Hyundai Santa Cruz MPG: Everything You Need To Know

in Model Info and Features
Grey Hyundai Santa Cruz

Hyundai Santa Cruz by Zeometric - CC-BY-SA-4.0

The Hyundai Santa Cruz is a popular car selection, offering one of the largest designs from Hyundai. If you’re interested in this vehicle for a work commute or moving your family around, you probably want to be able to drive for a long time before pulling over to fill up. You might wonder - what is the Hyundai Santa Cruz MPG?

If you’re interested in learning more about the fuel economy of the Hyundai Santa Cruz, you’re in the right place. The more you know about the typical distance you have with your gas tank, the easier it will be to budget. Read on to learn more about the typical MPG for the system, whether the MPG is good, and other valuable information about this vehicle.

Typical MPG for the Hyundai Santa Cruz

The Hyundai Santa Cruz MPG is critical to understand before investment to determine if the gas mileage works for your lift. It’s vital to consider the MPG by model year and MPG by trim level to determine if you have Hyundai Santa Cruz options for varying gas mileage.

According to edmunds.com, the typical MPG for the most recent 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz lands at a combined MPG of 24, with highway MPG at 27 and city MPG at 19. There are few fluctuations by trim level.

According to fuelly.com, the fuel economy for the Hyundai Santa Cruz has gone up about two MPG since 2022, showing an increase for drivers. It’s better to go with a newer version if you want to stretch the distance you get per gallon of gas.

Is the Hyundai Santa Cruz MPG Good?

Although certain cars provide a better MPG than the Hyundai Santa Cruz, it still manages to offer decent mileage even with its strange design and unique appearance. According to motortrend.com, the Hyundai Santa Cruz offers the best fuel economy when working with the all-wheel-drive version of itself.

The MPG of 19 in the city leaves much to be desired. However, it’s amazing that the Hyundai Santa Cruz can turn that around to get 27 MPG on the highway. If you want the best MPG from your truck, there are better options. However, the Hyundai Santa Cruz is solid and affordable for most drivers.

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What MPG Is Ideal?

To determine the quality of the MPG in the Hyundai Santa Cruz, it’s critical to decide what MPG is considered ideal. How far does a car need to go per gallon to reach an optimal standard for interested drivers?

According to caranddriver.com, the best non-electric standard pickups and SUVs get 25-30 MPG. Typically, smaller cars get better mileage, and those that carry less weight in the back to move forward.

Judging by this standard, we can determine that the MPG of the Hyundai Santa Cruz is below average when it comes to the combined MPG and the MPG in the city. However, it performs right on par with other machines when examining the mileage received on the highway.

Can You Improve MPG?

Although it might not be possible to improve everything in your car’s system to better your MPG, several items will impact how far your tank will get you per gallon. Some items can be taken care of now, while others will need to wait until your next car purchase.

According to caranddriver.com, here are some items that will affect your MPG:

  • Gas tank size: The larger your fuel tank, the longer you will be able to move before you must refuel the tank. Of course, a large tank doesn’t mean it’s cheaper.
  • Type of fuel: Low-quality fuel may cause friction in your tank and lead to a reduced MPG in the system.
  • How you drive: Aggressive drivers experience a worse fuel economy than those who take their time and navigate the roads with ease.
  • Fuel octane: The octane of the fuel will tell you how fast it will burn.
  • Vehicle type: Smaller engines typically produce better MPG than machines with a larger engine system.
  • Driving conditions: If you hit the highway and drive in the sun, you will get better MPG than in the city in the rain.

These will raise or lower your MPG.

THE BEST USED SUVS UNDER $10,000

We looked into price, reliability, features, and more to create this list of the best used SUVs under $10k on the market today. Take a look - some of the best used SUVs have gone mostly overlooked or forgotten. 

If you drive like a crazy person, consider being gentler on your engine to better your fuel economy. If you put in the wrong kind of gas, consider adding the correct version for the betterment of your engine. Small alterations have the potential to make a large difference in the lifespan of your Hyundai Santa Cruz.

Is the Hyundai Santa Cruz Gas Mileage Worth It?

Considering the Hyundai Santa Cruz MPG, is the car worth it based on the MPG? Are you better off going with a different machine for your driving needs?

Although there are better vehicles for gas mileage, the price of the Hyundai Santa Cruz makes it hard to beat. The gas mileage is about average and will get you where you need to go with decent payments per year. You won’t spend too much more on gas unless you have an extensive commute.

Of course, if you want optimal MPG, you’re better off going with another vehicle. The Hyundai Santa Cruz may improve its MPG over the years, but it’s not quite at an optimal place yet.

THE BEST USED LUXURY CARS ON THE MARKET

Buying a used or CPO luxury car is one of the smartest buys you can make - you can get a lot of car for not much money. You can pick up a three-year-old luxury car for about half of what you’d pay new. Check out this list of the best used luxury cars on the market to find the best deals. 

Final Thoughts

If you’re looking for the Hyundai Santa Cruz as a potential vehicle investment, peek into the Hyundai Santa Cruz MPG. On average, the Santa Cruz gets 23 MPG, with 19 in the city and 27 on the highway. Although cars outrank it in the field, it’s a unique option that is more affordable than competitors and can go much further.

We hope this information was helpful! MPG matters because it will determine how much additional money you must spend on your Santa Cruz on top of various car payments and repairs over the years. The better the MPG, the more money you will keep in your pocket if your Santa Cruz survives.

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