Hyundai Santa Cruz vs Kia Cerato

What's the difference?

Hyundai is leading the charge. And not just in electric vehicles.

Not yet known in Australia for utes, the brand’s Santa Cruz is part of a new wave of car-based dual-cab “pick-ups” that is sweeping North America.

We’re talking monocoque-bodied utes here, not body-on-frame light trucks like a Toyota HiLux.

Recently, we learned that Hyundai is planning to release the Santa Cruz in Australia in the not-too-distant future, giving us the excuse to get behind the wheel of one right now.

What’s it like? How’s the driving experience? Is the tray 'ute' enough? And would it work in Australia?

Let’s find out!

Three years after the fourth-generation Cerato small car rolled into Australian dealerships, Kia launched a mid-life facelift for the sedan and hatch range in mid-2021.

It ushered in styling tweaks including new headlights and Kia’s new logo, as well as more safety tech and a multimedia upgrade.

At the top of the range sits the warmed-up Cerato GT. It’s not quite Hyundai i30 N-level performance, more i30 N-Line. In other words, more than enough performance to keep most people satisfied and enough poke to get away quickly at the lights.

But is the updated version of Kia’s Cerato trying to be something it’s not, or is it a performance bargain?

Read on to find out.