2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz vs. 2025 Toyota Tacoma

Remixed courtesy of Alexander Migl under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.

If you are shopping for a new truck in 2025, the Hyundai Santa Cruz vs. Toyota Tacoma debate has probably come up. With either pickup, you get a great-value truck for around $30,000. The Toyota Tacoma is more expensive than the Santa Cruz, often being described as a "work truck." In Hyundai's reviews, the Santa Cruz is regularly listed as a favorite for its comfort and tech features, and it is the only truck the brand makes here in the United States. This post will be an ultimate guide to the 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz vs. Toyota Tacoma, so stick around!

Exterior Design and Features

The exterior design of the 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz vs. Toyota Tacoma is very different. Santa Cruz is shorter and lighter than Tacoma, making it ideal for parking and navigating urban spaces. The Tacoma, however, is bulkier and better suited for off-roading and work sites, with a longer bed.

2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz Exterior

• More car-like and sporty
• A shorter, 4-foot bed
• 8.6 inches of ground clearance
• LED headlights, daytime running lights, and power side mirrors
• 18-inch alloy wheels paired with 245/60 R18 tires

2025 Toyota Tacoma Exterior

• More work-ready and off-road-designed
• Longer bed options, including a 6-ft bed, Double Cab
• Max ground clearance of 11.5 inches
• LED headlights, daytime running lights, and power side mirrors
• 17-inch wheels with 245/70R17 tires

Interior Comfort and Technology

Comparing the 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz to the Toyota Tacoma, these pickup trucks approach things in different ways. Standout features for the Santa Cruz include a more modern and comfortable cabin with advanced infotainment.

2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz Interior

• Standard 12.3-inch touchscreen display
• Headroom (without sunroof): 40.2 inches front/39.6 inches rear
• Legroom (front/rear): 41.4 inches / 36.5 inches
• Passenger volume of 101.8 cubic feet
• Premium cloth seating standard, leather available

2025 Toyota Tacoma Interior

• Standard 8-inch Toyota Audio Multimedia touchscreen
• 39.7 inches of headroom, 41.8 inches of legroom (front)
• 38.4 inches of headroom, 33.7 inches of legroom (rear)
• Passenger volume of 103.7 cubic feet (Double Cab)
• Standard cloth seat material

Performance and Engine Options

Next, we will cover the performance and engine differences between the 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz and the Toyota Tacoma pickup. Here are the options below:

2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz Performance

The 2025 Santa Cruz is available with two engine options: a 2.5-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine and a 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine.

Engine specifications: Base

• 2.5-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder
• 191 horsepower
• 181 pound-feet of torque

Engine specifications: Turbocharged

• 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder
• 281 horsepower
• 311 pound-feet of torque

2025 Toyota Tacoma Performance

For the 2025 Tacoma, this truck offers you three turbocharged four-cylinder engines.

Engine specifications: Base

• i-FORCE 2.4-liter turbocharged
• 228 horsepower
• 243 pound-feet of torque

Engine specifications: Higher Output

• i-FORCE 2.4-liter turbocharged
• 278 horsepower
• 317 pound-feet of torque

Engine specifications: Hybrid

• i-FORCE MAX 2.4-liter turbocharged hybrid
• 326 horsepower
• 465 pound-feet of torque

Fuel Economy and Efficiency

You might also be curious about the fuel economy and efficiency of the 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz vs. Toyota Tacoma. Here are the official EPA estimates for this model year.

2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz MPG

According to the EPA, the 2025 Santa Cruz achieves up to 25 MPG combined (22/30 city/highway) at the base trim level with FWD. With AWD and a turbocharged engine, the estimates are 22 MPG combined and 19/27 city/highway.

2025 Toyota Tacoma MPG

The Tacoma achieves EPA-estimated fuel economy of up to 23 MPG combined (20/26 city/highway) at the base 2WD trim and 20 MPG combined (18/23 city/highway) with its faster engine and 4WD. The hybrid Tacoma gets up to 23 MPG combined and 22/24 city/highway.

Safety Features and Ratings

Safety features and driver-assistance technology play a big role in your everyday driving in either a Hyundai Santa Cruz or a Toyota Tacoma. Let's look at some of the differences between Hyundai SmartSense vs. Toyota Safety Sense, comparing the standard safety features and ratings per truck below.

2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz Safety

• Hyundai SmartSense: Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist with Pedestrian Detection (FCA-Ped), Blind-Spot Collision Warning (BCW), Lane Keeping Assist (LKA), Lane Following Assist (LFA), High Beam Assist (HBA), Driver Attention Warning (DAW), Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist (RCCA), Safe Exit Warning (SEW), Rear Occupant Alert (ROA)
• IIHS rating: Top Safety Pick

2025 Toyota Tacoma Safety

• Toyota Safety Sense™ 3.0: Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection (PCS w/PD), Proactive Driving Assist (PDA), Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist (LDA w/SA), Automatic High Beams (AHB), Road Sign Assist (RSA), and Full-Speed Range Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (DRCC)
• IIHS rating: Top Safety Pick

Cargo Space and Towing Capacity

Because we're talking about trucks, cargo space, and towing capacity are important to go over. Here are the official 2025 figures for the Hyundai Santa Cruz and Toyota Tacoma.

2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz Towing

The 2025 Santa Cruz's max towing capacity is up to 5,000 pounds when equipped with the turbocharged engine and all-wheel drive (AWD). The cargo space measures 27 cubic feet, and the payload capacity is approximately 1,400 pounds.

2025 Toyota Tacoma Towing

The 2025 Tacoma has a max towing capacity of 6,500 pounds when properly equipped. Cargo space will range from 37.4 to 45.5 cubic feet, and payload figures will top out at 1,685 pounds.

Pricing and Value

The price point of the 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz vs. Toyota Tacoma is where these trucks differ the most. We break down the MSRPs for both trucks this year below.

2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz Pricing

• SE - $28,750
• SEL - $30,450
• SEL Activity - $33,450
• XRT - $40,250
• Limited - $42,750

2025 Toyota Tacoma Pricing

• SR - $31,590
• SR5 - $36,220
• TRD PreRunner - $38,120
• TRD Sport - $39,400
• TRD Off-Road - $41,800
• TRD Sport i-FORCE MAX - $46,320
• TRD Off-Road i-FORCE MAX - $46,620
• Limited - $52,555
• Limited i-FORCE MAX - $55,880
• Trailhunter - $62,735
• TRD Pro - $63,735

Choosing the Right Truck for You

Choosing a truck that fits your style, budget, and on-road needs can be difficult to start. However, between a 2025 Santa Cruz and a Toyota Tacoma, the Santa Cruz has a more people-first layout and tech center, plus it offers better materials and space for you and your riders. It's also significantly cheaper overall, which is another point to consider.

Get Your Hyundai Santa Cruz at Granite Hyundai

Now that we're finished with this comparison of the 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz vs. Toyota Tacoma, it is time to visit our top-rated sales center here in Somersworth, NH. The Granite Hyundai team has a wide selection of trucks to choose from, and we're happy to address any questions you may have. Contact us, drive safe, and we'll see you soon!