Punches above its weight class!
When my 18 year old Honda CR-V found itself in need of significant maintenance repairs, I decided it was time to send it to the farm upstate to relax with its friends. Since most of my trips are short distance/city driving with the occasional 250+ mile out of towner, I decided to get a hybrid. I also wanted something with a little more room, and that narrowed the field considerably. The Santa Fe was a great solution as it was quite a bit roomier than the CR-V but wasn’t as physically large as the Palisade and its competitors. I was particularly drawn to its controversial styling as it drew from the Range Rover and is distinctive from all the other mid to large SUVs that have all become rather generic in their designs.
The amenities are numerous from the infotainment system to all of the driver assist/safety systems and speak to a higher class of vehicle than the sticker price would indicate. The fit and finish of the exterior and interior body panels and the quality of the materials are all top notch. I would say Hyundai has matched and possibly exceeded my experience with Honda vehicles, which I had owned exclusively since 1989. There are plenty of USB charging ports for all passengers as well as cup holders. The center console is accessible for both the front seat and 2nd row passengers, which is a nice touch. The 12.3” display is easily viewed from both front seats, although it is angled slightly to the benefit of the driver, which makes sense. There are still plenty of physical buttons, although climate control and most entertainment functions are controlled via the touch screens. I would rather some of these functions be available via physical buttons, so you don’t have to take your eyes off the road, but they are at least within easy reach. One design change that they made is that they swapped the position of the driving and audio steering wheel control pods, putting the cruise control and dashboard menu controls on the left and audio controls on the right. This is the opposite of how my CR-V controls were positioned as well as earlier model Hyundais. I only point this out, because I am looking at replacing my wife’s car with another Hyundai, and in order to have similar controls, it locks me into current model years. Hopefully this is the direction going forward for all models as it would be a pain to go from one car to another and have the controls in opposite positions. The only other thing I find odd is that the hybrid Santa Fe does not come with a physical spare tire even though there is space under the cargo area to accommodate one just like on the ICE versions of the Santa Fe. All that is missing is the winch unit and the spare itself. There is nothing to prevent the installation of it, so it’s a curious omission saving only about $400 in parts.
The ride is very comfortable for every seating position, even the 3rd row, although probably not for extended trips if you’re a full sized adult. Hyundai backs its vehicles with a longer warranty than any other manufacturer and includes regular maintenance for 3 years. That’s a substantial value. Mileage has been a great improvement over my old car, but not quite as high as the listed estimates or the estimated mileage displayed by the onboard computer. Marketing shows an estimated combined 35mpg; the computer indicated 32-34mpg; and calculated mileage at fill up based on odometer reading has been 29-30mpg. I don’t have a lead foot, but I don’t baby it either, although it is fun to see how high I can keep the trip mileage. I have read that mileage improves as the engine and motors break in, so we will see if that holds true. At any rate, it’s still a significant improvement over the city mileage I was getting in my CR-V.
While driving the Santa Fe, it is noticeably larger than the CR-V, but it has more than enough power to spin the front drive wheels from a dead stop or accelerate for passing on the highway. It’s not going to take a Porsche or anything, but that’s not why you buy something like this. The ride is plush without feeling floaty or bouncy. The suspension and wheels do a good job of isolating you from speed bumps/road humps/pot holes. There is very good visibility outside of the cabin and good coverage from the mirrors. Mine also has the blind spot cameras, but I’m still not used to them as it requires looking at the dashboard, which runs counter to all of my driving habits. The driver assist systems are very helpful in knowing when there are cars in your immediate proximity. Turning on the cruise control activates all of the systems, including lane keeping assist, which makes long distance drives a lot less fatiguing. It would be nice if there was a factory dashcam option that took advantage of the cameras.
Hyundai also has BlueLink, which allows you to monitor the status of your vehicle from your smartphone. You can lock/unlock the doors, remote start with or without climate control, flash the lights and/or honk the horn, control valet mode, and even manage digital keys for additional drivers. This has come in handy as I’m still not used to the hands free aspect of using smartkey fobs instead of physical keys. That brings up another feature I miss - automatic locking upon walkaway. The car does not automatically lock itself if you forget. BlueLink will send you a notification, but it would be nice to have the option for it to lock itself if it senses that the smartkey is no longer near.
I could probably go on and on, but suffice it to say that despite a few minor things, I am very impressed by my Santa Fe Hybrid. It brings the premium experience without the premium price.
Recommended
Verified Owner
