New 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz Fuel Economy Numbers Revealed

• The Santa Cruz is a small pickup that should be popular with right-size-minded truck buyers.

• It will be offered with one of two 4-cylinder engines.

• Both FWD and AWD will be available.

The 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz was officially revealed last April, and pre-orders opened the following month. Interest in this new small pickup is strong, a reflection of the growing awareness in the segment as utility and versatility will finally be combined with efficiency.

On that subject, the EPA has just shared the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz’s official fuel efficiency ratings. The Santa Cruz is offered with one of two engines, for the moment. Base models are powered by a naturally aspirated 2.5-litre 4-cylinder that produces 191 horsepower and 181 lb.-ft. of torque. Configured with FWD, the pickup returns an estimated 21/26/23 mpg city/highway/combined.

These results, shared by CarBuzz, are very good however they’re not the Santa Cruz’s best. Oddly, with AWD, the naturally aspirated 2.5-litre returns an estimated 21/27/23 mpg city/highway/combined. With the turbocharged 2.5-litre 4-cylinder engine, good for 281 horsepower and 311 lb.-ft. of torque, the Hyundai truck averages 19/27/22 mpg city/highway/combined. The penalty for all the extra power is non-existent.

For the moment, this makes the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz one of the most efficient small pickups in the segment when including the Honda Ridgeline and Ford Ranger. Speaking of Ford, the soon-to-be-revealed Maverick may take the honours with the expected hybrid version. It’s possible that the Santa Cruz will then reclaim the title as it too should get a hybrid version before long.