Hyundai's Santa Cruz is a pickup for the rest of us

Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews can be seen here and in the Cruisin’ News, "Oregon, Nevada and California's classic auto news & marketplace."

Sacramento, California -- Fans of full-size pickups can get pretty snarky when it comes to compact trucks.

They drop words like "wimpy" and "weak" and "undersized" to describe the smaller models. But the bottom line is: not everyone wants a big, hulking pickup.  They want something more nimble, but still capable of carrying the occasional large cargo load.

Enter the tested 2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz Limited AWD, a cleverly styled, peppy and utterly functional compact pickup for the rest of us.

Small in this case does not mean stripped.  I was stunned by the lengthy list of standard features packed into my tester.  That was particularly true of safety technology, which went far beyond the usual suspects.  My ride included blind spot collision-avoidance (with view monitor), driver attention warning, lane-keeping assist and forward collision avoidance.

The little pickup was further dressed up with 20-inch alloy wheels, LEDs all around, a power sunroof and heated/ventilated front seats.

Passersby routinely shouted that they liked the looks of the Santa Cruz.  Pickup devotees certainly would wince at the number of times it was called "cute."  To my eyes, it looked sporty with lean-into-the-wind sculpting on the front end.

For all this, the sticker's bottom line came in at $41,810 ... an alluring number in an age where buying a typical, new pickup truck can be a $60,000 transaction.

My tester had a 2.5-liter turbo-4 under the hood, which made it a muscular machine. Rated at 281 horsepower (or 90 horses more than the standard, non-turbo 2.5-liter engine), the power plant enthusiastically snapped the Santa Cruz forward from standing starts and gave more as the revs increased.

The Santa Cruz was rock-solid firm in corners and handled with midsize sedan ease.  It climbed with very little complaint ... with surprisingly little noise making its way into the cabin.

Four-door convenience and comfort added to the mix. Fuel mileage was pretty fair at 19 miles per gallon in the city and 27 mpg on the highway.  And no, the truck bed would not be ideal for a construction site, but it's entirely capable of carrying, say, a new washer or dryer back to the homestead.

Overall, the Santa Cruz is the little pickup that can do a lot ... with good value to boot.