2017 Hyundai Santa Fe AWD

Assuming a six-year product cycle, the current, third-generation Santa Fe has entered the twilight of life, so Hyundai made some changes for the 2017 model year to keep things fresh. In addition to a more sophisticated look, Hyundai added a new top-level trim called Ultimate and upped its tech game. With the smaller, five-passenger Santa Fe Sport playing in the small-crossover field, the Santa Fe offers standard three-row seating and V-6 power.

The base SE model with front-wheel drive starts at $31,695. The next-up Limited trim is $35,845, the SE Ultimate trim rings in at $39,595, and the Limited Ultimate starts at $40,295. For all trim levels, all-wheel drive adds $1750. Our Santa Fe Limited Ultimate AWD test vehicle had a total price of $44,295 with the optional $2100 Tech package and $150 carpeted floor mats.

Santa’s Makeover

From a design standpoint, there’s a sharper-edged front bumper, restyled headlights and taillights, new vertical LED daytime running lights, and a wider grille, as well as tweaks to the wheels and the exhaust tips. The cumulative effect is a more assertive and less cartoonish look for this crossover.

The interior sees fewer changes. In fact, it’s largely the same as when the current Santa Fe arrived for the 2013 model year. The smattering of buttons in the center stack looks a bit messy compared to the horizontal design other Hyundais have adopted. The dashtop is covered by a rubbery textured material, while faux metal and wood trim pieces are convincing enough to pass for the real stuff. Fit and finish are solid, evidenced by the lack of rattles while driving over unpaved roads that seem more like ski moguls than paths for vehicles.

Space Jam

Three-row mid-size SUVs are the minivans of the modern age, and as such, interior roominess is paramount. At 110.2 inches, the Santa Fe’s wheelbase is one of the shortest in the class, and the Hyundai’s length, width, and height are at the bottom of the pack as well. Still, the Santa Fe manages to provide 144 cubic feet of passenger volume, which is about average for the segment. Space in the standard third row is lacking, however, especially compared with the redesigned Chevrolet Traverse, the new Volkswagen Atlas, and the Honda Pilot.

Seven-passenger seating (with a sliding second-row bench) is standard on the Santa Fe. The Limited and Limited Ultimate have second-row captain’s chairs for a six-passenger configuration. The rearmost row is a two-passenger 50/50 split-folding bench seat. Those looking to seat eight in this segment should redirect their attention to the Pilot, the Traverse, or the Toyota Highlander, all of which provide seatbelts for three in their third-row benches.

The Santa Fe’s cargo-carrying capacities also fall toward the smaller end of the spectrum. Its 14 cubic feet of volume behind the third row lands it in the bottom third among the competition, while its 80 cubic feet of space with all the seats folded is in the bottom half of mid-size crossovers.

Where the Santa Fe excels is comfort. The seats are supportive but not overly firm, and the chassis handles bumps and broken pavement with aplomb. The steering is light but accurate, and it can be tightened up ever so slightly with the three-mode drive selector. Overall, it’s an isolated and slightly numb driving experience, which tends to be the norm for family buses like this.

Like a V-6

Powering the 4371-pound Santa Fe is a 3.3-liter V-6 engine that makes 290 horsepower and 252 lb-ft of torque. This direct-injected engine with variable valve timing is shared with the Kia Sorento, among other vehicles. It’s coupled with a six-speed automatic transmission. Towing is rated at commendable 5000 pounds. In our testing, the Santa Fe did zero to 60 mph in 7.3 seconds and ran the quarter-mile in 15.8 seconds at 90 mph. Those results fall in line with our test results for the Dodge Durango and the Nissan Pathfinder. The GMC Acadia and the Honda Pilot, however, both beat the Santa Fe by more than a second, reaching 60 mph in 6.2 seconds.

If fuel economy is a priority, the Mazda CX-9, Highlander, Traverse, Acadia, Pathfinder, and Atlas all offer either smaller-displacement V-6s or four-cylinder engines for better gas mileage. As for the Santa Fe, it’s rated at 17/22/19 mpg city/highway/combined with all-wheel drive; we found those figures to be slightly optimistic, as we saw 16 mpg overall. High mileage figures aren’t really expected from an SUV this size, but the Santa Fe’s observed result is only 1 mpg better than we saw in tests of the Lexus LX570 and the Infiniti QX80, both larger, V-8–powered sport-utility vehicles. It doesn’t help that the six-speed transmission, which is down a few ratios compared to the new eight- and nine-speeds available elsewhere, at times struggles to find the right gear.

Technology and Stuff

Hyundais have always packed in a lot of features, and that’s one of the Santa Fe’s strong points. The top-of-the-line Santa Fe Limited Ultimate comes standard with a 12-way power driver’s seat with memory, a massive sunroof, heated and ventilated front seats, heated second-row seats, a heated steering wheel, four 12-volt power outlets, a 115-volt outlet in the cargo area, and two USB ports (one under the climate controls up front and one in the third row). Drivers can use Bluetooth to integrate phone functionality or send music to the 12-speaker Infinity system and Blue Link to connect the Santa Fe to mobile and home devices. An 8.0-inch infotainment and navigation touchscreen is added starting at the SE Ultimate trim level, but Android Auto and Apple CarPlay capability is standard even on the lesser 7.0-inch display.

Blind-spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert, a multiview 360-degree camera, individual tire-pressure monitoring, and parking sensors also come standard. To that list of safety features, the $2100 Tech package adds adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go functionality, automated emergency braking, lane-departure warning, steerable HID headlights, and automatic high-beams.

The Santa Fe has great tech and safety features, especially for the price, and is capable of handling just about everything you’d need day to day. Fuel economy and interior space push it back in the pack, however, and with so many competitors in the midst of introducing newer models, it’s starting to feel outclassed.

Specifications >

VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, front- or 4-wheel-drive, 6- or 7-passenger, 4-door hatchback

PRICE AS TESTED: $44,295 (base price: $41,150)

ENGINE TYPE: DOHC 24-valve V-6, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injection

Displacement: 204 cu in, 3342 cc
Power: 290 hp @ 6400 rpm
Torque: 252 lb-ft @ 5200 rpm

TRANSMISSION: 6-speed automatic with manual shifting mode

DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 110.2 in
Length: 193.1 in
Width: 74.2 in Height: 66.5 in
Passenger volume: 144 cu ft
Cargo volume: 14 cu ft
Curb weight: 4371 lb

C/D TEST RESULTS:
Zero to 60 mph: 7.3 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 20.3 sec
Zero to 130 mph: 35.7 sec
Rolling start, 5–60 mph: 8.0 sec
Top gear, 30–50 mph: 3.9 sec
Top gear, 50–70 mph: 5.2 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 15.8 sec @ 90 mph
Top speed (drag limited): 130 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 178 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad*: 0.78 g

FUEL ECONOMY:
EPA combined/city/highway: 19/17/22 mpg
C/D observed: 16 mpg

*stability-control-inhibited