The 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz Is 1 of the Most Fuel-Efficient Pickups to Buy

by Gabrielle DeSantis

The 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz is just on the horizon, and it’s trying to make a splash in the segment. The Santa Cruz isn’t like other trucks, but it certainly does a few things better. Here’s a look at how the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz is one of the most fuel-efficient pickup trucks to buy.

The engine options for the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz

The 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz | Hyundai

The Hyundai Santa Cruz may be in the compact truck segment, but it does have some decent engine options, according to MotorTrend. The standard engine on the Santa Cruz is a 2.5-liter I-4, and it gets about 191 hp and 181 lb-ft of torque. That’s a decent amount of power for a truck of its size, but there’s also the optional 2.5-liter turbocharged I-4, which gets 281 hp and 311 lb-ft of torque.

That turbo engine allows the Santa Cruz to be as capable as many other trucks. When outfitted properly, it can tow up to 5,000 pounds, and it also has a max payload capacity of about 1,700 pounds.

For reference, the regular Santa Cruz can tow up to 3,500 pounds, which may be enough for many families. Furthermore, as MotorTrend wrote, while front-wheel drive is standard on the Santa Cruz, Hyundai does offer an all-wheel-drive option.

How fuel-efficient is the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz?

The Hyundai Santa Cruz’s fuel economy is interesting and remarkable in a few ways, according to MotorTrend. The standard configuration of the Santa Cruz, which is expected to start at about $25,000, gets about 21 MPG in the city and 26 MPG on highways, for a combined 23 MPG. What’s a bit surprising, according to MotorTrend, is the fact that when the Santa Cruz’s standard engine gets paired with all-wheel drive, its fuel economy actually improves.

That’s unusual since all-wheel drive typically hurts a car’s fuel economy slightly. Regardless, the 2022 Santa Cruz, with its standard 2.5-liter engine and all-wheel drive, gets 27 MPG on highways instead. However, its MPG numbers are the same as the standard Santa Cruz elsewhere. 

The turbocharged Santa Cruz will predictably get a worse fuel economy, but not by much. MotorTrend wrote that when the Santa Cruz is equipped with its turbo engine and all-wheel drive, it gets 19 MPG in the city and 27 MPG on highways, for a combined 22 MPG. Those fuel economy numbers are quite good for a truck, and they make the 2022 Santa Cruz one of the most fuel-efficient trucks.

How other trucks compare

Simply put, when it comes to the fuel economy numbers, the Hyundai Santa Cruz beats out many other trucks. For example, MotorTrend said that the Toyota Tacoma, in its standard configuration, gets 20 MPG in the city and 23 MPG on highways, for a combined 21 MPG. Overall, those numbers are close to the Santa Cruz’s, but most Tacoma owners aren’t driving around with the standard engine.

As such, the average Tacoma owner will lose even harder when it comes to fuel economy. This is the same story for the Honda Ridgeline, which has a lot in common with the Santa Cruz. The Ridgeline only has a V6 engine option, and it’ll get 18 MPG in the city and 24 MPG on highways, for a combined 21 MPG. The Ford Ranger, which gets 21 MPG in the city and 26 MPG on highways, for a combined 23 MPG, is pretty good, but still falls short of the Santa Cruz.

Make no mistake, however. Like MotorTrend wrote, trucks with diesel engines will probably be more fuel-efficient than the Hyundai Santa Cruz. And of course, compared to all-electric pickup trucks, the Santa Cruz, like other conventional trucks, doesn’t stand a chance.

RELATED: The 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz Definitely Isn’t a Ford F-150 Alternative

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The Nissan Leaf Is Like These Luxury Cars in the Worst Way

by Gabrielle DeSantis

While you probably buy a fantastic car for all of the features it provides, it’s also nice to feel you’re getting something that has good value and will bring in some money someday when it’s time to sell. Luxury cars have all sorts of features to offer, but they are known for depreciating quickly. These cars have high starting prices but much lower resale prices. It may be surprising that the Nissan Leaf, a mainstream EV car, also depreciates quickly, but it has other money-saving factors that make it worth considering when car shopping.

Like luxury cars, the Nissan Leaf depreciates quickly

The Nissan Leaf | Ian Forsyth/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The Nissan Leaf has a five-year average depreciation of 70.1 percent, reports U.S. News in its “10 Cars With the Fastest Depreciation in 2021.” It’s the only electric or hybrid vehicle that appears on this list, but it didn’t have much EV competition five years ago in 2015.

The explosion since then of EV vehicles has also meant that buyers aren’t looking for older models. Newer EVs have “higher range per charge, shorter charge times, longer battery life, and more features,” points out U.S. News & World Report. The 2015 Nissan Leaf had starting prices between $29,010 and $35,120 for the lowest and the highest trims.

Other car models that depreciate quickly

People buying used cars aren’t interested in paying top prices for upgraded features, especially since luxury cars also often come with higher operating costs. Other cars on the list from U.S. News are primarily these luxury cars. They are also mainly sedans, which today don’t sell nearly as well as SUVs. Across all types of vehicles, the average depreciation is 49.1 percent over five years.

Here are several cars that, like the Nissan Leaf, depreciated around 70 percent in five years. The 2015 BMW 7 Series has an average five-year depreciation of 72.6 percent. Until the 2019 arrival of the BMW 8 Series, the 7 Series was BMW’s flagship super luxury car.

While the five-year cost of ownership is high, it isn’t that different from other super luxury cars. The 2015 BMW 7 Series isn’t a higher-priced used vehicle mainly because a new generation of the 7 Series arrived for 2016. Used car buyers are able to buy a newer model of the 7 Series from the current generation for just a bit more money.

The 2015 BMW 5 Series has an average five-year depreciation of 70.1 percent. The sedan offers strong safety and reliability scores along with multiple engine options. However, like many luxury cars, its five-year cost of ownership is pretty high.

The 2015 Audi A6 has an average five-year depreciation of 69.0 percent. The sedan has sporty handling and a luxury interior. It does have a slightly higher cost of ownership than competitors, but it mainly suffers from being a sedan.

The 2015 Maserati Ghibli has an average five-year depreciation of 69.0 percent. This Italian sedan has a luxurious design and powerful engines, but it doesn’t measure up as well as some of its similarly priced competitors.

Other financial perks help redeem the Nissan Leaf

It may sound disheartening that the Nissan Leaf depreciates so quickly, but there’s more to this story. The starting price of the Nissan Leaf is the original price before any government incentives, while resale values are lower to factor in those incentives. This helps increase the depreciation rate, but the original owner hopefully was able to collect some of the government incentives and offset the difference in the two prices.

New Nissan Leaf models continue to be eligible for the federal $7,500 tax credit. It is currently the only EV in the U.S. still eligible for this credit as of 2021. There are additional tax incentives in some states, including California.

The Nissan Leaf, as an EV, also has “one of the lowest average costs of ownership in the compact car class,” according to U.S. News. It has fewer parts, so it needs fewer trips to the mechanic, and it doesn’t need to be filled with gas. Consumer Reports found that the Nissan Leaf costs almost nothing to maintain.

The Nissan Leaf is the one mainstream car listed among luxury models on U.S. News’ “10 Cars With the Fastest Depreciation in 2021,” but it has redeeming factors that help increase its value and offset the depreciation.

RELATED: The Nissan Leaf Recently Hit an Impressive EV Milestone

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The 2021 Ford Mustang Mach 1 Is at Its Best in Track Mode

by Gabrielle DeSantis

The Ford Mustang is one of the most iconic cars in America, and Ford loves pushing its limits. That’s why Ford made the Mustang Mach 1, which is a ‘Stang that provides a lot of power and performance capabilities. As such, when it comes to the 2021 Ford Mustang Mach 1, it’s no surprise that it’s at its best when you turn on Track Mode.

The 2021 Ford Mustang Mach 1 in regular mode

The 2021 Ford Mustang Mach 1 | Ford

Like Car and Driver wrote, the 2021 Ford Mustang Mach 1 is a high-performance trim for the Mustang, and it’ll be replacing three trim options that Ford’s no longer producing. The Mach 1 starts at just over $53,000, which means that compared to the regular Mustang, the Mach 1 is almost twice the price.  

That makes a lot of sense of course, since the Mach 1 comes with a very powerful 5.0-liter V8 engine which gets 480 hp and 420 lb-ft of torque. This V8 engine allows the Mach 1 to accelerate from 0 to 60 MPH in about 4.3 seconds as well as top out at about 168 MPH. 

While this V8 engine gets about 22 MPG combined, Ford has three powertrain settings available, Normal, Sport, and Track. According to Car and Driver, both the Normal and Sport modes are pretty good overall. They’re obviously geared for day-to-day driving, but at the same time, they still make the Mach 1 feel sporty. However, when drivers turn on Track Mode, that’s when the Mach 1 can fulfill its glorious purpose. 

Track Mode is where the fun begins

Since Ford designed the Mach 1 to replace three of its popular high-performance options, it’s not surprising that the Mach 1 also performs really well on the track. For example, with Track Mode on, Car and Driver wrote that drivers can feel the difference in the Mach 1’s steering feel and precision, especially compared to its GT cousins.

Car and Driver noticed the Ford Mustang Mach 1’s improved handling elsewhere too. When exiting a corner, Car and Driver said that, due to improvements in the design, the Mach 1 simply has a more “stable feel” than the GT did.

That being said, the Mach 1 did fall short in one area, and that was acceleration. Car and Driver said that although the 2021 Mach 1 has some good acceleration times, they were slightly slower than the Mustang options it replaced.

However, Car and Driver also noted that those numbers may have been the result of the Mach 1 that was being tested not having the freshest tires available. Car and Driver suspects that if the test drivers were to drive a Mach 1 with newer tires, then those acceleration numbers may improve. Regardless, Car and Driver called the 2021 Ford Mustang Mach 1 an “easy-to-drive, very fast track car.” 

Other great things about the 2021 Ford Mustang Mach 1

While that may be true on the track, most folks probably aren’t driving their 2021 Ford Mustang Mach 1s on tracks, nor are they turning on Track Mode. And for those folks, Ford still has things to offer with the Mach 1. 

For example, unlike many cars in America nowadays, the Mach 1 will have a manual transmission as standard. This is not a huge deal for many people, but for others, it’s a pretty big deal. For folks who prefer an automatic transmission, Ford offers that as a $1,600 option, according to Car and Driver.

Not only that, the Mach 1 also looks like a cooler version of the Mustang, at least according to Car and Driver. Plus, the Ford Mustang Mach 1 has 14 cu. ft. of trunk space as well, which means that even though it belongs on the track, it can handle trips to grocery stores too.

Even though you might not put your 2021 Ford Mustang Mach 1 in Track Mode often, if ever, it’s still a thrilling ride no matter where you take it.

RELATED: This Ford Mustang Model Is 1 of the Best Sport Options Under $40,000

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The 2021 GMC Canyon Is the Only Midsize Truck That Keeps You Cool in More Ways Than 1

by Gabrielle DeSantis

There are some features that you can only find in luxury vehicles or in some top-trim economy vehicles. With midsize trucks exploding in popularity, pickups like the 2021 GMC Canyon are beginning to incorporate more of those luxuries thanks to advances in automotive technology. One of those rare luxuries offered in the new Canyon is ventilated front seats for both the driver and front passenger.

Avoid embarrassing back sweat stains with the GMC Canyon’s High Elevation Package

The GMC Canyon Denali | Raymond Boyd/Getty Images

It used to be that only people with deep pockets could afford the type of luxury vehicle that came with heated and/or ventilated seats. Hence why you never see the executives at your office with that dreaded sweat stain on the back of their dress shirt or blouse.

But Hermes (the Greek god of roads and travelers) must be looking out for those with at least a $32,395 budget (listed MSRP on the GMC website) because you can now enjoy heated and ventilated front seats with the Canyon’s “High Elevation Package.”

The package costs an additional $1,400 (included in the above price), so hopefully, Tyche, the Greek goddess of fortune, is also in the mood to do you a solid.

How do ventilated/cooled seats work?

You’d be surprised how many people respond with a blank look on their faces when mentioning “cooled” seats. In all fairness, unless they’ve had the good fortune to drive a Mercedes-Benz or a BMW, it’s understandable. Even with both heated and cooled seats becoming a more common feature in “economy” vehicles, the idea is still a novelty just entering the new car market. With that said, we thought it only appropriate to explain how ventilated seats work.

In an article published by The Philadelphia Inquirer, Jason Kavanagh, engineering editor at the automotive site Edmunds, explained that cooled and ventilated seats function in different ways. They’re similar in that they have a series of chambers inside them and blow air through perforations. However, the air in cooled seats first blows over a cooled surface before entering the chambers, while ventilated seats merely have air blowing into the chambers without being cooled first.

A brief overview of what to expect from the 2021 GMC Canyon

At the start, it’s worth noting that Consumer Reports (CR) gave the 2021 GMC Canyon an “Overall Score” of just 44 in its compact pickup trucks category. The 2021 Chevy Colorado also earned an Overall Score of 44 from CR, placing two compact pickups from General Motors (GM) at the bottom of the barrel.

The 2021 Ford Ranger (scored 46) and 2021 Toyota Tacoma (scored 51) barely did much better. The highest scoring compact pickup was none other than the 2021 Honda Ridgeline.

But sometimes it’s a good idea to take certain reviews with a grain of salt, because other review sites gave the new Canyon decent scores. For example, Car and Driver gave the new Canyon a score of 8/10. The review site described the Canyon as a more dapper version of the Colorado, despite being principally similar beneath the exterior. Interestingly, Car and Driver refers to the 2021 Colorado as a midsize pickup rather than compact.

While GMC markets the Canyon as a “premium pickup,” the top-shelf Denali trim has thus far failed to meet reviewers’ expectations. GMC’s “compare trims” page lists three engine options: a 2.5-liter four-cylinder, a 3.6-liter V6, and a 2.8-liter Duramax Turbo-Diesel four-cylinder. We suggest investing a little extra in the turbo-diesel as it provides 369 lb-ft of torque compared to the V6’s 275 lb-ft of torque.

Some noteworthy standard and optional features include a diesel exhaust brake (optional) that minimizes the amount of regular braking required while towing a heavy trailer or driving downhill; capless fuel fill (standard) that allows you to simply open the fuel door and insert the nozzle; four-wheel antilock disc brakes (standard); Halogen projector-beam headlamps with LED signature and daytime running lamps, as well as LED fog lamps (standard).

Unfortunately, driver alert features such as forward collision alert and lane departure warning only come with the Denali. And then there is GMC’s goofy decision to make rear park assist “optional” on the Elevation and AT4 trims if you purchase a model with leather seats.

Not to mention, the options may also require you to purchase additional optional equipment. What overall score did CR give the 2021 GMC Canyon again? Maybe the reviewers should deduct an additional 10 points for making the truck-buying experience exceptionally annoying.

RELATED: The GMC Canyon Has the Unfortunate Distinction of Being the Least Satisfying Truck

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