Compare the2027 Hyundai Santa Cruz VS 2027 Slate Truck

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Hyundai Santa Cruz are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Slate Truck doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Santa Cruz are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Slate Truck doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Hyundai Santa Cruz achieved a “Acceptable” rating - the second highest possible - for its performance in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, demonstrating its excellent capabilities in preventing collisions. The Slate Truck has not been tested.

The Santa Cruz offers all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Slate Truck doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

The Santa Cruz’s lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. The Slate Truck doesn’t offer a lane departure warning system.

The Santa Cruz XRT has a standard Surround View Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Slate Truck only offers a rear monitor.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Santa Cruz’s standard Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning uses sensors in the rear to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side and Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. The Slate Truck doesn’t offer a rear cross-path warning system.

The Santa Cruz’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Slate Truck doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

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 Slate Truck uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

The Santa Cruz has standard Bluelink, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to remotely unlock your doors if you lock your keys in, help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Slate Truck doesn’t offer a GPS response system, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the Santa Cruz and the Slate Truck have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, side-impact head airbags, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes and rearview cameras.

The Hyundai Santa Cruz achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2025 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated moderate overlap front crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The Slate Truck has not yet been evaluated by the IIHS for 2025.

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 Truck’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Santa Cruz first among midsize pickups in their 2025 Initial Quality Study. The Slate Truck isn’t in the top three in its category.

The Santa Cruz’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 10 more horsepower (191 vs. 181) than the Slate Truck’s electric motor. The Santa Cruz XRT’s standard 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 100 more horsepower (281 vs. 181) and 116 lbs.-ft. more torque (311 vs. 195) than the Slate Truck’s electric motor.

The Santa Cruz’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Slate Truck’s 70 series tires. The Santa Cruz’s tires are lower profile than the Slate Truck’s 65 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Santa Cruz has standard 18-inch wheels. Only 17-inch wheels are available on the Slate Truck.

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 Slate Truck has a rear torsion beam axle, with a semi-independent rear suspension.

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

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Santa Cruz’s wheelbase is 9.4 inches longer than on the Slate Truck (118.3 inches vs. 108.9 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Santa Cruz is 4.3 inches wider in the front and 4.1 inches wider in the rear than on the Slate Truck.

The Hyundai Santa Cruz may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 200 to 250 pounds less than the Slate Truck.

Unibody construction lowers the Santa Cruz’s center of gravity significantly without reducing ground clearance. This contributes to better on the road handling and better off-road performance and stability. In addition, unibody construction makes the chassis stiffer, improving handling and reducing squeaks and rattles. The Slate Truck doesn’t use unibody construction, but a body-on-frame design.

For excellent aerodynamics, the Santa Cruz has standard flush composite headlights. The Slate Truck has recessed headlights that spoil its aerodynamic shape and create extra drag.

The Santa Cruz has standard seating for 5 passengers; the Slate Truck Regular Cab regular cab can only carry up to 2.

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

The Santa Cruz’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Slate Truck’s (3500 vs. 1824 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Slate Truck Pickup is only 2000 pounds. The Santa Cruz HTRAC AWD offers up to a 5000 lbs. towing capacity.

Standard Trailer Sway Assist on the Santa Cruz uses 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. The Slate Truck doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The Santa Cruz has a higher standard payload capacity than the Slate Truck (1411 vs. 1263 lbs.).

The Santa Cruz 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 Slate Truck doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

The Santa Cruz’s standard power windows allow the driver or passenger to lower and raise the windows without leaning over or being distracted. Power windows cost extra on the Slate Truck.

The Santa Cruz’s standard power windows have a locking feature to keep children in the rear seat from operating them, but the driver can still raise and lower all of them with the lock engaged. Slate does not offer a locking feature on the Slate Truck’s optional power windows.

The Santa Cruz’s standard driver’s power window opens with one touch of the switch, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths. The Slate Truck’s optional power window’s switch has to be held the entire time to open it fully. The Santa Cruz SEL Activity/XRT’s front power windows open fully with one touch of the switches, and its driver’s window also automatically closes.

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 Slate Truck can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Santa Cruz has two rear doors to provide better access for cargo and rear passengers. The Slate Truck doesn’t offer a rear door.

The Santa Cruz has standard power remote mirrors. The Slate Truck doesn’t offer either a remote driver side or passenger side mirror. The driver will have to roll down the windows and reach across the car to adjust the mirrors.

The Santa Cruz XRT’s standard rear view mirror has an automatic dimming feature. This mirror can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on it, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Slate Truck doesn’t offer the luxury of an automatic dimming rear view mirror.

The Santa Cruz SEL Activity/XRT has standard heated front seats, which keep the driver and front passenger extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated seats aren’t available in the Slate Truck.

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

The Santa Cruz SEL Activity/XRT’s standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. The Slate Truck doesn’t offer dual zone air conditioning.

The Santa Cruz SEL Activity/XRT’s standard automatic temperature control maintains the temperature you set, automatically controlling fan speed, vents and temperature to maintain a consistent, comfortable environment. The Slate Truck doesn’t offer automatic air conditioning.

For greater rear passenger comfort, the Santa Cruz has standard rear heat vents to keep rear occupants more comfortable. The Slate Truck doesn’t offer rear vents.

To keep a safe, consistent following distance, the Santa Cruz XRT has a standard Smart Cruise Control, which alters the speed of the vehicle without driver intervention. This allows the driver to use cruise control more safely without constantly having to disengage it when approaching slower traffic. The Slate Truck doesn’t offer an adaptive cruise control.

To direct the driver from any location to a given street address, a GPS navigation system is standard on the Santa Cruz XRT. The Santa Cruz’s navigation system also has a real-time traffic update feature that offers alternative routes to automatically bypass traffic problems. (Service not available in all areas.) The Slate Truck doesn’t offer a navigation system.

With standard Dynamic Voice Recognition, the Santa Cruz XRT offers the driver hands free control of the radio, climate controls and the navigation computer by simply speaking. The Slate Truck doesn’t offer a voice control system.

The Santa Cruz is equipped with both FM and AM stereo radios, offering access to more content and better coverage than the Slate Truck, which solely provides FM radio. With AM radio, you can enjoy a wider variety of stations featuring news, talk shows, sports commentary, native language programing, automated traffic guidance, and emergency broadcasts. AM waves travel further and penetrate buildings and obstacles more effectively than FM signals, especially at night. Having both FM and AM stereo radios the Santa Cruz offers a more comprehensive listening experience compared to only FM in the Slate Truck.

HD Radio boasts several benefits over conventional radio: superior sound quality with clearer and consistent FM broadcasts, CD-quality audio, and Multicast Channels offering up to four streams from a single station, adding programming choices. Cars like the Santa Cruz equipped with HD Radio provide an improved in-car entertainment experience. The Slate Truck, devoid of this technology, foregoes these benefits. Selecting the Hyundai Santa Cruz empowers drivers to enjoy a more immersive and enjoyable listening experience while on the go.

Compared to the Slate Truck’s traditional radio, the Hyundai Santa Cruz equipped with standard SiriusXM satellite radio provides an unmatched listening experience. Its extensive coverage guarantees consistent, crystal-clear reception across the continental U.S., and access to over 100 channels dedicated to a multitude of genres, including music, news, sports, talk shows, and comedy, many with only limited commercial breaks.

Bluetooth wireless connectivity is standard on the Santa Cruz, connecting the driver’s and/or passengers’ cell phones to the vehicle infotainment system. This allows them to use the vehicle’s stereo and hand controls to place calls safely and easily. Bluetooth costs extra on the Slate Truck.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Hyundai Santa Cruz SEL Activity/XRT has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the front center console. The Slate Truck doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Hyundai Santa Cruz, based on reliability, safety and performance.