Compare the2024 Toyota TacomaVS 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz

The Toyota Tacoma has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Santa Cruz doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Tacoma has standard Active Headrests, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Headrests system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Santa Cruz doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

With its standard Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection, the Toyota Tacoma is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Hyundai Santa Cruz, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

The Tacoma has a standard Secondary Collision Brake, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Santa Cruz doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Both the Tacoma and the Santa Cruz have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available four-wheel drive, blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Toyota Tacoma Double Cab is safer than the Santa Cruz:

There are over 47 percent more Toyota dealers than there are Hyundai dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Tacoma’s warranty.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Tacoma has a standard 776-amp battery. The Santa Cruz’s 600-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota second in reliability, above the industry average. With 51 more problems per 100 vehicles, Hyundai is ranked 13th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota second in overall reliability. Hyundai is ranked 11th.

The Tacoma has more powerful engines than the Santa Cruz:

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Tacoma Auto’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The Santa Cruz doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

For better stopping power the Tacoma i-Force Max’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Santa Cruz:

The Tacoma’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Santa Cruz are solid, not vented.

The Tacoma stops shorter than the Santa Cruz:

For better traction, the Tacoma PreRunner/TRD Off-Road’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Santa Cruz (265/70R17 vs. 245/60R18).

The Toyota Tacoma’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Hyundai Santa Cruz only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

The Tacoma has a standard full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your work or a trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the Santa Cruz; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

The Tacoma offers an active front sway bar, which helps keep it flat and controlled during cornering, but disconnects at lower speeds to smooth the ride and offer greater off-road suspension articulation. This helps keep the tires glued to the road on-road and off. The Santa Cruz doesn’t offer an active sway bar system.

The Tacoma offers an available. The Santa Cruz’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Tacoma 5-ft. bed Double Cab’s wheelbase is 13.6 inches longer than on the Santa Cruz (131.9 inches vs. 118.3 inches). The Tacoma 6-ft. bed Double Cab’s wheelbase is 26.8 inches longer than on the Santa Cruz (145.1 inches vs. 118.3 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Tacoma is 2.1 inches wider in the front and 1.9 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Santa Cruz.

For greater off-road capability the Tacoma XtraCab has a 2.1 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Santa Cruz (10.7 vs. 8.6 inches), allowing the Tacoma to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Tacoma 5-ft. bed TRD Pro Double Cab’s minimum ground clearance is 2.9 inches higher than on the Santa Cruz (11.5 vs. 8.6 inches).

The Tacoma Double Cab shortbed has a much larger cargo box than the Santa Cruz shortbed (39.8 vs. 27 cubic feet).

The Tacoma’s cargo box is larger than the Santa Cruz’s in every dimension:

A standard locking glovebox, optional locking center console and standard locking underseat storage drawer (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Tacoma. The Santa Cruz doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier, especially for short adults, the Tacoma (except SR/SR5/PreRunner) offers an optional power cargo door, which opens and closes automatically by pressing a button. The Santa Cruz doesn’t offer a power cargo door.

Maximum trailer towing in the Hyundai Santa Cruz is limited to 5000 pounds. The Tacoma offers up to a 6500 lbs. towing capacity.

The engine in the Tacoma is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Santa Cruz. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

The Tacoma’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Santa Cruz does not have an oil pressure gauge.

The Tacoma Limited/Trailhunter/TRD Pro has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, tachometer, navigation instruction and driver assistance information readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Santa Cruz doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Tacoma’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Santa Cruz’s standard power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully. Only its driver’s window opens automatically. With the Santa Cruz SEL/Night/XRT/Limited’s power windows, only the front windows open or close automatically.

If the windows are left open on the Tacoma the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows at the outside door handle or from a distance using the keyless remote. (This window function must be activated by your Toyota service department.) The driver of the Santa Cruz can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Tacoma has standard Smart Key that allows you to unlock the doors from the driver’s outside door handle and start the engine, all without removing the key from the pocket or purse. Only the Santa Cruz SEL/Night/XRT/Limited offers a Proximity Key.

The Tacoma’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Santa Cruz’s power mirror switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

The Tacoma’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Hyundai only offers heated mirrors on the Santa Cruz SEL/Night/XRT/Limited.

The Toyota Tacoma comes in extended cab and crew cab bodystyles; the Hyundai Santa Cruz isn’t available as an extended cab.

The Toyota Tacoma outsold the Hyundai Santa Cruz by over six to one during 2023.