With no portal window in the rear it means long items will stock out the back. Steering is light but accurate, not much like a ladder-frame chassis ute and more refined.Īs far as practicalities are concerned, the tray is not very big measuring ‘4×4’ feet which is specifically 1230mm wide by 1370mm long. It’s also rather refined and hushed inside when cruising around 100km/h. Things are better on the handling side with a compliant ride that’s suited to beaten tarmac and gravel off roads, though a slightly firm response does occur on bigger edges which is a trade-off to the payload and towing capability. The numbers certainly tell a different story to the real performance, although it remains more than enough for cruising and urban duties.
It is the same with the automatic transmission which is firm and solid but never looking for a lower gear to really pick up the pace. Our tester was up for it though, with a 2.5-litre turbo petrol four-cylinder engine producing 207kW and 422Nm through an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic to all four wheels.ĭespite being up there with the likes of the Hyundai i30 N hot hatch and ploughing on torque from 1700rpm, it doesn’t ever feel unwieldy. The numbers suggest modest performance when hauling but we didn’t get the chance to test the Santa Cruz’s tow or payload numbers yet, which in reality is unlikely to be a key concern. The payload capacity is just shy of 300kg, which is enough for camping gear or moving some dirt and not much else. It is clearly set as a lifestyle ute rather than a working dog, particularly with a maximum 2268kg braked towing capacity on AWD models and just 1588kg braked on FWD models. It’s also 101mm shorter than the upcoming Ford Maverick, itself an already small ute for the US (and another model Australia seems likely to miss out on). In fact, it measures 4970mm from end to end, which is 355mm shorter than the Hilux.
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