2021 Toyota Tacoma vs 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz

Last redesigned for the 2016 model year, the Tacoma once dominated midsize-truck sales. In recent years, though, it’s faced stronger competition from the Chevrolet Colorado/GMC Canyon twins, the Ford Ranger, and the Jeep Gladiator. A redesigned Nissan Frontier and heavily updated Honda Ridgeline are also on the way.

Meanwhile, the Tacoma enters the 2021 model year largely unchanged. The only updates are two new special editions—the Nightshade Edition and Trail Special Edition—and standard dual-zone automatic climate control.

Pickup truck buyers tend to want choices, and Toyota delivers. In Canada, the Tacoma is available with Access Cab and four-door Double Cab body styles, the latter available with five-foot and six-foot bed lengths, and both available with either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission. Access Cab models with the automatic transmission can have SR5 or TRD Off Road packages added, while Double Cab models in various configurations are available with SR5, TRD Sport, TRD Sport Premium, TRD Off Road, TRD Off Road Premium, and TRD Pro packages, or with the Nightshade Special Edition grade. In Canada, all Tacoma models are equipped with a 3.5-litre V6 engine with variable valve timing and standard four-wheel drive.

Our test vehicle was a Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro Double Cab, which comes equipped with the short bed. The TRD Pro is the most off-road focused of the Tacoma models.

Being a newbie in a given field means having to catch up to established leaders, but it can also bring a different perspective. Hyundai has never sold a pickup truck in the United States, and its first effort is unlike anything else on the market.

The 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz is the first truly compact pickup to be sold in the U.S. in over a decade, and unlike conventional body-on-frame pickups, it features car-like unibody construction. This packaging sacrifices some capability, but that’s beside the point. Hyundai didn’t design the Santa Cruz to compete directly with conventional trucks. It doesn’t even call the Santa Cruz a pickup; it prefers the term “sport adventure vehicle.”

While it may win over some truck buyers who want a pickup that’s easier to park, the new Santa Cruz will appeal mainly to new-car buyers who want to replace a sedan or crossover SUV with something a bit more rugged.

To figure out where the Santa Cruz fits into the current automotive landscape, we spent a day driving it around on roads in and around its namesake California city. The test units were in U.S. specification. In Canada, Hyundai also offers Preferred, Preferred with the Trend Package, and Ultimate trim levels. We sampled the U.S. equivalent of the range-topping Santa Cruz Ultimate model for this test drive.