Hyundai Santa Fe 2022 Review

The Hyundai Santa Fe fills the gap between the compact Tucson and the midsize Palisade in Hyundai's SUV lineup. It still seats five passengers, but it provides more room than the Tucson and it's more affordable and maneuverable than the larger Palisade. Hyundai also offers the Santa Fe with a few different engine choices, including a hybrid and, for 2022, a new plug-in hybrid.

The 2022 Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid has a bigger battery pack than the regular Santa Fe Hybrid and that allows it to go about 30 miles on electric power alone. After that, it switches to regular gasoline-and-electric hybrid operation. As for the gasoline-only Santa Fe, there's a new XRT trim level that adds black exterior molding on the body, black bumper fascias, black roof rails and cross rails, and dark silver front and rear skidplates.

Value is key to the Santa Fe's appeal. You get a lot of features for the money and it's all backed by Hyundai's generous warranty. Be sure to read our Expert Rating below to find out what we think of the Santa Fe's other features. Alternatively, you might want to consider the well-rounded Honda Passport, the fuel-efficient Toyota Venza or the sporty Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport.

Which Santa Fe does MatoCar recommend?

The Hyundai Santa Fe is a five-passenger SUV available in five main trim levels: SE, SEL, XRT, Limited and Calligraphy. Front-wheel drive is standard and all-wheel drive is optional on all Santa Fe trims. Note that there's also the Santa Fe Hybrid and Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid, which are reviewed separately on MatoCar. Here's what you get on the regular Santa Fe:

SE Starts you off with:

• 2.5-liter four cylinder engine (191 horsepower, 181 lb-ft)
• Eight-speed automatic transmission
• 18-inch alloy wheels
• LED headlights
• Stain-resistant cloth upholstery
• 60/40-split folding rear seat
• 8-inch infotainment touchscreen
• Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone integration (with wireless connectivity)
• Four USB ports (two front and two rear)

Every Santa Fe comes standard with a generous number of advanced driver aids:

• Forward collision mitigation (warns you of an impending collision and applies the brakes in certain scenarios)
• Lane keeping assist (steers the Santa Fe back into its lane if it begins to drift over the lane marker)
• Driver attention warning (issues an alert if sensors determine you are becoming fatigued)
• Adaptive cruise control (adjusts speed to maintain a constant distance between the Santa Fe and the car in front)

SEL Adds more features, such as:

• Blind-spot monitor with rear cross-traffic alert (warns you if a vehicle is in your blind spot during a lane change or while reversing)
• Rear-passenger safe exit system (can prevent a rear passenger from opening a door into traffic approaching from behind)
• Keyless entry and push-button ignition
• Power-adjustable driver's seat
• Heated front seats
• Heated side mirrors
• Wireless smartphone charging pad
• Roof rails
• Hyundai's Blue Link connected services

Two option packages are available for the SEL trim.

Convenience package Includes upgrades such as:

• Hands-free power liftgate
• Noise-reducing front side windows
• Digital key (allows select phones to be used as a vehicle key)
• Dual-zone climate control
• Leather-wrapped steering wheel
• Rear passenger window sunshades
• Digital instrument panel
• Power-folding rear seats
• Rear seat reminder (alerts you to check the rear seat before exiting the vehicle and sounds the horn if motion is detected after the vehicle is locked)

Premium package Requires the Convenience package and adds:

• Panoramic sunroof
• Leather upholstery
• Power-adjustable front passenger seat
• Upgraded 12-speaker Harman Kardon audio system
• 10.25-inch infotainment touchscreen
• Lane keeping system (makes minor steering corrections to help keep the vehicle centered in its lane)

XRT Toughens up the exterior style of the Santa Fe with:

• XRT-specific dark exterior trim
• Unique 18-inch wheels
• XRT side steps
• Roof rack cross rails
• Body-colored door handles

Limited Adds the Convenience and Premium packages plus:

• More powerful turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder (281 hp, 311 lb-ft)
• 19-inch wheels
• Upgraded LED headlights
• Parking sensors (alert you to obstacles that may not be visible in front of or behind the vehicle when parking)
• Upgraded driver's seat with memory settings
• Ventilated front seats
• Heated steering wheel
• Heated rear seats
• Surround-view camera system (gives you a top-down view of the Santa Fe and its surroundings for tight parking situations)
• Blind-spot camera (displays a live camera view of the Santa Fe's blind spot in the instrument panel when changing lanes)
• Rain-sensing wipers
• Automated parking system (steers into a parking spot with little or no driver intervention)

Calligraphy Adds extra luxury with:

• 20-inch wheels
• Unique exterior trim
• Premium leather seating with quilted stitching
• Ambient interior lighting
• Faux suede headliner
• Head-up display (displays important information in your sight line on the windshield)