I’m a big fan of automakers being a bit adventurous in their designs, as it happens far too rarely.

One such example is the Hyundai Santa Cruz, which is a car-truck combo offering, taking a portion of the Hyundai Tucson SUV and adding a compact truck bed behind.

First launched for 2022, it’s still around for the 2026 model year, and I recently got to spend some time behind the wheel of a 2026 Santa Cruz.

Read on for a full report on how it holds up in this relatively small segment, where its only true rival is the Ford Maverick (semi-rivals include the Honda Ridgeline and Jeep Gladiator).