lot of things right, but they haven’t quite figured out the off road segment yet.

Nice job Nathan. You turned a couple words: appearance package, into an interesting vid.

I agree, drop the side steps and upgrade the tires. The rest is ok. While they look cool, they get in the way alot while entering and exiting. At least that's what I've noticed on my xrt sante fe. Nice comparison!

XRT? Really? That's almost as creative as their next trim level: MAR...

Love your channel... But 95 percent of people will NOT be taking this vehicle off road... Maybe a normal dirt road but I don't think anybody is buying a Santa Cruz to thrash over rocks.

You just said "This is a low vehicle with 8.7" of ground clearance"....is it bad that that is the same ground clearance of the new Land Cruiser? lol

we had one at my dealership with a rack in the back and pod lights. and man. it was a really nice looking vehicle.

forget about ACC, make sure it has lane centering feature, such an important feature to have in any vehicle, I traded in my $80K Ram 1500 laramie fully loaded that had all features you can imagine, ACC as well with stop and go. But I love the santa cruz. I didn't even know there was a thing called lane centering, it works great and 80% of my driving, I don't even touch the steering wheel at all.

Very good video! I'm with you with a solid no on this package...

I’m picking up my 2024 Limited tomorrow!

The title says the difference is 10K between the two, but then he says (towards the end) that only a couple of grand separates the two. Well Big difference!

Great review! Totally agree with you

I’m my case, I did in fact spend the extra $10,000 for my Maverick Tremor Lariat when I traded in my Maverick XLT FX4 w/ 4K Tow. I do think it was a steep increase but seeing this XRT trying to be rugged, I now think it was money well spent. Especially since Ford knows how to make a utilitarian off roader. Lift, Tire, Better Approach Bumper, Better 4WD System etc etc.

I'd pay more for drivetrain/body options like PHEV and midgate, while sticking with a robust non-DCT transmission (or ideally an eCVT like Toyota has). The rest to me are add-ons that can be added by an owner later.

I have an SEL Adventure Pkg and love it. Only thing it’s missing are LED headlights.

You can get the "Night" Trim and have everything but the bigger fender flares and the fake leather seats. I also don't like the nerf bar steps they are more in the way than useful. It's also 2-3K cheaper and the wheels actually look better.

I have a 2022 SEL and mine came with the side molding (garnish) and the bigger fender flares from the factory/dealer. I purchased the car new

Seems like Nathan has found plastic fantastic... minus the good rubber.

I traded my 8 year old basic 2wd GMC pickup for a new SE AWD earlier this week. In my research I found pricing and trim levels all over the place and quite confusing. I just didn't see anything on the SEL-XRT levels that I really needed. I've always been a minimalist with my vehicles (maybe cheap?) The ten year powertrain warranty on the new one was a very important factor compared to similarly priced used ones. Possible use for towing remains a question mark because oof conflicting information about a harness.

The side steps are an overkill. The only logical upgrades on the 2024 are the cargo tie downs, led cargo lights in the bed and sliding rear glass window. Some people also love sunroof (I’m not a big fan because sunroofs tend to leak after the rubber seal is exposed to the sun(elements) for a few years). I’d only ask for wireless CarPlay/android auto as an option instead of the current wired system even if on a smaller screen.

Neither are worth the current prices in my opinion.

I love my Mavericks, my XL Hybrid and my XLT Tremor

If this was capable of a 3” or 4” lift and had actual 4x4 I would be sold instantly.

They need to get rid of the dual clutch transmission for the automatic. Use the same one in the standard truck. On a side note wish they would just offer a manual transmission!

Wanna make this off roady? Install a factory lift with true all terrain tires. End of discussion. The off road trim for the Santa cruz is just asthetics. Not too mention that most of the asthetic "upgrades" can be bought online or at a dealership and installed on your 2022-2023 model yourself. Side steps for this vehicle is purely for flash. Nothing more nothing less.

Oh, i thought the one with a working trailer harness was $10K more.

The side steps are great for washing the roof of the vehicle. That's the only time I use them.

Looks like the xrt also has raised roof rails which is one addition that could be actually useful but not 2k worth if useful lol

There seems to be an issue with the turbo model 8 speed duel clutch transmission going bad. I have the cheaper model and have not had any trans problems.

what about the dual clutch transmission, would that crap out taking it off-road?

I originally wanted a santa cruz but they weren't out when i bought my santa fe... am considering trading mine in for one but NOT that trim.. maybe the active one IF i do

I haven't seen anyone mentioned this, but I suspect Stillantis' decision to move away from Hellcats might have something to do with CAFE regulations. In the US, Stellantis really only sells relatively inefficient vehicles. The other domestic manufacturers all sell EVs , hybrids, and smaller more efficient cars, giving them a considerably higher corporate average MPG rating. CAFE penalties are substantial, $15/car sold/0.1 mpg above the standard of 40 mpg.

What is the most “offroad-y “ trim/build for the Santa Cruz?

Didn't point out how it tows 5,000 pounds vs your 3,500 pounds also.

They keep the car from scraping on rocks... I had those on my 1999 F250...

Love it- hopefully your car wont go through 3 batteries in a year and a half.

Overspray on the passenger side door handle? How did that pass Quality Control?

Finally a use for nail polish!

The upgraded engine is a must. Whether you get it in this package or another.

Those steps might be the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen. It almost looks like someone went to autozone and emptied the gaudy accessory rack. 😅

You need the cover and vinyl seat if you live in cali

Bottom line... Save 10k 😂

Does it have adaptive cruise control with the self driving and braking features

Why does it need steps, they look so silly and kill ground clearance even more.

Don’t have LED bed lights? Go to your local big box store and buy some stick on battery puck lights. The batteries last for almost ever.

The fog lamps look different as well?

Additional expense extended service c I ntract on different plans

10:25 may not supply enough amperage capability?

Regardless of model you can smell the depreciation

I haven't had a issue with mine , you can't look at that thing and think let's drive it offroad

No one is taking this car off roading. 😂. It's a SUV with a bed.

40k for that is ridiculous . You could get a real truck for that money

Not all trucks has to be off road capable.

Nathan, do you know if all the past recall stuff has been taken care of with this years model. Have any of recalls made you regret purchasing yours?

What’s new about the Turbo for 2024?

Swing and miss again Hyundia . Maverick tremor only compact truck you can take comfortably off road or fx4

Looks like they drilled a bunch of drain holes around the gutter in the trunk for 2024

Will they last as long as a 4runner?

Are those steps set up as rock sliders by chance? Can they take a hit like that?

Funny no new paint. How would anyone know you paid the extra 10 grand? 🤔

First I’ll say the Santa Cruze doesn’t impress me… It’s a lifted station wagon with the rear portion of the roof removed… Remember when you could buy vehicles for less than $10k at most any dealership. We’ve been sold a plastic rendition of a real vehicle.

This new trim level doesn’t make sense to me. I know there’s people who want it and I get that but wow…. The steps destroy the versatility. I mean are they just there for the look? I don’t even like that!

It's not a truck its a car with a tray....

It's not a offriad vehicle, buy a taco or a jeep. It's a car with a box

I tried for a year to get a Santa Cruz. Couldn't get one in the trim i wanted (Limited SEL). Bought a Sierra 3.0 Duramax instead for the same money

Am I tripping or didn't Nate have a dang colored Cruz?

Terrible trim level.

Once upon a time same color mirrors were extra, now blacks are. Are'nt we going backwards?

They look so bad. A better looking Subaru Baja and that’s not saying much 😂😂😂.

These upgrades are negligible. Especially for the price difference