You probably know which one to choose: turbocharged or naturally-aspirated.
The Hyundai Santa Cruzz made its international debut in this year’s global market. However, it wasn’t the first unibody truck to make its way into North America. Honda has been selling the Ridgeline non-ladder frame truck since the mid 2000s.
People are now comparing the Santa Cruz to the Honda truck, even though it was the first Hyundai pickup that wasn’t for commercial use. This is despite the Honda being heavier and larger than the Santa Cruz, as shown in the article’s matchup.
A top-spec Santa Cruz was pitted against a Honda Ridgeline in this drag racing to determine which vehicle has the best performance to win a straight-line race. Although both trucks have similar engine outputs, the unibody truck is significantly heavier and has significant differences in their powertrain configurations.
Santa Cruz’s gasoline engine is turbocharged to 281 horsepower (210 Kilowatts) and 311 pounds-feet (422 Newton meters) of torque. It is approximately 4,000 pounds. The Ridgeline is powered by a naturally aspirated gasoline V6 engine that produces almost the same horsepower but less 262 lbft (355 Nm). The Honda truck is 400 pounds heavier than the Honda truck.
This sounds a lot like a classic NA V6 against turbo i4 matchup, but in pickup form. The Honda is heavier than the Santa Cruz, but the Santa Cruz has more torque and has to contend with torque lag. Which do you think won drag racing? Is the rolling start race a factor in determining who the winner is? Watch the video above and comment below to find out.