Toyota C-HR vs Hyundai Santa Cruz

What's the difference?

There’s not much in terms of practicalities that are going to convince you the C-HR is a better option than Toyota’s other small SUV, the Corolla Cross.

Even other ‘stylish’ small SUVs like the Mazda CX-30, fuel savers like the electric MG ZS EV, or performance small SUVs like the Hyundai Kona N are more affordable than the GR Sport version of the C-HR.

In the case of this car, unlike most of its Toyota stablemates, buyers will likely be making a decision from the heart based on exterior styling and its interior rather than value or practicality.

And who would anyone be to tell you not to buy a car you like for its styling?

We need the Santa Cruz and its ilk in Australia. It’s great to be in a dual-cab ute that is compact enough to fit in a regular car-parking space and light enough to be efficient.

In ways, the Hyundai is reminiscent of the better Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore utes of yore, especially in its performance, dynamics and civility. And why wouldn’t it be a good fit here? Back in 1932, Australia invented the coupe utility, after all.

Bring it on, Hyundai.

There’s a fair bit going on here compared to most of Toyota’s other products, much like the first generation, but being designed with Europe as the key market and Australia as a secondary means the styling team needed to take on some fairly fashionable brands.

All three variants of the C-HR are relatively close in aesthetics, with major differences being two-tone paint or specific trim elements for the top-spec GR Sport.

It uses new Toyota design elements that have been seen on some models already, the ‘c-shape’ lights have been used on the new Prius, which we no longer get in Australia, for example.

The black roof was also available on the previous generation, where this car has carried over the ‘egg-like’ silhouette from.

The overall relatively aquatic styling and shape must be for aerodynamic advantage - its chief engineer told us the drag coefficient is just 0.318Cd - but the removal of the rear wiper to lower drag might have been unnecessary for a city-focused small SUV.

The cabin isn’t as wild as the outside, which may be a let-down in some ways, though it’s still a little more visually interesting than its more mainstream stablemates.

The 64-colour ambient lighting changes based on settings including time of day or drive mode, but can be set to a specific single colour if you wish.

The centre stack on the dash is gently angled towards the driver with a small separation between it and the passenger, creating a slight ‘cockpit’ feeling.

Seats are made from different materials depending on the grade, though no real leather is used even in the GR Sport, where synthetic suede and leather are the main upholstery.

The cloth textiles are made from entirely recycled materials, while the synthetic suede is made from a little less than half recycled materials.

They don’t look cheap, but they also don’t look particularly luxurious.

Nose-on, the Tucson SUV’s futuristic nose treatment looks a little out of place on the Santa Cruz. It needs to be blunter and more aggressive.

Hyundai knows this and has attempted to square-off the lights, grille and bumpers as part of the MY25 facelift, but it still seems too sophisticated against more truck-like utes. No doubt the next-gen redesign will be bolder.

Profile and rear appearances, on the other hand, are pitch-perfect, imbuing the Santa Cruz with confidence and class. No other dual-cab can boast such a sleek, coupe-utility-esque silhouette. A drag coefficient figure of 0.37 is notable for this shape of vehicle.

Deftly executed, the Hyundai’s design is both contemporary yet reminiscent of ‘70s and ‘80s two-door utes, from Japan’s Subaru Brumby and Ford’s XA-XC Falcon, to America’s iconic Chevrolet El Camino and Ford Ranchero.

With all that in mind, it’s no surprise to learn that the Santa Cruz was designed in California, with the brief stating it combine car, SUV and ute, for urbanites seeking a workhorse that can also be a family-friendly weekend getaway machine.

While it is obviously smaller than a typical body-on-frame ute, in the flesh, the Hyundai seems almost as large. Some might even say right-sized for lighter-duty requirements, which seem to be the majority of urban-based vehicles in this segment.

Length, width, height, wheelbase and ground clearance measurements are 4970mm, 1905mm, 1695mm, 3005mm and 218mm respectively. Putting these figures in perspective, a Ranger’s corresponding dimensions are 5370mm, 1918mm, 1886mm, 3270mm and 234mm.

Not too big, then, and not too small. And much, much easier to manoeuvre and park in a big city like Toronto. It’s a bit of a Goldilocks zone inside the Santa Cruz as well.

When it comes to interior layout and ergonomics, there’s never much to criticise in a Toyota, unless playing it safe is a downside for you.

The buttons you’re most likely to use regularly, across the climate control, centre console and steering wheel, are all very obvious and easy to find, if a little uninspiring, as is wheel design itself - form definitely doesn’t sacrifice function here.

Welcome are the two large screens, the multimedia touchscreen a large 12.3-inch unit and the driver display either 7.0-inch or another 12.3-inch version depending on variant.

Toyota’s software is simple and accessible, using a few main menu sections, though many will likely bypass this with wireless phone mirroring.

Everything’s in a sensible place: a tall bottle in the cupholders won’t block access to anything, the phone charging pad is tucked away to minimise distraction, and Toyota has kept things like the gear selector and stalks behind the steering wheel relatively traditional.

While the interior feels a little dated by its many buttons and some of its simple graphics, there’s certainly something to be said for a welcome change from distracting screens and menus - if the aim was to not exclude Toyota’s older market, it seems like mission accomplished.

In terms of comfort and space, the C-HR makes pretty good use of its interior from the front, the seats are relatively comfortable and visibility is fine, though the back seat starts to feel a bit cramped.

While cupholders and door bottle storage is plentiful in the front, there’s no armrest and no bottle storage in the rear, only relatively shallow cupholders on the armrests in the doors.

Visibility is also relatively poor with high windows, a narrow rear window, and not a lot of light unless there’s a sunroof.

Behind that, with the seats up, the C-HR’s boot has a claimed VDA capacity of 388 litres in the GXL and Koba, or 362L in the GR Sport. Total volume with the seats down is 1154L and 1490L respectively.

A comfy and inviting five-seater, the Santa Cruz only really feels like a ute rather than a mid-size SUV if you look behind the (fixed) rear backrest or underneath the back cushion (where the jack and additional storage lay).

Spacious and quite airy up front, this one’s based on the pre-2024 Tucson facelift, so it’s completely car-like in its design and execution. The update also adopts the SUV’s vast touchscreen layout. Typical Hyundai features include digitalised instrumentation, pleasingly simple displays and thoughtful placement of all controls. There’s nothing even remotely alien about this ute’s presentation.

Quite bracing bucket seats up front offer decent support, while SUV standards of practical storage, ventilation and – surprise – noise suppression further impress, especially considering that our ute rides on 20-inch wheels and all-weather tyres. Maybe Canadian bitumen is just quieter.

If you’re used to smaller body-on-frame utes like the HiLux or previous Mitsubishi Triton, you might also be pleasantly surprised by how accommodating the Santa Cruz’s rear bench is.

The typical ute foibles of a too-upright backrest and flat, unsupportive seats do not apply here, revealing how spacious that shapely silhouette allows the cabin to be. Instead, you can enjoy SUV-levels of cushy comfort, as well as associated amenities like rear air vents, USB outlets and cupholders, though you’ll need to stick larger water bottles beneath the rear-hinged cushion, where extra storage is provided.

Better still, if you want some additional ventilation, just slide back the rear-window partition. This might mess with your mind, as the Santa Cruz then really begins to muddy the waters between SUV and ute.

Which leads us to the elephant in, or rather on, the Hyundai: the open bed.

Among other items, you’ll find side as well as rear steps for easier load bed access and a simple yet effective sliding tonneau operation, revealing a ridged floor and sizeable compartment storage compartment underneath. It comes with drainage holes for ice. Bed lighting, tie down hooks, and sliding cleats further boost useability and versatility. Just like in utes you’re probably used to.

Note that in this 20-inch wheel grade, there’s a space-saver spare underneath.

Bed length is 1323mm, width 1368/1085mm between the arches and height 488mm. For perspective, Ranger’s equivalents are 1464mm, 1520/1217mm and 525mm respectively. Bed volume is 764 litres, versus 1232L in the Ford.

Finally, towing capacity in the AWD version is 2260kg (Ranger: 3500kg) and payload is 730kg (Ranger Wildtrak: 901kg).

In summary then, compared to utes like the Ford above, the Hyundai’s OB is clearly shorter, narrower and shallower, yet is still usefully large for getting many jobs done.

Again, this is a new, more compact ute experiment, with no direct rivals, designed to be lighter, more efficient and fun to drive.

Built solely for now in Alabama, the Santa Cruz is a four-door dual-cab mid-size ute, with five seats and a traditional open bed (OB) load area. Think of it as a Toyota RAV4 ute, if such a thing existed. The Hyundai is actually part of the current, Tucson SUV range.

We understand that the coming redesign is set for Australia from around 2026. Dealers were notified back in May this year, so this isn’t a question of if, but when.

We’re in Canada, driving this year’s model, though a facelift is imminent for 2025, in line with this year’s Tucson refresh and dashboard revamp.

Our test vehicle, kindly loaned to us by Hyundai Canada, is a 2024 Ultimate AWD, powered by a 2.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine driving all four wheels via an eight-speed transmission. More on that later.

Costing from around A$55,000 in Canada, this is akin to our top-line Tucson Premium, meaning a sunroof, keyless entry/start, surround-view monitor, leather, heated/vented/powered front seats, dual-zone climate, Bose audio, adaptive cruise control, 20-inch alloys and all the advanced driver-assist safety tech expected in high-grade SUVs nowadays.

Lots of glossy exterior trim also tells the world this is the most salubrious Santa Cruz, along with a sliding rear window, retractable solid tonneau cover, composite bedliner, lockable under-bed storage, side-wall compartments, adjustable track rail and cleat system, a power outlet, multi-functional tailgate and integrated OB side steps.

Alternatives? None currently in Australia. And its SUV DNA gives the Hyundai a handy price advantage over Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux models, which would cost tens of thousands of dollars more in Ultimate-grade matching spec. A Ranger Platinum nudges $100K. 

In North America, the Santa Cruz tackles the segment sales-slaying Ford Maverick (an Escape SUV-based ute available in hybrid) and Honda Ridgeline that shares its underpinnings with the Pilot large SUV. The former’s unexpected success, combined with increasingly punitive emissions standards, suggest more are coming.

Plus, we’re hearing whispers that the Maverick redesign will go global sometime in the second half of this decade.

The difference in boot space is likely because the hybrid-only C-HR comes with two drivetrain options, depending on which variant you have.

The GXL and Koba both use Toyota’s 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine aided by a front-mounted electric motor to produce a 103kW output at the front wheels via a continuously variable transmission.

The GR Sport, however, gains a rear electric motor (taking up some boot space) and a more powerful front motor, helping a larger 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine make a total 146kW - still via a CVT.

Don’t expect to be getting to 100km/h from a standstill in any less than 8.0 seconds in either variant, but both have a claimed top speed of 170km/h.

The Santa Cruz is fitted with Hyundai’s 2.5-litre four-cylinder direct-injection turbo-petrol engine not offered in any Australian models at this time.

In North American-spec, it delivers about 210kW of power at 5800rpm and 422Nm of torque from 1700-4000rpm, to the front or all four wheels automatically via an eight-speed wet-type dual-clutch transmission, with a manual mode.

Acceleration time from 0-100km/h is about 6.5 seconds. Impressive for an 1860kg ute, aided no doubt by a healthy 113kW/tonne power-to-weight ratio.

Like the Tucson, the Santa Cruz is fitted with MacPherson-style struts up front and a multi-link independent rear suspension set-up, though they are tuned differently given the varying nature of the duo.

Toyota says the C-HR uses just 4.0L/100km on the combined cycle test, which is 0.3L less than the previous generation’s claim, but it should be noted the 2.0-litre in the GR Sport drinks a claimed 4.1L/100km.

During testing on the launch drive, but without being able to measure properly from fill to fill, one quite spirited leg of driving netted a 6.9L/100km reading on the trip computer, while a more sedate drive returned 5.4L/100km.

Hyundai says the Santa Cruz is tuned to run on American 87 RON unleaded petrol.

It returns a combined average of 10.6L/100km, for a carbon dioxide emissions rating of 250 grams per kilometre. Other official figures are 12.1L in the city and 8.7L on the highway.

That should mean the 67L fuel tank should give a range of about 632km.

Running on 90+ Octane unleaded petrol, our Santa Cruz averaged 10.5L, against a trip computer figure of 10.8L. Our best cycle, on mainly rural roads, was 9.1L. Again, this is SUV efficiency. The long-mooted hybrid version will smash all these figures out of the park.

There’s nothing particularly offensive about the way the new C-HR drives, but there’s nothing riveting either.

If you’ve driven anything on the Toyota TNGA platform, this will feel familiar to you - and that’s not a bad thing, it’s generally pretty stable, comfortable and controlled.

The modified Corolla platform it rides on is a very good thing, but the C-HR doesn’t have anything in the way of sporting tendencies its styling might suggest.

The hybrid drivetrain in the two 1.8-litre versions of the small SUV don’t offer up a whole lot in terms of keen acceleration, but even the GR Sport and its 146kW drivetrain need a push to get things feeling properly quick on a twisty road.

The added stability of the all-wheel drive in the top variant is noticeable, the front-drive variants feeling a little less planted when pushed.

Steering is on the slightly lighter side of still being well-weighted - it doesn’t wow, but Toyota’s engineers know what they’re doing and it does everything it needs to in terms of communicating feeling to the driver.

Some particularly rough roads on the test drive showed the suspension to handle short, sharp bumps well and not feel crashy over larger imperfections.

The suspension has been retuned in this TNGA-C platform to be stiffer for more control but also more compliant in terms of comfort.

But it’s around urban and suburban streets where the C-HR will spend most of its time, and neglected streets, speed bumps, or tram lines won’t shake you too much from in the cabin.

The most remarkable thing about the Santa Cruz is how multi-faceted the driving experience is.

On one hand, compared to body-on-frame utes, it feels just like a medium-sized SUV, with none of their lumbering heaviness. That should come as no shock seeing this is an extension of the Tucson (and related Kia Sportage).

Yet if you approach the Santa Cruz from an SUV perspective, there are palpable driving and behavioural differences, setting the ute apart. Especially considering Australians are unfamiliar with this particular powertrain.

Let’s start with that.

After years of the sweet if at-times somewhat stretched 1.6-litre turbo found in most upper-spec Hyundai and Kia models, the Santa Cruz’s big 2.5L turbo is a revelation, with little to no lag moving off the line and a steady and growing tide of torque as speed builds.

Quiet, smooth and refined, it is a terrifically muscular engine application, aided by an equally smooth and responsive dual-clutch transmission. That there’s real-world economy benefits as well – we averaged just 9.1L/100km during one tankful – is icing on the cake.

You know what they used to say… there’s no substitute for cubic inches. Why can’t other Hyundais have this powertrain in Australia?

Likewise, there’s little to criticise regarding the Santa Cruz’s steering, being as light yet direct as its SUV cousin’s. The upshot is exact and controlled handling that would put even the most nervous driver at ease. With that in mind, one particular heavy late-summer storm only served to highlight the Hyundai’s AWD-enhanced stability and traction.

And a word of praise for the driver-assist tech too, with the adaptive cruise control, lane-assist and blind-spot systems providing nuanced operation and gentle intervention. Bounding along in highway traffic moving at the legal speed limit, all remained calm.

Speaking of which, the Santa Cruz’s ride quality is shockingly cushy for something on 20-inch rubber. This never ceased to impress us.

So far, so very good.

Tighter corners and speedy off-ramp turns did reveal a couple of unexpected traits, though. That soft suspension tune and 218mm ground clearance can make the Hyundai feel roly poly, with pronounced body lean that can lead to understeer, meaning the ute can run wide mid-turn unless the driver piles in more steering angle.

In contrast, an Aussie-spec Tucson is far more composed and agile in such situations.

Still, we mentally readjusted to this, applying similar degrees of caution that drivers of even the best body-on-frame utes, dynamically speaking, should exercise (hello, Ranger). Yet even in such scenarios, the Santa Cruz is still far more SUV-like in its suspension discipline and roadholding.

Our two other beefs are a big turning circle and poor side/rear vision. Otherwise, a big thumb’s up here.

Obviously, as with all vehicles tested abroad, we need to experience the Hyundai on local roads for a more definitive assessment.

But, as our very enjoyable time behind the wheel of the 2024 Santa Cruz AWD revealed, it seems especially well-suited to Australian tastes.

As a spiritual successor to the Brumby and Falcon/Holden utes, this dual-cab seems beyond the sum of its parts.

There is no EuroNCAP/ANCAP rating for the Santa Cruz, due to its North American market focus.

But it does score a 'Top Safety Pick' by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS) for whatever that’s worth.

Safety tech includes 'Forward Collision Avoidance Assist', consisting of autonomous emergency braking with cyclist, pedestrian and night-time capability, as well as blind-spot monitoring, safe-exit warning, rear cross-traffic alert, a driver-attention warning and adaptive cruise control with full stop/go.

Electronic stability control, anti-lock brakes with brake assist and electronic brake-force distribution, tyre pressure monitors, surround-view cameras, auto on/off LEDs with auto high beams, rain-sensing wipers, front/rear parking sensors, six airbags and child-seat lower anchors and upper-tether anchors are also fitted.

Note that the AEB operation data is not available at this time.

Toyota has a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty which covers the C-HR, as well as capped-price servicing for the first five years or 75,000km, whichever comes first, with each 12-month/15,000km service costing $250.

The C-HR also comes with a 12-month subscription to Toyota Connected Services, with features accessible through the myToyota Connect smartphone app.

The Santa Cruz is not available in Australia at this time.

Hyundai’s current Australian warranty period is five years/unlimited kilometres with roadside assistance and available capped-price servicing options.

Most models also offer scheduled servicing between 10,000km and 15,000km.