If you want a comfortable pickup truck suited for daily work and family use, the 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz and the 2024 Honda Ridgeline are two fine choices. These two trucks offer a sturdy, unibody construction. Moreover, the 2024 Santa Cruz is a compact pickup truck that is easy to drive and park. The 2024 Ridgeline is less maneuverable, as it's from the midsize segment.
Let's compare the two in a Hyundai vs. Honda match-up. We'll examine each pickup truck's interior offerings, safety suites, and performance. Then, we can tell you which pickup truck should be your next vehicle. You can also explore the 2024 Santa Cruz range at Hyundai of Meridian. Visit our Meridian, MS-based dealership anytime for a test drive. You can also call to chat with our team.
The 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz and the 2024 Honda Ridgeline are four-door pickup trucks with five seats. They can each accommodate up to five adults and offer interior space similar to a midsize sedan or crossover. While the 2024 Ridgeline has a little more space, this comes at the expense of an overall longer and wider vehicle. Most buyers will be better served by the 2024 Santa Cruz’s more manageable dimensions, particularly in urban areas.
Furthermore, the 2024 Santa Cruz has plenty of impressive in-cabin amenities. All trims offer an acoustically laminated windshield, dual front USB charging ports, and split 60-40 rear seat cushions. Furthermore, all trims except the base trim get a power-adjustable driver seat and heated front seats. Higher trims can also be equipped with rear USB charging ports and premium H-Tex or leather seat upholstery. The 2024 Ridgeline also includes many of these features.
Both pickup trucks include Apple CarPlay® and Android Auto™. They also come with Bluetooth® hands-free and wireless audio streaming. The lower trims of the 2024 Santa Cruz have an 8-inch infotainment touchscreen, while the higher trims have a 10.25-inch unit. Meanwhile, all trims of the 2024 Ridgeline make do with an 8-inch screen. Higher trims of the 2024 Santa Cruz range get dynamic voice recognition technology, HD Radio, and SiriusXM support. A wireless phone charger and 64-color ambient interior lighting are also available.
The 2024 Santa Cruz has a 4-foot cargo bed, which is about a foot shorter than the 2024 Ridgeline. You can install a tonneau cover for security and weatherproofing in either pickup truck. Hyundai offers a factory-fitted tonneau cover for higher trims. All trims include sidewall bed storage compartments, a lockable under-bed compartment, and heavy-duty cargo D-rings for tethering cargo. Higher trims add a 115-volt power outlet as well.
The 2024 Santa Cruz range includes Hyundai's Digital Key feature for higher trims. This lets you use a companion app on your smartphone instead of the vehicle's key fob. You can lock and unlock the vehicle's doors and tailgate. You can even remotely activate the engine to heat or cool the truck’s interior.
Two engines are available for 2024 Santa Cruz buyers. Lower trims have a 2.5-liter, 191 HP unit with 181 pound-feet of torque. This engine is paired with an FWD system, but Hyundai's HTRAC AWD system is also available.
Higher trims get a turbocharged 2.5-liter, 281 HP engine with 311 pound-feet of torque. This engine gets the HTRAC AWD system as standard. It is connected to a dual-clutch automatic transmission. Steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters are standard, allowing the driver to manually select gears.
The 2024 Honda Ridgeline has a naturally aspirated 3.5-liter, 280 HP V6 in all trims. The engine develops 262 pound-feet of torque. It is paired with an AWD system.
The 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz can tow up to 3,500 pounds with the naturally aspirated engine. When equipped with a turbocharged engine, it can tow up to 5,000 pounds, the same capacity as the 2024 Ridgeline. Moreover, all 2024 Santa Cruz trims come with a trailer hitch and 4-pin or 7-pin trailer pre-wiring.
Every 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz comes with Hyundai’s SmartSense safety suite. Hence, users get features such as automatic emergency braking, forward collision avoidance assist, and blind spot collision avoidance assist. A driver attention warning system and lane departure warning are standard as well. Higher trims add a navigation-based smart cruise control system, rear cross-traffic collision avoidance, and a surround-view monitor. The 2024 Ridgeline has many of these features as well.
The 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz is the winner of our pickup truck contest. Its compact dimensions make it far more urban-friendly, but it still offers ample passenger and cargo capacity. It also has great technological and safety features. If you’d like to explore putting a 2024 Santa Cruz on your driveway, contact us at Hyundai of Meridian.
