2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz vs 2023 Nissan Frontier

The Hyundai Santa Cruz and Nissan Frontier are two attractive options for compact pickup shoppers. These trucks are ideal if you want the advantages of a spacious cargo bed, strong towing abilities, and practicality for daily driving. But which truck comes out on top? Our pickup experts here at Hyundai of Auburn have taken a closer look at the 2023 models of these competitors to give you their opinion on the most important features to look for. If you’d like to test-drive a Santa Cruz or find out more about our new vehicle offers, feel free to contact us today.

New Hyundai Santa Cruz For Sale

Hyundai Santa Cruz Vs. Nissan Frontier Engine and Performance

One advantage the Santa Cruz offers over the Frontier is that you get two engine options to choose from. This allows you to configure the Santa Cruz to meet your needs more effectively. The base engine is a 191-horsepower four-cylinder unit that’s a good choice if you’ll use your truck mainly for city driving. It has good fuel economy for a pickup, achieving 26 mpg on the highway and 22 mpg on city roads.

If you’d like more power under the hood for towing, cargo hauling, or highway acceleration, a turbocharged four-cylinder engine is on offer that churns out 281 horsepower. This engine is actually more efficient than the base engine at highway speeds, returning 27 mpg.

The Frontier’s only engine option is a six-cylinder unit capable of generating 310 horsepower. It’s less fuel-efficient than both Santa Cruz engines, reaching 24 mpg on the highway and 18 mpg on city roads.

2023 Santa Cruz Vs. Frontier Towing and Cargo

The Santa Cruz can tow a maximum of 5,000 pounds when equipped with a turbocharged engine and all-wheel drive. That’s enough to pull a midsized camper or a utility trailer. The Frontier has a higher towing capacity of 6,720 pounds, making it suitable for hauling larger items. The Santa Cruz has its nose in front for payload capacity, with an upper limit of 1,753 pounds. The lowest limit of any trim is 1,521 pounds, which beats the Frontier with 1,160 pounds.

These trucks offer quite different bed lengths. The Santa Cruz has a bed measuring 4 feet in length, making it compact but still capable of storing bulky items. The Frontier is available with either a 5-foot-long bed or a bigger one measuring 6 feet, 1 inch. Although this provides you with more cargo space, the payload limits of both trucks are comparable. The Santa Cruz may be your best option if you prioritize maneuverability over size.

Hyundai Vs. Nissan Cabin and Infotainment

The cabin in the Santa Cruz has room for five people across two rows. The second row is suitable for adults on short trips and offers equipment for installing child seats. The Frontier has two cab options: the King and Crew cabs. The King cab seats four people, but the rear seats are quite compact. If you want the longest cargo bed, it’s the only cab on offer. The Crew cab adds an extra 7 inches of legroom and allows you to accommodate up to five people. It can only be paired with a shorter cargo bed.

Infotainment options in both trucks are comparable. The base setup in the Frontier includes an 8-inch touch screen and a four-speaker stereo, while the Santa Cruz has an 8-inch screen and a six-speaker stereo. Both trucks boast smartphone compatibility with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Bluetooth. The Santa Cruz also has voice recognition and two USB ports.

You can upgrade to a larger 10.25-inch touch screen in the Santa Cruz as well as wireless device charging and a premium stereo. The Hyundai Digital Key is a helpful system allowing you to remotely control certain features and settings, such as remote start and door locks. The Frontier’s upgrade options are similar, such as a 9-inch touch screen, a 10-speaker stereo, and wireless device charging.

Santa Cruz Vs. Frontier Safety Features

Both of these trucks have a good selection of safety features, but the equipment offered in the Santa Cruz gives the Hyundai the edge when it comes to driver assistance. Standard features in the Santa Cruz include forward collision warning, pedestrian detection, and automatic emergency braking. You also get a driver attention monitor to let you know when it’s time for a break. The rear-seat alert reminds you to check for second-row passengers before leaving, while the exit warning alerts you to oncoming traffic from behind.

The Frontier has forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, and pedestrian detection as standard. It also has a rear-seat alert and driver attention monitor. Features such as lane departure warning and blind-spot monitoring that come standard in the Santa Cruz are only offered as optional upgrades in the Frontier.

2023 Santa Cruz Vs. Frontier Trims and Pricing

There are five trims offered in the Nissan Frontier: S, SV, Midnight Edition, PRO-X, and PRO-4X. The starting MSRP for the base S trim is $29,370. As for the Santa Cruz, Hyundai’s truck comes in five trims: SE, SEL, Night, SEL Premium, and Limited. The base Santa Cruz has quite a big price advantage over the Frontier, with an MSRP of just $25,700.

The Santa Cruz and Frontier can be configured into trucks with a luxury interior. The top-ranked Limited trim of the Santa Cruz is equipped with leather seats and ambient interior lighting in 64 colors. In the Frontier, you can get leather upholstery, heated front seats, and a heated steering wheel.

Get Your New Santa Cruz at Hyundai of Auburn

Would you like to learn more about the 2023 Santa Cruz? Our team of Hyundai experts can talk you through the benefits of its various trims, help you choose the right engine for you, or arrange a test drive so you can experience its performance for yourself. You can stop by our Auburn dealership to explore our auto financing and leasing options or complete your purchase online by browsing our inventory and completing our financing application. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions.