Compare the2023 Jeep GladiatorVS 2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, Full-Time Four-Wheel Drive is standard on the Gladiator. But it costs extra on the Santa Cruz.

Both the Gladiator and the Santa Cruz have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, rearview cameras, available crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.

The Jeep Gladiator weighs 527 to 1648 pounds more than the Hyundai Santa Cruz. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

There are almost 3 times as many Jeep dealers as there are Hyundai dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Gladiator’s warranty.

The Gladiator has a solid front axle with a floating power axle for durability that the Santa Cruz 4x4’s independent front suspension and exposed front driveshafts don’t offer.

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Gladiator has a standard 180-amp alternator (220-amp - Gladiator optional and 240 optional). The Santa Cruz’s 150-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Gladiator has a standard 650-amp battery (700 optional). The Santa Cruz’s 600-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Gladiator second among midsize pickups in their 2022 Initial Quality Study. The Santa Cruz isn’t in the top three.

The Gladiator’s 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 94 more horsepower (285 vs. 191) and 79 lbs.-ft. more torque (260 vs. 181) than the Santa Cruz’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Gladiator’s 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 4 more horsepower (285 vs. 281) than the Santa Cruz’s optional 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

The Gladiator’s 3.0 turbo V6 diesel produces 69 more horsepower (260 vs. 191) and 261 lbs.-ft. more torque (442 vs. 181) than the Santa Cruz’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Gladiator’s 3.0 turbo V6 diesel produces 131 lbs.-ft. more torque (442 vs. 311) than the Santa Cruz’s optional 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

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

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Gladiator’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The Santa Cruz doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

The Gladiator has 4.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the Santa Cruz (22 vs. 17.7 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Gladiator’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Santa Cruz are solid, not vented.

The Gladiator stops shorter than the Santa Cruz:

For better traction, the Gladiator Rubicon/Mojave’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Santa Cruz (285/70R17 vs. 245/60R18).

The Gladiator has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Santa Cruz doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Gladiator has a standard full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your work or a trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the Santa Cruz; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

The Gladiator Rubicon has an active front sway bar, which helps keep it flat and controlled during cornering, but disconnects at lower speeds to smooth the ride and offer greater off-road suspension articulation. This helps keep the tires glued to the road on-road and off. The Santa Cruz doesn’t offer an active sway bar system.

The Gladiator has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Santa Cruz doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Gladiator’s wheelbase is 19 inches longer than on the Santa Cruz (137.3 inches vs. 118.3 inches).

The Gladiator has .1 inches more front headroom, .7 inches more rear headroom, 1.8 inches more rear legroom and 2.4 inches more rear hip room than the Santa Cruz.

The Gladiator has a much larger cargo box than the Santa Cruz shortbed (35.5 vs. 27 cubic feet).

A low lift-over bed design makes loading and unloading the Gladiator easier. The Gladiator’s bed lift-over height is 29.7 inches, while the Santa Cruz’s liftover is 31.6 inches.

The Gladiator’s cargo box is larger than the Santa Cruz’s in almost every dimension:

A standard locking glovebox, standard locking center console and optional locking underseat storage drawer keeps your small valuables safer in the Gladiator. The Santa Cruz doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Both the Gladiator and Santa Cruz have bed indentations that accommodate 2x4’s for two-tiered loading, but the Gladiator also has indentations to separate the cargo box into three different sections length-wise.

The Gladiator’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Santa Cruz’s (4000 vs. 3500 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Hyundai Santa Cruz 4x4 is only 5000 pounds. The Gladiator offers up to a 7700 lbs. towing capacity.

The Gladiator can be flat towed on all four wheels (dinghy towed), allowing recreational vehicle owners to bring it with them on the road. When they reach their destination, the Gladiator can be unhitched and driven around locally. The Santa Cruz can’t be towed flat on the ground.

The engine in the Gladiator is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Santa Cruz. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

The Gladiator’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Santa Cruz does not have an oil pressure gauge.

The Gladiator’s available front power windows lower with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The Santa Cruz’s standard power windows’ passenger windows don’t open automatically.

The Gladiator’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Santa Cruz’s power mirror switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

The Gladiator’s speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Santa Cruz’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The Gladiator offers an optional center folding armrest for the rear passengers. A center armrest helps make rear passengers more comfortable and it can provide a boundary between children. The Santa Cruz doesn’t offer a rear seat center armrest.

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

The Gladiator was chosen as one of Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” in 2020. The Santa Cruz has never been a Car and Driver “Top Ten” pick.

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Gladiator as the 2020 North American Truck of the Year. The Santa Cruz has never been chosen.

The Jeep Gladiator outsold the Hyundai Santa Cruz by over two to one during the 2022 model year.