Compare the2026 Nissan FrontierVS 2026 Hyundai Santa Cruz

The Nissan Frontier has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags help prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Santa Cruz doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Frontier has standard Active Head Restraints, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Head Restraints system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Santa Cruz doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Both the Frontier and the Santa Cruz have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors, available four-wheel drive and around view monitors.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH moderate front offset crash tests on new cars. In this updated test, results indicate that the Frontier is much safer than the Santa Cruz:

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Nissan Frontier is safer than the Hyundai Santa Cruz:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Nissan pays for scheduled maintenance on the Frontier for 2 years and 24,000 miles. Nissan will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance (up to 3 visits). Hyundai doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Santa Cruz.

There are over 25 percent more Nissan dealers than there are Hyundai dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Frontier’s warranty.

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Frontier has a standard 185-amp alternator. The Santa Cruz’s 150-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are better in initial quality than Hyundai vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan second in initial quality, above the industry average. With 4 more problems per 100 vehicles, Hyundai is ranked third.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai With 7 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Nissan higher than Hyundai.

The Frontier’s 3.8 DOHC V6 produces 119 more horsepower (310 vs. 191) and 100 lbs.-ft. more torque (281 vs. 181) than the Santa Cruz’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Frontier’s 3.8 DOHC V6 produces 29 more horsepower (310 vs. 281) than the Santa Cruz XRT/Limited’s standard 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Frontier’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The Santa Cruz doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

The Frontier has 3.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the Santa Cruz (21.1 vs. 17.7 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the Nissan Frontier, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Santa Cruz.

The Frontier’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Santa Cruz are solid, not vented.

The Frontier stops shorter than the Santa Cruz:

For better traction, the Frontier has larger tires than the Santa Cruz (265/70R16 vs. 245/60R18).

The Nissan Frontier’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Hyundai Santa Cruz only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

The Frontier has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Santa Cruz doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Frontier has a standard full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your work or a trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the Santa Cruz; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

The Frontier has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Santa Cruz doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Frontier Crew Cab’s wheelbase is 7.7 inches longer than on the Santa Cruz (126 inches vs. 118.3 inches). The Frontier LWB Crew Cab’s wheelbase is 21.5 inches longer than on the Santa Cruz (139.8 inches vs. 118.3 inches).

For greater off-road capability the Frontier PRO-4X Crew Cab has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Santa Cruz (9.5 vs. 8.6 inches), allowing the Frontier to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The front grille of the Frontier uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Santa Cruz doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Frontier Crew Cab shortbed has a much larger cargo box than the Santa Cruz shortbed (40.1 vs. 27 cubic feet).

The Frontier’s cargo box is larger than the Santa Cruz’s in every dimension:

An optional locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Frontier (except S). The Santa Cruz doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Both the Frontier and Santa Cruz have bed indentations that accommodate 2x4’s for two-tiered loading, but the Frontier also has indentations to separate the cargo box into three different sections length-wise.

The Frontier’s minimum standard towing capacity is much higher than the Santa Cruz’s (6760 vs. 3500 pounds).

The Frontier Crew Cab has a higher standard payload capacity than the Santa Cruz (1490 vs. 1411 lbs.).

The Frontier has a higher maximum payload capacity than the Santa Cruz (1590 vs. 1411 lbs.).

The Frontier uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Santa Cruz uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

The engine in the Frontier is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Santa Cruz. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

The Frontier’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Santa Cruz does not have an oil pressure gauge.

The Frontier’s speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Santa Cruz’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The Frontier SV/PRO/SL Crew Cab has a standard center folding armrest for the rear passengers. A center armrest helps make rear passengers more comfortable and it can provide a boundary between children. The Santa Cruz doesn’t offer a rear seat center armrest.

The Nissan Frontier comes in extended cab and crew cab bodystyles; the Hyundai Santa Cruz isn’t available as an extended cab.

The Nissan Frontier outsold the Hyundai Santa Cruz by over two to one during 2024.