2019 / 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe | The Middle Child

For those of you paying attention in the past, Hyundai has had two different crossovers that carried the Santa Fe name. They had a two-row midsize crossover called the Santa Fe sport and then a 3-row midsize crossover called the Santa Fe without the sport. for

2019

. They are clearing things up a little bit and now we have a brand new Santa Fe sans sport which is now the two row midsize crossover and then we will have a Hyundai Palisade which will be the 3 row crossover probably first. What you'll notice on the new Santa Fe is this new Hyundai design language up front that we also see on the Kona to some extent and expect to see on other Hyundai crossovers in the future.

We have the last grille here that has some curved sections. here where they didn't have them before and then we have this unusual headlight arrangement that we first saw on the Jeep Cherokee but interestingly, Jeep has shied away from this design and given the new Cherokee a slightly more conventional design at the front . The most important thing to know here is that the headlight modules are down here at a mid level in the front and that's the LED high beams and low beams in this particular module and then the turn signal lamp is down there, as well as the element at the top. the front end that looks more like a traditional headlight element is actually just a trip of daytime running lights with these little distinctive moves inside for

2019

.

Hyundai decided to launch its entire suite of active safety technologies even on the models Santa Fe basics, which really helps. improves the overall value of the base model and helps compete with some of the older entries in this segment that don't have those same technologies standard on every trim, including radar, adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, autonomous braking with pedestrian detection, etc., as I said at the beginning of this video, the Santa Fe is something of a tween in this segment, it's noticeably longer than the average compact crossover in America, measuring one hundred and eighty-seven point eight inches long. long, a little longer than the outgoing 2018 model and a significant almost 11 inches longer than the Hyundai Tucson, which is its compact crossover designed to do business with the rav4 and CRV if you are shopping for a compact crossover in the United States and would like a little more space inside or trims that are a little more premium, this is going to be what you want to go for if you don't need that third row, if you need the third row, then Hyundai plans to bring us a larger crossover that we will see very coming soon to the Los Angeles Auto Show that will bring us a third row in the rear and probably an additional 10 inches of overall length.

At the moment, there are few crossovers in this small subsegment, we have entries like the Ford Edge, of course, the Nissan Murano. and I suppose you could put things like the Jeep Grand Cherokee in this particular segment, although interestingly Hyundai actually sees the smaller Cherokee as a competitor to it, not the Grand Cherokee. I actually think it's the other way around because the Cherokee is firmly a compact crossover. the Grand Cherokee is the model that has this size, because with the front lap modules, Hyundai also splits things up towards the back so you can see we have these LED elements up here and then we have turn signals further down on the bumper, which are incandescent. bulbs, you'll also find the backup lights right next to them on that module, we've got a single integrated exhaust tip there on that side and then backup parking sensors right here, well, we're looking at the back of the Santa Fe I.

I will mention that the rear glass and rear hatch are generally quite upright, this is actually a style I prefer because it improves rear cargo practicality compared to something like the Lexus RX which has a very sloping rear end and , as a result, a smaller load. In the area under the hood we have an engine lineup that is a little more similar to the average compact crossover than the average 3-row crossover in America. Things start with a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine, it's naturally aspirated and produces 185 horsepower. This optional engine here is a 2-liter turbo that produces 235 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque.

Power figures are notably below the average for a 3-row crossover in the United States, which will typically have a V6 engine under the hood. Both engines are mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission and will send power to either the front wheels or all four wheels, depending on which option you select. Both engines are mated to a standard 8-speed automatic transmission, and both engines can be had with optional all-wheel drive. drive system Depending on whether or not you select all-wheel drive and what engine you get, fuel economy will range between 25 miles per gallon for the most efficient model and 21 miles per gallon for the least efficient, which would be the model we are driving Here the all-wheel drive turbo's twenty-one miles per gallon is pretty much the same as the less efficient Ford Edge, although it's worth noting that the Ford Edge has a 2.7-liter twin-turbo V6 in the front seat.

Excellent in this generation of the Santa Fe, we drive the top-of-the-line trim, which means we get a power-extendable thigh cushion, four-way adjustable lumbar support, a multi-way power driver's seat with two-position memory in the door and an inclination. Telescoping steering column This is of the manual variety but has a decent range of movement. This version also has a power passenger seat, but it's worth noting that it doesn't have the same range of motion as the driver's seat and that's something that you Personally, I'll give this seat 9 out of 10 points because, although the seats The front seats of the Nissan Murano are not as adjustable, I found them a little more comfortable, it is definitely more comfortable. in my opinion than the driver's seats that we find in the Jeep Grand Cherokee, however, I think that the front passenger seat in that Grand Cherokee is a little more comfortable than the one we found in this model due to the available adjustable lumbar support, one of the main ones.

The reasons for upgrading to a Santa Fe compared to the average compact crossover in America is the overall interior space which you will notice sitting here behind me very comfortably. I have plenty of inches of legroom left, we have a little more legroom in this model than average. compact crossover in America and noticeably more headroom too, if I move all the way to the right side of the vehicle I still have about an inch left sitting here behind this front seat that is all the way back at a height of six feet . five people sitting there, it was very comfortable Now it's worth noting that compared to the average compact crossover in America, the front seat backs move much further back, so if you're a taller person, sitting in front it will be more comfortable. in this something like the rav4 or CRV to help improve passenger comfort, the rear seats recline, there's a little lever right next to the seat, they move from a very upright position like that to a pretty decent recline I think which is only rivaled by the Grand Cherokee in this segment, although still a bit tight rear-facing

child

seats would be one of the other reasons why you might want to buy a Santa Fe instead of something smaller because we have more room to legs in this vehicle, there is more space. to accommodate a properly installed rear-facing

child

seat with an adult in front, and of course, thanks to the Santa Fe's extra width compared to the average compact crossover, it might be easier to fit a child seat right here in the

middle

and keep those front seats.

A little further back in case you were wondering, this vehicle has two sets of earth shakers for just the outboard seating positions, but has top tether anchors for all three. Some parents will be happy to know that these second-row seats also slide a little. a little bit further forward, so if you want a child, let's say, in a booster seat right there, in the

middle

position, to be a little bit closer to the driver, then you can move them a little bit further forward, move those seats further forward. It also helps you maximize the load. In the rear area we have just under 36 cubic feet of cargo space, which is a bit behind some of the larger entries in the compact category, but still very healthy overall.

It's worth noting that that measurement is taken with all of these second-row seats. back and in a somewhat reclined position, so if you moved them to a more upright position and moved them further forward so they were a little less comfortable, you would actually have more room in the back as you would expect in a crossover. There are a number of handy loading touches, for example we have a storage compartment right here and we also find the tire iron right next to it. There is enough space to store a roll-up cover if you have that particular option behind door number two we found. an even deeper storage compartment with a three commercial divider right there that would be very useful for placing larger items like groceries or that sort of thing.

In fact, I can completely remove that cargo divider from the back of the Santa Fe and then you can see how This cargo compartment is big because I can fit 22-inch wheeled bags down there in that cargo compartment and the cargo area It's actually flush with the floor with those back seats, if you're thinking this was all at the expense of the spare tire then fear not, it's actually hidden under the vehicle just below this first cargo compartment. As we look around the interior, keep in mind that we're essentially in the high-end trim. Our model has this very large panoramic sunroof that extends all the way back, above the heads of the rear passengers, this is one of the largest sunroofs in this segment.

It's a little difficult to film the headliner on this particular model because of the color, but this interior has a brown on brown theme and this headliner has a sort of speckled texture to give it a little more visual interest than most headliners. Interiors, we have two-way adjustable headrests and height-adjustable shoulder belts for the driver and front passenger and the model we are in has leather upholstery. The seats in this model have perforations right there in the center because these seats are heated and ventilated and the rear seats are also heated in this trim. Considering that the Santa Fe is a conventional vehicle, not a luxury vehicle, we still find a combination of hard and soft-touch plastics on the front doors.

You'll find those harder plastics on the bottom, around the bottle holders. Let me know what you think about this multi-toned brown interior color scheme. I have to say, I'm quite partial to The doors and dashboard feature some faux wood trim, but it's a little more believable than what we see on the Nissan Murano, although it's worth noting that the Jeep Grand Cherokee offers real wood trim. in its high-end finishes. a little closer to that molding, you can see that it's trying to imitate open, dark-stained wood. The overall theme of the interior actually reminds me a little bit of some modern butyl, so we get some nice touches that we don't normally find in conventional vehicles like In the texture of that speaker panel on the door, you can see that the edge of the The door panel swoops over the dashboard and arches and then meets the Infotainment Center, right there in the middle the infotainment system is located on the dashboard.

It's like a tablet and runs the same basic software found in other Hyundai vehicles. Apple Carplay and Android Auto are standard on all trims and the model we drove has the optional factory navigation system. I know some of you really don't like screens in this position, but there is a logical reason to have them here. The first is that it keeps the screen a little more in line of sight, so if you're driving down the road, it'll be much closer to you. Instead of looking down below the air vents where many older vehicles had their infotainment systems, the other reason is that having the screen so high but putting a pinnacle on it would make the dashboard look a little bulkier, think in those first generation BMW idrives. screens, so this definitely makes the dashboard look a little less bulky and brings that screen to the eye line below the infotainment screen, we find two large air vents, thestart button right there and the dual zone climate control, then we have the controls for the Heated and ventilated seats and the heated steering wheel below the climate controls we find a 12 volt power port USB input for the infotainment Auxiliary input A charging-only USB port and then a Qi wireless charging mat right down there at the bottom, you can see my phone is actually charging with that since it's connected to the USB and there's definitely enough room down there For some of the larger smartphones between the front seats, we have a fairly standard console shift or the drive is completely back, manual mode is over.

On the left and then behind we have buttons for the driving mode, this allows us to switch between sport comfort and intelligent automatic start-stop enable/disable hill descent control automatic brake hold down an electric parking brake a button to start/ turn off the parking sensors and a button to enable and disable the 360-degree camera, then we have two large cupholders on the right, further back, we have a padded center armrest that opens to reveal a moderately sized storage cubby, there is a little divider there so you can remove it. things and then there is a small tray right in front of it that is not completely covered by the lid.

The instrument cluster also reminds me a little of modern Buick models, especially the shape of the tachometer, fuel gauge, and engine temperature gauge here. However, most of what you're seeing is provided by this great color multifunction LCD. The LCD screen changes color as we change the driving mode, so if I switch to sport mode, for example, it turns red well, but the basic functions are quite similar to other Hyundai models. We have a torque meter to show you where the power is. Going into that all-wheel drive system, we have the typical information from our trip computer, the ability to change certain vehicle settings, most vehicle settings are done here, not in the infotainment system, and then Of course, we have turn-by-turn navigation instructions in the middle and then things like our range indication here on the right, a big speedometer right there in the middle there's also a digital speedometer and then the position of our range indication. transmission here on the left, the steering wheel is a round design, we have a split spoke bottom and sporty grips on the top, there are paddle shifters on the back of the steering wheel, on the left side, we have the buttons for the steering system infotainment including voice command mode send ik phone buttons down there and then on the right side we have the controls. for the radar adaptive cruise control system, you set the distance with this button, this button and then this joystick control, that multifunction LCD display right there in the instrument cluster in our zero to sixty test, this turbo model of 2 liter all-wheel drive, which is the heaviest.

The version went from zero to 60 in seven and a half seconds, which is a little better than I expected given the overall size and the fact that we have just under 240 horsepower. You'll find definitely faster entries from Jeep and of course Ford. Ford in its latest form has a twin-turbo V6 engine. It will definitely go from zero to 60 quickly, but not as fast as the Jeep Grand Cherokee. Of course, the G Grand Cherokee has a variety of different V8 engines available, but it's actually quite comparable to the v6-based Grand Cherokee, which I think is a logical comparison to it overall, but the acceleration times for this vehicle are actually about the same as the v6 version of the Grand Cherokee, which I think is a very solid contender for it overall in our braking test. stopped from 60 miles we are now back to zero and 120 feet, which is a pretty respectable distance overall for this category.

You'll stop a little shorter in something smaller, like a Tucson in the sportier versions or some of the other compact crossovers. It's in the US, but this is actually pretty good compared to larger 3-row crossovers. The Santa Fe's overall braking score and overall handling ability are helped by tire size. These tires are definitely wider than the average ones. The curb weight of the compact crossover was definitely also kept in check in this modern Santa Fe design and that helps because when you look at the curb weight figures, there are actually some compact crossovers that are a little bit heavier than this one, Along with an excellent suspension design, the Santa Fe handles very well on the road, but it doesn't have the rear-wheel drive dynamics found in the Grand Cherokee nor the precision found in higher-end versions of the Ford Edge like the rest. . of the driving dynamics and we head out onto a rougher road, the Santa Fe handles this much like a cross between a compact crossover and your average larger 3-row crossover, the ride is definitely more supple than some of those entries sportier like the Hyundai Tucson, especially in its firmer and slightly less soft format than something like a Nissan Pathfinder, which will be more comfortable on a longer road trip, but the overall added size and weight of this vehicle in comparison to the Tucson or some of those.

Other smaller crossovers are definitely noticeable when you hit a rougher road. This gravel road is a good place to talk about the all-wheel drive system if I were to stop and activate the all-wheel drive lock which is a button for me to the left of the steering wheel and then floor the vehicle we actually get a decent amount grip and it's really obvious that the center coupling is completely locked. Now you shouldn't activate that mode if you're on normal pavement, you should just use it. that in more complicated situations, because it can actually cause a bit of a jam and reduced drivability at those lower speeds, because of that, this vehicle will automatically engage the lock function as it increases a certain speed, the Hyundai's all-wheel drive system will send power front and rear whenever needed to improve overall traction stability and, of course, improve launch speeds, but it does not have a torque vectoring axle in either the front or rear. the rear, so power transitions from left to right would only use the braking system, it's obvious that Hyundai really spent a lot of time working on the overall quietness of the cabin and overall refinement, although when accelerating we did get a clear noise of the four-cylinder engine in the cabin.

Road noise and wind noise are very well controlled and in our cabin noise test it scored fairly. less than 70 decibels, which definitely puts it ahead of the average compact crossover in America and, in fact, relatively similar to many luxury crossovers that are about the same size as it. I have to say, aside from the engine note, it's a little harsher than I would say. As with a luxury crossover, the rest of the overall experience in the Santa Fe really punches above its weight. The overall feel of the Santa Fe on the road is very similar to the cabin, it feels more like a premium vehicle, more like an Acura or maybe a Buick than something like a Kia or a Hyundai or a Front or a Chevy unfortunately , the other area where the Santa Fe reminds me a little of a luxury or premium vehicle is overall fuel economy, now that we've been beating the EPA average. been getting about 20 2.2 miles per gallon during a week of mixed driving in this model and again, this is the turbo with all-wheel drive, the EPA says you should get 21 miles per gallon combined, but whether you get 21 or 22, You'll find better fuel economy in several of the competitors.

This overall fuel economy is relatively similar to a Grand Cherokee v6 and the Grand Cherokee is much heavier than it. It's also relatively similar to the twin-turbo V6 found in the Ford Edge, although that engine produces noticeably more power than this 2-liter turbo. For 2019, the Santa Fe starts at twenty-five thousand dollars, making it about three thousand dollars more expensive. than the Hyundai Tucson, but, oddly enough, even though the Santa Fe is sort of a half-step larger than the average compact crossover in America, it's only a thousand dollars more expensive than the new 2019 RAV4 and only about eleven hundred dollars more than the Honda CRV, making the Stata significantly less expensive than its more direct model.

Competition, the other type of mid-range two-row crossovers, the Santa Fe, costs about $3,000 less than the Chevy Blazer, about $4,000 less than the Ford Edge, $5,000 less than the Nissan Murano, and $6,000 less than the Jeep Grand Cherokee, of course, if you scratch the surface. However, after a while you'll realize that the Santa Fe isn't exactly the same as the other crossovers because we have that base 2.4-liter engine instead of a base turbo engine like we find in the Ford Edge, a base v6 like the that we find in the Murano or Grand Cherokee if you want the 2 liter turbo in the Murano that will cost you at least thirty-two thousand seven hundred dollars, which is more like the Grand Cherokee or Murano in terms of general pricing characteristics, it seems to cost a little More about the Santa Fe compared to the average compact crossover, so as you go from the base model to a limited model of the Santa Fe, for example, the delta between it and a comparably equipped Honda CRV grows a little .

We added about an extra $500 between the two, leaving that aside let's move on to the most direct competitor, I think it's the Ford Edge. Ford has revised the edge for 2019, but much of the vehicle remains the same, so the edge is not felt. As new as the Santa Fe inside or out because a lot of what we remember about the previous Edge revision remains the same for this model, but they've remade the engine lineup so now we have a base turbocharged four cylinders and two liters. or we have an incredible 2.7-liter twin-turbo V6 that should be tremendous fun compared to the Santa Fe, but on the other hand, you're going to spend a lot more on the advantage than the Santa Fe because, again, that base model is thousands of dollars more expensive and even when you adjust for the standard feature content differences between the two models and the added performance, it will still be a pretty big Delta, the big difference between the Edge and the Santa Fe will really be in the range of engines we get that standard 2 liter turbo, we get the much more powerful optional turbo v6 and that puts the top end level of performance in a really different category, the comparable price is therefore a bit tricky because Hyundai is not going after that same type of buyer here, instead they are targeting someone looking for a little better fuel economy in all sizes, but not necessarily the size with the performance that we find in those higher-end models in general, however, The Hyundai will definitely be less expensive, no matter how you look at it, than a similarly equipped front rim and will have a much longer warranty, but you do have to give up a bit of cargo capacity, the cargo area in the rim is absolutely huge, however, in exchange we have a much cooler interior feel and I definitely like the interior of a Santa Fe better than the rim.

With that out of the way, let's talk about some side competitors here because you could see the Santa Fe as a definite upgrade for something like a Tucson a/c RV or rav4 compared to the Hyundai Tucson, the extra money allows you to buy more power and transmission 8 speed automatic. Hyundai's latest standard active safety systems, not standard on the Tucson, are available, however, approximately three inches of additional rear legroom, more headroom and 14% more cargo space One of the main reasons you would prefer to buy the Santa Fe over the Tucson is that there is more room in the back seat, especially if you are someone who needs to fit child seats back there, it will be a lot.

It's more comfortable, it's much easier to fit child seats in the back and an adult in front, especially with rear-facing child seats, plus we get that larger, squarer cargo area compared to the Tucson, which begs the question of whether It's worth the price increase. Once you've adjusted the standard feature content, the Delta between the two models narrows considerably and the size, additional power, etc. In reality it will only cost you maybe a couple thousand dollars compared to a Tucson trying to equip it with the Santa Fe now. It's worth noting that it's really difficult to make that comparable comparison.because those active safety features aren't available on the base model of the Tucson, but personally you'd only find them on the top and trim if you were buying the Santa Fe. and the Tucson I would definitely pay more for the Santa Fe.

It feels more fresher, more luxurious inside, it's definitely a little more comfortable and the only reason I can think of to buy the Tucson instead of the Santa Fe would be if you can. You can't fit it in your garage, which brings us to the Honda CRV, another compact crossover. I think this comparison is a little more difficult because the two vehicles are actually a little closer together compared to the Tucson and Santa Fe. The CRV is very nice looking. well made interior and it's also quite spacious in its segment, so when you take a look at the combined legroom difference in the first row and the second row, although the Santa Fe is a little bigger, it's not much bigger than the CRV now, you'll still get a little more. a little more room for child seats, especially if you're really at the limit of fitting them in a CRV, but the cargo area actually shrinks a bit when you step up to the Santa Fe because the Santa Fe is prioritizing space for children a bit. the rear passengers. a little more than cargo area in terms of overall interior quality.

I think the models are actually very comparable and the CRV has one of the nicest interiors in the compact crossover segment. In fact, I think it compares very well to the interior we found in our Santa. What's most interesting this week is that the two vehicles are actually very comparable in price, with only a few thousand dollars separating the two models and you're more likely to get a slightly bigger discount at the Hyundai dealership than you are on the CRV at the Honda dealership. They'll have more or less the same reason, although it's worth noting that Hyundai gives you a longer standard warranty.

It's also worth noting that if you don't like continuously variable transmissions, you won't find them in the Santa Fe, but you will find them in In all versions of the CRV, in terms of overall power, we actually get about the same kind of power of the engines, interestingly very close: 185 horsepower in the base Santa Fe 184 horsepower in the base CRV Now, if you move up the CRV Up the ladder we get Honda's excellent 1.5-liter turbo and that will give you better performance than the base four-cylinder engine found in the Santa Fe and, in fact, although the Santa Fe's turbo gives us more power than the 1.5 in the CRV.

Overall performance is actually not that far off because we have that continuously variable transmission in the Honda and that really helps improve both performance and fuel economy. My conclusion about the 2019 Santa Fe is that the vehicle is definitely an oddball. when you look at compact and midsize crossovers because it sort of fits in the middle region, it's priced a little more like a compact crossover, a little less like the Edge Murano Grand Cherokee, etc., but it offers the extra space that As a result I would expect the next semi step up, this particular positioning of the Santa Fe to actually make for a really good sales proposition for the vehicle overall because if you're especially looking for mid-level or higher-end versions of the average compact crossover in America and you want a little bit of extra space, the Santa Fe really is one of the best options to upgrade from something like a CRV in a front lip or a CRV in a Nissan Murano will cost you a lot more for that extra space than transitioning something like that to the Santa Fe.

Hyundai is like playing in this particular segment with two different options. models in a way because the Tucson is on the small end of the compact crossover segment and the Santa Fe is a half-step larger, so they cover both bases with the two vehicles, so if you're looking for something that's smaller, it's easier. to fit in your garage that would be the Tucson if you are looking for something roomier that is a little more cargo and passenger friendly especially kids then that would be the Santa Fe let me know what you think about it in the comment. section below and if you are torn between these vehicles that we have discussed, which would be your best option, make sure to find us on facebook.com, slash Alex, not us and if you want to support this channel, go ahead and click there to In the At the top of your screen there is a link that will take you to patreon com where you can pledge to us monthly and I will see you next week.