Hyundai Santa Cruz pricing revealed: Would a $32k starting price tempt you into brand's first "lifestyle" ute?

The Hyundai Santa Cruz might be smaller than vehicles like the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger, but it's not much cheaper, with the brand revealing an International starting price of US$23,990.

In terms of a straight currency conversion, that's around $32,222 in Australian dollars, which is more than we were expecting for the Korean brand's first ute.

To put that number into some sort of context, it's a considerably higher entry point than that of its key rival, the Ford Maverick, which starts at a sharper US$19,995, or $26,853 in our money.

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Realistically, the starting price pushes the Santa Cruz further our of reach for Australia. CarsGuide has previously understood that a solid business case was among the issues preventing the lifestyle-focused ute getting a start in our market, and the higher-than-expected USA pricing seems to confirm this.

And that's just the entry point - the top-spec Santa Cruz Limited starts at US$40,905, or a not-insignificant $54,939 in our money.

For that money, you could get a high-spec Toyota HiLux SR5 Double Cab, which would likely make the Santa Cruz a tougher sell in this market.

The Santa Cruz is also smaller than what we've come to expect from a ute, measuring 4971mm long (with a 3005mm wheelbase), 1905mm tall and 1694mm tall, and with a tub that is up to 1323mm long.

Power is supplied by twin 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engines, the first producing 142kW 244Nm, and the second adding turbocharging for 205kW and 420Nm.

That power is fed through a choice of two automatic gearboxes, and then channeled to all four wheels via the brand's HTRAC all-wheel drive. The max braked towing capacity is listed a 2268kg.

The Santa Cruz is far from being confirmed for our market, but it's also not entirely, permanently ruled out. We learned from the Palisade (which has been converted to RHD almost exclusively for our market) that the brand can secure vehicle that seem out of reach.

"We're interested in that vehicle, for sure," a Hyundai spokesperson has told us in the past.

"We've explore all options we can with all products that are in the market, which is something we do as a discipline.

"For Santa Cruz, it's certainly a niche product, but I think it would be an interesting offering. There are impressive powertrain options, it looks like it would be a capable car here, but at this point it's not available in right-hand drive."