Used 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe

Slotted in size and price between Hyundai’s also-impressive Tucson and Palisade SUVs, the midsize Hyundai Santa Fe is just-right sized for many drivers. If you want more space than a compact SUV but don’t need 3-row seating, then the Santa Fe could be right up your alley. It also carries one of the lowest starting prices in its class and an impressive list of standard features, which go a long way in adding to its value proposition.

The Santa Fe competes in a field of midsize 2-row crossover SUVs like the Ford Edge and Nissan Murano. On top of being a great value, the Santa Fe is good on gas and has a comfortable, nicely designed cabin. This Hyundai is an SUV that looks and feels like a more expensive crossover, especially in the upper trims where it can reach luxury territory.

The 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe is generally a pleasant midsize SUV to drive. The seats are comfortable, and there’s plenty of space, but some competitors offer a smoother, gentler ride. However, the somewhat firm ride is forgivable when you consider the well-balanced handling and host of tech features that come with this SUV.

The base 4-cylinder engine is adequate if you’re not going to be hauling people or cargo often. However, if you will be using this as a family SUV or if you just want a little more muscle, we recommend the available turbocharged engine. It offers a significant upgrade in performance while also being a little more fuel-efficient than the base engine.

Every Santa Fe has Comfort, Sport, and Smart drive modes. Sport mode tightens steering effort, adjusts transmission shift points and throttle response, and sends more torque to the rear wheels on all-wheel-drive models.

Smart mode lets the SUV do the work and decides which drive mode is the best fit at any given time based on driver inputs. If you’re driving economically, it will make adjustments to improve fuel economy. If it detects you are driving aggressively, it’ll behave more like Sport mode.

Being a midsize 2-row crossover, the Hyundai Santa Fe has pretty generous interior space for passengers and cargo. There’s plenty of legroom and headroom to comfortably seat four adults, plus their stuff in the back. The maximum seating capacity is five, but like most SUVs in this class, it gets a little cramped in the back if all three back seats are occupied. You can find additional cargo space under the rear cargo floor.

The interior design of the Santa Fe is very nice. There are a few low-rent materials here and there, but everything the driver touches uses good quality materials. Things get pretty ritzy in the upper trims, especially the top Calligraphy trim, which has quilted, Nappa leather seats, premium door trim, an eco-suede headliner, and expanded interior accent lighting.

The Hyundai Santa Fe bears a family resemblance to the bigger, 3-row Hyundai Palisade. It makes a bold impression, but it isn’t always a good impression depending on who you ask. You’ll probably either love or hate the prominent, gaping grille flanked by a T-shaped light signature. The rest of the body is nicely sculpted with a subtle character line seamlessly connecting the headlights to the taillights.

There’s a new-for-2022 XRT trim of the Santa Fe, giving it a more rugged appearance. Some unique touches include XRT-exclusive side moldings and wheels, lots of black exterior trim, a roof rack, and side steps. However, don’t get too excited. It’s merely the suggestion of an off-roader since it comes with no mechanical upgrades.

REMOTE SMART PARKING ASSIST
Remote Smart Parking Assist allows you to park your Santa Fe in tight spots by getting out of the car, pulling out your smartphone, and remotely pulling into or out of the parking spot.

HIGHWAY DRIVING ASSIST
Highway Driving Assist uses adaptive cruise control and lane-keep assist to make highway driving nearly effortless. However, it still requires you to keep your hands on the wheel and your eyes on the road.

The standard features list on the Hyundai Santa Fe is pretty generous when measured up against most competitors. For starters, it comes standard with Smart Sense safety tech features, which include automatic emergency braking, lane-keep assist, and driver attention alert. In addition, the standard infotainment system is an 8-inch screen with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

Other standard features include adaptive cruise control, 60/40 split-folding rear seats, dual front and rear USB ports, trailer sway control, a backup camera, alloy wheels, LED headlights, automatic headlights with high beam assist, stain-resistant cloth seats, and more.

Including the base SE model, there are five distinct trims available for the Hyundai Santa Fe. Upgrading to the SEL trim adds more features while remaining a great value. It adds additional safety and convenience features like blind-spot monitoring, heated front seats, wireless device charging, and push-button start.

There are two option packages available for the SEL model: the Convenience Package and Premium Package. The Convenience Package includes a hands-free power liftgate, dual-zone automatic climate control, Hyundai Digital Key, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, rear side sunshades, an auto-dimming mirror with HomeLink garage remote, power-folding rear seats, a rear occupant alert, and puddle lamps.

Add the Premium Package on top of the Convenience Package, and you’ll get a bigger 10.25-inch infotainment system with navigation, Harman Kardon premium audio, leather seats, Highway Driving Assist, a panoramic sunroof, LED taillights, and LED interior lights.

The new XRT trim is equipped similarly to the SEL with the Convenience Package. The difference comes with a rugged appearance package that adds unique wheels and side moldings, side steps, black exterior trim, and roof cross rails. The Santa Fe XRT looks cool but doesn’t have any mechanical upgrades to make it a better off-roader.

The Limited trim is where the turbocharged engine becomes standard. In terms of feature content, it builds on the SEL trim with both available packages, plus 19-inch alloy wheels, front and rear parking sensors, power-folding mirrors, a memory driver’s seat, ventilated front seats, heated steering wheel, heated rear seats, a Mélange headliner, driver’s seat power lumbar, a 360-degree camera, a blind-spot monitor, a 110-volt power outlet, rain-sensing wipers, and Remote Smart Parking Assist.

Finally, there’s the luxurious Calligraphy trim. On top of the turbocharged engine, it has a special appearance package with a unique 20-inch alloy wheel design and a premium finish grille. It also adds quilted Nappa leather seats, seat accent trim, premium door trim, premium side sill plates, expanded interior accent lighting, an Eco-suede headliner, a color head-up display, and auto up/down rear windows.

All-wheel drive is an option on every trim of the Hyundai Santa Fe.

There are two engine options under the hood of the 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe. The base engine is a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter inline-4, which is upgradable to a turbocharged 4-cylinder of the same size. In addition, there is also a Sante Fe Hybrid, which is reviewed separately.

The base engine in the Santa Fe is OK, but a bit uninspiring. It has enough grunt to move the Santa Fe around town and get on the highway, but it’s a bit short on highway passing power. We recommend upgrading to one of the turbocharged models if your budget allows it. The performance upgrade is significant, and the fuel economy is the same for both engines with front-wheel drive. Combined fuel economy is similar in all configurations, the most efficient being the base engine with FWD.

When properly equipped, the Hyundai Santa Fe has a maximum towing capacity of up to 3,500 pounds.

2.5-liter inline-4 (SE, SEL, XRT)
191 horsepower @ 6,100 rpm
181 lb-ft of torque @ 4,000 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 25/28 mpg (FWD), 22/25 mpg (AWD)

2.5-liter turbocharged inline-4 (Limited, Calligraphy)
277 horsepower @ 6,000 rpm
311 lb-ft of torque @ 4,000 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 22/28 mpg (FWD), 21/28 mpg (AWD)