The 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz:
All You Need to Know
For too long, choosing a vehicle meant making a compromise. You either had the comfort of an SUV or the utility of a truck. But what if you could have both?
Whether you're hauling weekend gear to a lake, navigating the city during the week, or exploring rugged terrain, your vehicle needs to adapt to every scenario. You shouldn't have to choose between a smooth, comfortable ride for your family and the bed space you need for life's bigger adventures.
The 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz eliminates that impossible choice. This isn't just another truck or SUV—it's a completely new category of vehicle that understands your life doesn't fit into neat categories. From your Monday morning commute to your Saturday project runs, from date nights in Bricktown to camping trips at Robbers Cave State Park, the Santa Cruz seamlessly transitions between every role you need it to play.
This Sport Adventure Vehicle (SAV) represents Hyundai's bold answer to the question: "Why should versatility come with sacrifice?" Built right here in Alabama with Oklahoma drivers in mind, the 2025 Santa Cruz proves that you can have sophisticated comfort, cutting-edge technology, and genuine capability all in one remarkably capable package.
Two Engines Built for You
Hyundai’s brilliant dual-engine strategy isn't about offering a "base" model and an "upgrade"; it's about providing two distinct, purpose-built solutions for two different Oklahoma lifestyles. This allows you to choose the powertrain that perfectly aligns with how you live, work, and play.
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The Smart & Efficient 2.5L GDI/MPI Engine
Standard on the SE, SEL, and SEL Activity trims, the 2.5L inline 4-cylinder engine delivers a capable 191 horsepower and 181 lb.-ft. of torque, providing responsive and confident acceleration for all your daily needs. This engine is paired with a smooth and intelligent 8-speed automatic transmission featuring SHIFTRONIC®, which gives you the option to shift gears manually for a more engaging driving experience whenever the mood strikes.This powertrain is the ideal choice for the vast majority of driving in and around the Oklahoma City metro. Its remarkable fuel efficiency, with an EPA-estimated 22 MPG in the city and up to 30 MPG on the highway with front-wheel drive, helps you save at the pump during your daily commute to the downtown business district or while running errands.
But efficiency doesn't mean sacrificing capability. This configuration provides a robust 3,500-pound towing capacity, which is more than enough for many classic Oklahoma pastimes. Imagine easily towing your pop-up camper to Lake Thunderbird State Park for the weekend, hauling a utility trailer with new finds from the OKC Fairgrounds, or launching a small fishing boat at Lake Hefner for a sunset cruise.
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The Powerful & Thrilling 2.5L Turbo Engine
If you want more power, more capability, and more excitement, the available 2.5L turbocharged engine is the answer. Standard on the XRT and Limited trims, this direct-injected powerhouse unleashes a commanding 281 horsepower and a massive 311 lb.-ft. of torque, putting formidable performance at your command. This engine is mated to an advanced 8-speed Wet Dual-Clutch Transmission (DCT). This sophisticated transmission provides lightning-fast, seamless shifts for exhilarating acceleration and includes steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters for ultimate driver control.This is the engine for the Oklahoman who works hard and plays harder. Its immense torque allows you to merge onto the Kilpatrick Turnpike with effortless authority, even with a full crew and a bed full of gear. More importantly, it unlocks a new level of adventure by boosting the Santa Cruz's maximum towing capacity to an impressive 5,000 pounds.
HTRAC® All-Wheel Drive: Your Partner for Unpredictable Weather
Oklahoma weather is famously unpredictable. A sunny morning can turn into a torrential downpour by the afternoon, and while significant snow is infrequent, a sudden ice storm can make roads treacherous in an instant.
This is where Hyundai’s HTRAC® All-Wheel Drive system becomes more than a feature—it becomes your essential partner for year-round confidence.
Available on the SE, SEL, and SEL Activity trims and standard on the rugged XRT and luxurious Limited.
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HTRAC® is an intelligent multi-mode system that constantly monitors driving conditions. It actively distributes power between the front and rear axles to provide optimal traction andcontrol precisely when you need it most.
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When pulling away from a stoplight in a heavy spring rainstorm or navigating an icy intersection, HTRAC® works to prevent wheel slip, giving you a secure and stable footing. It was developed to provide complete confidence and peace of mind, directly addressing the anxiety many local drivers feel during our region's volatile weather events.
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On clear, dry days, the system enhances performance. By selecting Sport mode, HTRAC® sends more torque to the rear wheels, giving your Santa Cruz a more agile and dynamic feel as you carve through corners, making even a simple drive more enjoyable.
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HTRAC® transforms the Santa Cruz into a vehicle that is prepared not just for adventure but also for the everyday realities of driving in Oklahoma.
Towing That Works for Your Weekend
The 2025 Santa Cruz isn't just a vehicle that can tow; it's a vehicle that's been intelligently engineered to do it well. This is most evident in the new-for-2025 Tow Mode, which comes standard on the powerful XRT and Limited trims.
You can enjoy toasty warmth on a frigid January morning and refreshing cool on a humid July afternoon. The standard dual-zone automatic climate control with second-row HVAC controls ensures every passenger can find their ideal temperature, creating a peaceful and pleasant environment for everyone on board.
2025 Santa Cruz Trim-by-Trim Analysis
The SE
Think of the Santa Cruz SE not as a "base model," but as the smart and stylish foundation of the lineup. It’s the perfect entry point into the Sport Adventure Vehicle family, offering exceptional technology and versatility that puts many other vehicles to shame.
The SE is powered by the efficient 191-hp 2.5L engine, giving you that great blend of performance and fuel economy. But the real story for 2025 is the revolutionary standard technology. Inside, your command center is a massive, high-resolution 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system. This system includes wireless Apple CarPlay® and Android Auto™ integration, a premium feature that allows you to seamlessly connect your smartphone for navigation, music, and calls without ever fumbling with a cord. The SE also comes standard with Hyundai’s Bluelink+ Connected Car services, powerful projector Bi-LED headlights for excellent nighttime visibility, and the brilliantly useful lockable under-bed storage compartment, which acts as a hidden, weatherproof trunk.
The SE is the perfect Santa Cruz for the savvy OKC professional or a young, active family. You get the standout modern style and the utility of the open bed for weekend projects or packing for a day at the park, plus a tech-forward cabin that makes your daily drive a genuine pleasure. Imagine effortlessly navigating to a new restaurant in the Plaza District using your phone's map app, displayed brilliantly on the huge screen, all while streaming your favorite podcast wirelessly. The SE is an incredible package that proves you don’t have to pay a premium to get the best new technology.
The SEL
The Perfect Blend of Comfort and Convenience
The Santa Cruz SEL represents the sweet spot in the lineup for many Oklahoma City drivers. It builds upon the SE’s fantastic foundation by adding a thoughtful collection of features that significantly enhance your daily comfort and convenience.
Stepping up to the SEL, the first thing you’ll notice is the upgraded interior. The seats are finished in luxurious and durable H-Tex™ leatherette, which gives the cabin a more premium feel and makes it incredibly easy to clean after a dusty day or an accidental spill. For our chilly Oklahoma winters, the heated front seats are an absolute blessing, warming you up quickly on a frosty morning. Finding your ideal driving position is effortless with the 8-way power driver seat, which includes 2-way power lumbar support to reduce fatigue on longer trips.
The SEL adds smart conveniences like the Proximity Key with push-button start, allowing you to unlock the doors and start the engine without ever taking the key out of your pocket or purse. On the exterior, the addition of functional roof side rails prepares your Santa Cruz for future adventures, making it easy to add crossbars for kayaks, bikes, or a cargo box.
The SEL transforms your Santa Cruz into an even more comfortable and versatile daily companion. Those heated seats will be your best friend during that surprise January ice storm. The power driver seat with lumbar support makes the drive to visit family feel like a breeze. And with the standard roof rails, you’re already one step closer to mounting your gear for a trip or a biking adventure.
The SEL with Activity Package
For those who live for the weekend, the SEL with the Activity Package is a pre-configured adventure machine. Hyundai has brilliantly bundled the most sought-after utility and lifestyle features into one compelling package, transforming the Santa Cruz into a turn-key base camp for the active Oklahoman.
This package is a masterclass in curated functionality. It starts with the factory-installed integrated tonneau cover, a hard, lockable cover that secures your gear in the bed from weather and prying eyes. This is a game-changer, allowing you to load up camping equipment, fishing tackle, or luggage and leave your vehicle at a trailhead or boat ramp with complete peace of mind.
The Activity Package also brings the outdoors in with a large power tilt-and-slide sunroof, perfect for letting in the sunshine and fresh air on a beautiful day. For added convenience, you get a rear sliding glass window, bright LED bed lights for loading and unloading after dark, and a 115V AC power outlet located right in the bed’s sidewall storage compartment. This outlet is your key to unlocking a new level of campsite luxury—you can use it to inflate an air mattress, power a small blender, charge your laptop, or keep your portable speakers going all night long.
This is the Santa Cruz for the person who wants to be ready for anything. With the Activity Package, you can finish your work week in OKC, load up the secure bed with your gear, and head straight for a weekend of camping and hiking in the Kiamichi Mountains. The 115V outlet ensures you have power wherever you go, while the sunroof lets you enjoy the journey as much as the destination. It’s a purpose-built kit that anticipates and solves the key challenges of the weekend adventurer.
The XRT
For the Oklahoman whose adventures truly begin where the pavement ends, there is the 2025 Santa Cruz XRT. This is the most rugged, capable, and visually aggressive member of the Santa Cruz family, and for 2025, it has received significant functional hardware upgrades to back up its tough looks.
The XRT starts with the formidable 281-hp 2.5L Turbo engine and HTRAC® All-Wheel Drive as standard equipment, giving you a powerful foundation. From there, its off-road prowess is seriously enhanced. New for 2025 are robust front tow hooks, providing real, functional recovery points for challenging situations. The XRT’s front-end has been redesigned to provide an increased approach angle, allowing you to tackle steeper obstacles without scraping. Its capability is firmly planted to the ground by rugged 18-inch XRT-exclusive, wrench-inspired alloy wheels wrapped in aggressive all-terrain tires, which provide superior grip on dirt, gravel, and mud.
The XRT’s unique style is unmistakable, featuring an exclusive dark chrome grille, aggressive front and rear bumper designs with dark chrome trim, and bold XRT fender flares. Inside, the front seats feature unique XRT debossing. To enhance safety and maneuverability, the XRT also gains crucial technology like the Surround View Monitor, which gives you a 360-degree bird’s-eye view of your surroundings, and the Blind-Spot View Monitor, which displays a live camera feed of your blind spot in the instrument cluster when you activate your turn signal.
The XRT is the Santa Cruz that’s ready to tackle the red dirt roads of rural Payne County and the unpaved trails around the state. The all-terrain tires and enhanced clearance give you the confidence to explore that fishing spot your buddy told you about or reach a remote hunting lease. And when you’re back in the city, navigating a crowded parking lot at Penn Square Mall or the State Fair, the new Surround View Monitor gives you a complete view of your surroundings, making every maneuver easier and safer.
The Limited
At the pinnacle of the lineup sits the Santa Cruz Limited, a masterpiece of design and engineering that proves you can have top-tier luxury and technology without sacrificing an ounce of truck-like capability. It is the ultimate expression of the Sport Adventure Vehicle concept.
The Limited comes fully loaded with the 2.5L Turbo engine and HTRAC® AWD, and then elevates the experience with a full suite of premium features. The cabin is transformed into a high-tech sanctuary by the stunning new panoramic curved display. This single piece of glass seamlessly integrates a 12.3-inch fully digital instrument cluster with a 12.3-inch touchscreen with navigation. Your comfort is paramount, with genuine leather-trimmed seats that are both heated and ventilated—a true luxury during Oklahoma’s hot summers—plus a heated steering wheel for cold winter mornings. Every drive becomes a private concert thanks to the rich, immersive sound of the Bose® premium audio system.
The exterior of the Limited is distinguished by its large, stylish 20-inch alloy wheels, a sophisticated dark chrome accent grille, and body-colored door handles for a clean, upscale look.6 It also includes rain-sensing wipers, the power sunroof, and the full suite of Hyundai’s advanced driver-assistance systems for maximum safety and convenience.
The Santa Cruz Limited is for the person who refuses to compromise. It’s the vehicle you drive to a special occasion at the restaurant downtown, enjoying the supreme comfort of ventilated seats and the incredible sound of the Bose audio system. The very next day, you can leverage its 281 horsepower and 5,000-pound towing capacity to haul your boat to the lake for a day on the water. It is the perfect fusion of rugged capability and refined luxury, designed for the diverse demands of a modern Oklahoma City life.
The 2025 Santa Cruz is packed with innovative features and smart design choices that make it one of the most versatile vehicles on the road. From its multi-talented cargo bed to its revolutionary new tech, every element has been thoughtfully engineered to enhance your daily life and weekend adventures.
2025 Santa Cruz Performance & Capabilities
For many people, the bottom line comes down to power and capability, so this table provides a clear, at-a-glance comparison of the core performance metrics across all five trims, helping you quickly identify the model that meets your specific towing and performance needs.
| Trim | Engine | Horsepower | Torque | Transmission | Drivetrain (Std. / Avail.) | Max Towing Capacity (lbs) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SE | 2.5L 4-Cylinder | 191 hp @ 6,100 rpm | 181 lb-ft @ 4,000 rpm | 8-speed Automatic w/ SHIFTRONIC® | FWD / AWD | 3,500 |
| SEL | 2.5L 4-Cylinder | 191 hp @ 6,100 rpm | 181 lb-ft @ 4,000 rpm | 8-speed Automatic w/ SHIFTRONIC® | FWD / AWD | 3,500 |
| SEL Activity | 2.5L 4-Cylinder | 191 hp @ 6,100 rpm | 181 lb-ft @ 4,000 rpm | 8-speed Automatic w/ SHIFTRONIC® | FWD / AWD | 3,500 |
| XRT | 2.5L 4-Cylinder Turbo | 281 hp @ 5,800 rpm | 311 lb-ft @ 1,700-4,000 rpm | 8-speed Wet Dual-Clutch (DCT) | AWD | 5,000 |
| Limited | 2.5L 4-Cylinder Turbo | 281 hp @ 5,800 rpm | 311 lb-ft @ 1,700-4,000 rpm | 8-speed Wet Dual-Clutch (DCT) | AWD | 5,000 |
2025 Santa Cruz Key Features by Trim
The Santa Cruz offers a rich progression of features through its trim lineup.
In this table, we simplify the process of finding the perfect model by highlighting the availability of key comfort,
technology, and utility features. Use it to find the trim that has everything you want.
| Feature | SE | SEL | SEL Activity | XRT | Limited |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12.3-inch Center Touchscreen | Standard | Standard | Standard | Standard | Standard |
| Wireless Apple CarPlay® & Android Auto™ | Standard | Standard | Standard | Standard | Standard |
| H-Tex™ Leatherette Seating Surfaces | Not Available | Standard | Standard | Standard | Not Available |
| Leather-Trimmed Seating | Not Available | Not Available | Not Available | Not Available | Standard |
| Heated Front Seats | Not Available | Standard | Standard | Standard | Standard |
| Ventilated Front Seats | Not Available | Not Available | Not Available | Not Available | Standard |
| 8-Way Power Driver Seat w/ Lumbar | Not Available | Standard | Standard | Standard | Standard |
| Power Tilt-and-Slide Sunroof | Not Available | Not Available | Standard | Standard | Standard |
| Integrated Tonneau Cover | Not Available | Not Available | Standard | Standard | Standard |
| 18-inch All-Terrain Tires | Not Available | Not Available | Not Available | Standard | Not Available |
| 20-inch Alloy Wheels | Not Available | Not Available | Not Available | Not Available | Standard |
| Surround View Monitor (SVM) | Not Available | Not Available | Not Available | Standard | Standard |
| Blind-Spot View Monitor (BVM) | Not Available | Not Available | Not Available | Standard | Standard |
| 12.3-inch Digital Instrument Cluster | Not Available | Not Available | Not Available | Not Available | Standard |
| Bose® Premium Audio System | Not Available | Not Available | Not Available | Not Available | Standard |
| Heated Steering Wheel | Not Available | Not Available | Not Available | Not Available | Standard |
Your Connected Command Center
The technology refresh in the 2025 Santa Cruz is a move that enhances both the vehicle's value and its day-to-day usability. Hyundai has democratized premium features by making a large 12.3-inch touchscreen and wireless phone projection standard on every single trim, including the SE. This makes the entire lineup feel remarkably modern and tech-forward from the very start.
At the same time, Hyundai listened to drivers and improved the cabin's ergonomics. For 2025, they have added back more physical buttons and switches for frequently used functions like audio volume and climate controls. This dual approach is what makes the new interior so successful. You get the "wow factor" of the large, beautiful screens—especially the immersive panoramic curved display on the Limited—while also getting the safe, intuitive, and tactile control you want for core functions. It's not just more technology; it's smarter, more user-friendly technology that makes every drive easier and more enjoyable.
Your Adventure Starts Here
The 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz isn't just another vehicle choice—it's the end of compromise. In a state where your weekend plans might take you from downtown Oklahoma City to the remote trails of Ouachita National Forest, you need a vehicle that's as versatile as your lifestyle. The Santa Cruz delivers exactly that: sophisticated comfort for your daily commute and genuine capability for your biggest adventures.
Whether you choose the efficient SE that maximizes value, the adventure-ready SEL Activity that comes equipped for weekend escapes, the rugged XRT that conquers Oklahoma's toughest terrain, or the luxurious Limited that refuses to sacrifice comfort for capability, you're getting a vehicle that truly understands how people live and functions accordingly.
So, don't spend another day compromising on what you need versus what you want. Visit Joe Cooper Hyundai and discover why the 2025 Santa Cruz is changing how people think about trucks, SUVs, and everything in between. Your perfect Santa Cruz is waiting, and your next adventure is just a test drive away.