How well does the 2026 Hyundai Santa Cruz handle winter roads around Evansville, IN?

Sep 19, 2025

Dorsett Hyundai – How well does the 2026 Hyundai Santa Cruz handle winter roads around Evansville, IN?

The short answer: very well, especially when equipped with available HTRAC All Wheel Drive. The 2026 SANTA CRUZ is built to bring year-round confidence to daily driving, with traction management and driver assistance features that help you feel composed on cold, wet, and slushy roads. HTRAC actively distributes torque to optimize grip, and on the XRT trim, Terrain Mode Select adds Snow, Mud, and Sand modes for calibrated throttle, shift, and traction control responses when the weather is at its worst.

Beyond traction, the SANTA CRUZ integrates advanced Hyundai SmartSense features that add crucial layers of support in winter. Standard Lane Keeping Assist helps you stay centered on slick highways, while Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist adds confidence in crowded lots when snowbanks limit visibility. On upper trims, Highway Driving Assist helps maintain speed, distance, and lane centering on long stretches, and Blind-Spot View Monitor provides a live camera feed in the digital gauge cluster when you signal a lane change. Surround View Monitor can be especially helpful in tight, snow-narrowed spaces, stitching camera views into a 360-degree display to make low-speed maneuvers less stressful.

HTRAC All Wheel Drive: Actively manages torque front to rear to enhance stability on snow-slick streets and bridges.
Terrain Mode Select (XRT): Snow mode fine-tunes traction control and throttle mapping to limit wheelspin on low-traction starts.
Panoramic curved display: Clear, high-resolution graphics keep key information visible in low-light winter conditions.
Bluelink+ convenience: Use remote start from a compatible smartphone to warm the cabin before you head out.
Heated comfort (availability varies by trim): Heated front seats can help take the edge off frosty commutes.

Practicality matters when winter hits Evansville’s side streets and river bridges. The SANTA CRUZ’s compact footprint makes it easier to park when snow piles encroach on curbs, and its innovative bed still lets you bring the gear you need—skates, shovels, or totes—secured with tie-downs and tucked away in the sealed underfloor bin that drains. If you plan to haul in colder months, the available 281-hp 2.5L Turbocharged GDI-MPI 4-cylinder provides confident acceleration with up to 5,000 lbs. of towing when properly equipped, giving you flexibility for winter toys and utility trailers.

For shoppers comparing AWD options, consider how the SANTA CRUZ combines traction technology with everyday refinement. The cabin centers on a standard 12.3-inch touchscreen, optional 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, and wireless Apple CarPlay®/Android Auto™. It feels modern and uncluttered, so you can focus on the road when conditions demand your attention. Add in available safety upgrades like Highway Driving Assist, Blind-Spot View Monitor, and Surround View Monitor, and you have a well-rounded winter daily driver that still shines when spring returns. Have more questions? Our team is serving Bloomington, Effingham, and Evansville and is happy to walk you through trims and features that fit your winter routine.

When you are ready to test traction for yourself, ask Dorsett Hyundai to map a route that includes bridges, neighborhood streets, and highway sections. Try HTRAC in varying conditions, sample the XRT’s Snow mode if equipped, and see how the SmartSense features reduce effort on longer cold-weather drives. With the right configuration, the 2026 SANTA CRUZ makes winter driving feel simpler and more secure without sacrificing the fun and flexibility you want the rest of the year.