HYUNDAI

Santa Cruz sub-pickup adapted for the Rebelle Rally

Last weekend, the seventh edition of the Rebelle Rally began, an all-terrain competition that we have already talked about in other years, which takes place in the deserts of California and Nevada, in the United States, and in which only female teams participate.

In 2022, Hyundai is present with its pick-up model, the Hyundai Santa Cruz, specifically with a modified example for the occasion, which has a series of basic improvements to be able to face the off-road sections of the race.

It all starts with a suspension kit that raises the body and raises the ground clearance, and of course, protections were also installed on the underside to preserve the Korean pick-up's mechanical components.

Gear-specific wheels are shod with Falken all-terrain tires, and a roof rack carries a spare wheel, shovels and rescue boards. An auxiliary lighting module was also installed on the ceiling, which complements the one on the front.

Mechanically, the Santa Cruz is strictly standard, and although the manufacturer has not specified which version it is, we assume that it hides the 2.5-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine, with 285 hp and 422 Nm of maximum torque, which is associated with all-wheel drive and coupled with an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

Remembering that the Rebelle Rally is a competition only for women that focuses not on pure speed, but on navigation challenges, since it is about reaching intermediate points of the route without the help of GPS navigators.

In fact, navigation is the ultimate challenge of this race, which lasts eight days and covers more than 2,400 kilometers, as the teams can only use classic methods such as maps and a compass to orient themselves.

In this 2022 edition, which started in Lake Tahoe (Nevada), the Santa Cruz with surf-themed decor was piloted by automotive journalists Jill Ciminillo and Kristin Shaw, from the Brute Squad team.

Autonews