Hyundai Gave the Gear Team a 2023 Santa Cruz to Play With

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To bring you the best in automotive-product tests, the Gear Team has spent the past couple of years scrounging around "the graveyard" in the back of the Car and Driver offices, looking for subject vehicles on which to install, evaluate, and compare the latest and greatest tools and gear. This situation wasn't always ideal; most of those vehicles are weathered, to say the least. Some are barely running.

Today, we're happy to announce that the Gear Team finally has a dedicated test mule—a 2023 Santa Cruz, courtesy of Hyundai. It doesn't yet have a nickname, so the floor in the comments section below is open for suggestions.

To celebrate the arrival of our new ride, we've outfitted it with a collection of our favorite Tested and Trusted products. Check them out below. We'll soon be adding even more gear and accessories, and going forward, we'll use the Santa Cruz as our test vehicle. We can't wait to put this baby through the Gear Team wringer.

Why We Got the Santa Cruz

Unlike a lot of gear tests and "best-of" lists found around the internet, we at the Gear Team really do get our hands on the stuff we test, and we use them as you would: in the garage and on the road. While we had plenty of fun jump-starting an old Mitsubishi Eclipse, borrowing a brand-new Rivian, and even renting a Dodge Challenger for one test, using and comparing gear, accessories, and products on different vehicles occasionally resulted in uneven results. It quickly became clear that our process would work more fairly and efficiently if we had a single vehicle on which to evaluate all the gear and accessories we wanted to test.

One dedicated machine on which to use and evaluate everything from dash cams and radar detectors to traction boards and tire inflators will provide an even baseline from which we can equally and fairly test automotive parts, gear, and accessories. This way, we can bring you the most honest, impartial, and up-to-date information possible.

Further, having this Santa Cruz at our disposal will not only allow us to test more gear but also to evaluate those products more thoroughly over the long term. Long-term testing adds further data points to inform both us, the testers, and you, the readers. This will make sure our top picks and recommendations continue to get the job done long after testing day is over.

To introduce our new test mule, we've outfitted our Santa Cruz with some excellent products from WeatherTech and our Best Overall dash cam from Vantrue. We'll continuously update this article with new products as we install and test them.

Mud Flaps

These WeatherTech mud flaps come in a kit complete with all of the hardware you need for an install. On the Santa Cruz, we had to move the fender liner to install threaded clips, but that was the only extra work required. Once on, they fit perfectly without any loose play and did a solid job at keeping rocks from dinging up the truck's side. And hey—they make the Santa Cruz look pretty good too.

N4 Dash Cam

We loved the Vantrue N4 in our dash-cam test so much that we decided to add one to the Santa Cruz. It's an exceptional value, including a dash cam, cabin-facing camera, and rearview camera all in the same box. The performance, ease of use, and price point all hit the sweet spots, and we had to add it to the truck's interior.

For a detailed look at the Vantrue N4, check out our latest dash-cam test.

Tested: Best Dash Cams

FloorLiner HP

What's a truck without a good set of floor mats? Naturally, we installed a set of WeatherTech's FloorLiner HP (high performance) mats. Boy, did they hold up well on a mud-filled day testing traction boards. Installation was a breeze, and the fit was perfect—they even use the truck's stock retainer clips to hold them down. For cleanup, a good vacuuming and rinse will get most of the grime off, and they prevent almost all mud and rocks from escaping their clutches. So far, these have been excellent.

Side Window Deflectors

We test stuff in all kinds of inclement weather—heat, sleet, and everything in between. But frankly, rain is the most common. And to protect our interior from getting dripped on with the windows slightly open, we installed a set of side window deflectors. While we had a bit of trouble getting the first one in place, we figured it out, and the other three were a breeze. They look sharp and do their job—we like that.

What to Expect

While fair and impartial results are key, the biggest benefit to having our own test vehicle is the ability to control and observe long-term testing. We plan to note the gear's longevity both inside and outside the vehicle, ranging from floor mats to detailing products. This will be done passively as we use the vehicle to complete other gear tests and evaluations. Additionally, we hope to expand our social presence with our sweet new ride, so keep an eye out for that.

Why Trust Us

Hearst Autos combines the talent, resources, and expertise of three of the largest, most influential automotive publications in the world. The Gear Team has tested a wide variety of automotive products, parts, accessories, and gear, such as interior cleaners, wiper blades, and shop vacs. We get our hands on each and every product we test. Most are purchased; some are supplied by manufacturers.

The Gear Team doesn't need to game algorithms for traffic or promote lousy products for clicks. We're more concerned with our reputation and the trust that our readers have in Autoweek, Car and Driver, and Road & Track to deliver honest opinions and expert evaluations.

Visit our Tested & Trusted page to see the very best in automotive gear. Read more about our product testing and evaluation process here.

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