Compare the2023 Hyundai Santa CruzVS 2023 Toyota Tacoma

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Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Santa Cruz SEL/SEL Premium/Limited has standard Parking Collision Avoidance Assist that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Tacoma doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

Full-time four-wheel drive is optional on the Santa Cruz. Full-time four-wheel drive gives added traction for safety in all conditions, not just off-road, like the only system available on the Tacoma.

The Santa Cruz has a standard blind spot warning system which uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. A system to reveal vehicles in the Tacoma’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Santa Cruz has a standard rear cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Rear cross-path warning costs extra on the Tacoma and isn't available on the not available.

For better protection of the passenger compartment, the Santa Cruz uses safety cell construction with a three-dimensional high-strength frame that surrounds the passenger compartment. It provides extra impact protection and a sturdy mounting location for door hardware and side impact beams. The Tacoma uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the Santa Cruz and the Tacoma have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its available headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Santa Cruz the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2022, a rating granted to only 164 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Tacoma last would have qualified as a “Top Safety Pick” in 2019.

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The Santa Cruz comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Tacoma’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Santa Cruz 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Toyota covers the Tacoma. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Tacoma ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

The Santa Cruz’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the Tacoma’s (7 vs. 5 years).

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Santa Cruz for 1 year and 11000 miles longer than Toyota pays for maintenance for the Tacoma (3/36,000 vs. 2/25000).

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To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Santa Cruz has a standard 600-amp battery. The Tacoma’s 582-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in reliability, above the industry average. With 10 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is ranked fifth.

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The Santa Cruz’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 32 more horsepower (191 vs. 159) and 1 lbs.-ft. more torque (181 vs. 180) than the Tacoma’s standard 2.7 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Santa Cruz’s optional 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 3 more horsepower (281 vs. 278) and 46 lbs.-ft. more torque (311 vs. 265) than the Tacoma’s optional 3.5 DOHC V6.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Hyundai Santa Cruz turbo 4 cyl. is faster than the Toyota Tacoma V6 (automatics tested):

	Santa Cruz	Tacoma
Zero to 30 MPH	2.6 sec	3.5 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	6.6 sec	8.2 sec
45 to 65 MPH Passing	4 sec	4.8 sec
Quarter Mile	15 sec	16.5 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	98 MPH	90 MPH

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On the EPA test cycle the Santa Cruz gets better mileage than the Tacoma:

			MPG
Santa Cruz
FWD	Auto	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	22 city/26 hwy
AWD	Auto	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	21 city/25 hwy
		2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	19 city/27 hwy
Tacoma
RWD	Auto	2.7 DOHC 4-cyl.	20 city/23 hwy
		3.5 DOHC V6	19 city/24 hwy
AWD	Manual	3.5 DOHC V6	17 city/21 hwy
		TRD-PRO 3.5 DOHC V6	17 city/20 hwy
AWD	Auto	2.7 DOHC 4-cyl.	19 city/22 hwy
		3.5 DOHC V6	18 city/22 hwy

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An eight-speed automatic (SMG) is standard on the Hyundai Santa Cruz, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a six-speed automatic is available for the Tacoma.

The Santa Cruz offers an available sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The Tacoma doesn’t offer an SMG.

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For better stopping power the Santa Cruz’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Tacoma:

	Santa Cruz	Tacoma	Tacoma 4x4
Front Rotors	12.8 inches	10.75 inches	12.48 inches
Rear Rotors	12.8 inches	10” drums	10” drums

The Hyundai Santa Cruz has standard four-wheel disc brakes for better stopping power and improved directional control in poor weather. Only rear drums come on the Tacoma. Drums can heat up and make stops longer, especially with antilock brakes that work much harder than conventional brakes.

The Santa Cruz stops much shorter than the Tacoma:

	Santa Cruz	Tacoma
60 to 0 MPH	132 feet	146 feet	Consumer Reports
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	149 feet	158 feet	Consumer Reports

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The Santa Cruz’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Tacoma’s standard 75 series tires. The Santa Cruz’s optional tires have a lower 50 series profile than the Tacoma Short Bed Limited’s 60 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Santa Cruz has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the Tacoma. The Santa Cruz’s optional 20-inch wheels are larger than the 18-inch wheels on the Tacoma Short Bed Limited.

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For superior ride and handling, the Hyundai Santa Cruz has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Toyota Tacoma has a solid rear axle, with a non-independent rear suspension.

The front and rear suspension of the Santa Cruz uses coil springs for better ride, handling and control than the Tacoma, which uses leaf springs in the rear. Coil springs compress more progressively and offer more suspension travel for a smoother ride with less bottoming out.

The Santa Cruz has a standard automatic rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The Tacoma doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Santa Cruz is 1.4 inches wider in the front and 1.4 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Tacoma.

For better maneuverability, the Santa Cruz’s turning circle is 1 foot tighter than the Tacoma Access Cab’s (39.6 feet vs. 40.6 feet). The Santa Cruz’s turning circle is 4.5 feet tighter than the Tacoma Long Bed Double Cab’s (39.6 feet vs. 44.1 feet).

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The Hyundai Santa Cruz may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 200 to 450 pounds less than the Toyota Tacoma.

The Santa Cruz is 1 foot, 4.6 inches shorter than the Tacoma Short Bed Double Cab, making the Santa Cruz easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Unibody construction makes the Santa Cruz’s chassis much stiffer, which contributes to better handling, and enables softer springs to be used for a better ride. Unibody construction’s stiffness also contributes to better durability and less body squeaks and rattles. The Tacoma doesn’t use unibody construction, but a body-on-frame design.

The design of the Hyundai Santa Cruz amounts to more than styling. The Santa Cruz has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .37 Cd. That is lower than the Tacoma (.385 to .389). A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Santa Cruz get better fuel mileage.

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The Santa Cruz has 1.7 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Tacoma Double Cab (101.8 vs. 100.1).

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The Hyundai Santa Cruz has a standard rear cargo step, which allows for much easier access to the cargo area. The Toyota Tacoma doesn’t offer a rear cargo step.

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A Trailer Sway Assist is standard on all models of the Santa Cruz, using the Electronic Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. Only the Tacoma V6 offers a trailer sway program.

The Santa Cruz has a much higher standard payload capacity than the Tacoma:

	Santa Cruz	Tacoma
Crew Cab	1753 lbs.	1525 lbs.
Crew Cab 4x4	1753 lbs.	1135 lbs.

The Santa Cruz has a much higher optional payload capacity than the Tacoma Short Bed Double Cab 4x4 (1753 vs. 1155 lbs.).

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The Santa Cruz SEL/SEL Premium/Night/Limited has a standard remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The Tacoma doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

The Santa Cruz’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Tacoma has a lever-type parking brake that has to be strenuously raised to engage properly. It has to be lifted up more and a button depressed to release it.

The power windows standard on both the Santa Cruz and the Tacoma have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Santa Cruz is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Tacoma prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The Santa Cruz’s standard driver’s power window opens or closes with one touch of the window control, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths. The Tacoma’s standard driver’s power window switch has to be held the entire time to close it fully.

On a hot day the Santa Cruz’s driver can lower the front windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Tacoma can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Proximity Key standard on the Santa Cruz SEL/SEL Premium/Night/Limited allows you to unlock the driver’s door, tailgate and start the engine all without removing a key from pocket or purse. This eliminates searching for keys before loading cargo, getting in the vehicle in bad weather or making a hurried start to your trip. The Toyota Tacoma’s available Smart Key System doesn’t unlock the tailgate.

The Santa Cruz has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank. The Tacoma doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

The Santa Cruz Limited’s standard wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield. The Tacoma’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The Santa Cruz has a standard automatic headlight on/off feature. When the ignition is on, the headlights automatically turn on at dusk and off after dawn. When the ignition turns off, the headlights turn off after a delay timed to allow you to securely get to your front door. The Tacoma only offers an automatic headlight on/off feature as an extra cost option.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Santa Cruz Limited keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Tacoma doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

On extremely cold winter days, the Santa Cruz Limited’s standard heated steering wheel provides comfort, allowing the driver to steer safely and comfortably before the vehicle heater warms up. The Tacoma doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.

Both the Santa Cruz and the Tacoma offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Santa Cruz Limited has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Tacoma Double Cab doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

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J.D. Power and Associates rated the Santa Cruz first among midsize pickups in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Tacoma isn’t in the top three.