Hyundai Santa Cruz Will get Off-Highway Upgrades To Deal with Rebelle Rally

The seventh Rebelle Rally will launch on October 6, sending groups of girls into the deserts of California and Nevada to compete in a sequence of navigational off-road challenges. Hyundai might be there, fielding a Santa Cruz pickup modified to deal with the acute atmosphere.

On this occasion, the upgrades are literally fairly primary. A elevate package gives a bit extra floor clearance, whereas skid plates assist shield the undercarriage. A set of Falken off-road tires are mounted to Gear wheels, and that is it so far as the mechanicals go. A mattress rack carries a spare tire, restoration ramps, and shovels, and off-road lights are mounted to the roof and entrance bumper.

Below the pores and skin, the Santa Cruz stays inventory. Hyundai would not point out a particular trim stage, however given the circumstances, we’ll assume it is an SEL Premium. That is the one trim the place the turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder is obtainable, producing 281 horsepower (210 kilowatts) and 311 pound-feet (422 Newton-meters) of torque. It is also the one option to the eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox and standard-issue all-wheel drive. Stepping all the way down to the Santa Cruz SEL you’ll be able to choose AWD as an possibility, however the one engine selection is the naturally aspirated 2.5-liter mill making 191 hp.

Now in its seventh yr, the Rebelle Rally is a girls’s-only problem that focuses not on outright pace, however reaching checkpoints in demanding situations. And it is not merely a case of plugging waypoints right into a GPS – the Rebelle Rally nixes trendy tech for an old-school navigation problem. Meaning maps, a compass, and particular occasions to achieve varied areas, unfold out over eight days and 1,500-plus miles.

Veteran auto journalists Jill Ciminillo and Kristin Shaw will pilot the Santa Cruz for this journey. Dubbed Brute Squad, the crew’s truck has a livery that borrows inspiration from the California browsing scene. The Brute Squad emblem, designed by Jennifer Ciminillo, adorns the hood.

The 2022 Rebelle Rally begins October 6. North Lake Tahoe is the place to begin, with the rally wrapping up on the Imperial Sand Dunes in California.