’17 Hyundai Santa Fe a versatile, durable SUV
The 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe has a refreshed design, more LED lighting and a new drive mode that gives drivers more options. The Santa Fe has one of the strongest V-6 engines in its segment and is a comfortable ride for up to seven people.
The Santa Fe keeps getting better, and the public is responding. For 2017, the company will start building Santa Fe Sport models at the Montgomery, Alabama, plant to help meet increasing demand.
The three-row Santa Fe is powered by a 3.3-liter V-6 that produces 290 horsepower and 252 lb.-ft. of torque. The transmission is a six-speed automatic, and AWD is available. It’s a drivetrain that makes plenty of power for the Santa Fe, which weighs in at about 2 tons.
The Santa Fe scoots around city streets quickly and with ease, yet is substantial enough to ride alongside the big rigs out on the Interstate without getting blown around.
A new drive mode selector makes the driving experience more fun for 2017 with settings for Sport, Eco, and Normal. Unfortunately, the button for the drive mode selector is hidden in a bank of switches on the left side of the steering wheel. Most carmakers put drive mode switches on the center console where they’re easily accessible.
The Santa Fe comes in four trim levels starting at $30,800: SE, SE Ultimate, Limited, and Limited Ultimate. My test vehicle for the week was a 2017 Santa Fe Limited Ultimate with virtually every box checked on the amenity sheet.
Heated and ventilated seats check. A heated steering wheel, check. A bucket of sophisticated safety technology, check. Second-row captain’s chairs with a passthrough to row three, check.
The Santa Fe cabin is roomy, comfortable and has plenty of cubbies for storage. The Limited trim test Santa Fe was posh and polished with leather seats and upscale trim. Even the base SE trim has lots of standard amenities like power seats with lumbar support.
One of the nicest things about the cabin, however, is the panoramic sunroof. This massive window to the sky opens all the way back to the beginning of the third row, so even those in the very back can work on their tans.
Headroom is a generous 39.9 inches in the front seats and 39.4 inches in row two. Even back in row three, passengers will find 35.7 inches of headroom.
On the road, the Santa Fe is rigid enough to remain flat in hard corners, but the suspension isn’t so stiff that the ride suffers. The cabin is quiet and visibility is excellent from the driver’s seat.
Up front, gauges and controls are logical and intuitive, and the buttons are big enough for gloved hands. Connectivity is via Hyundai’s Blue Link telematics, which is standard on every Santa Fe. The 8-inch touchscreen at the top of the center stack is split-screen configurable and has crystal clear graphics. There is a pair of 12-volt outlets, a USB port, and an AUX port in a cove at the bottom of the center stack. It’s a userfriendly arrangement providing easy connections for your devices.
Passengers are not forgotten in the new Santa Fe either. Even row three has its own air conditioning and heating controls.
When it comes to safety, the new Santa Fe is a “Top Safety Pick Plus” from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
It’s the highest safety rating given by the IIHS, and the Santa Fe scores the top mark of “good” in every category, with a “superior” rating for front crash prevention.
If you’re looking for a solid, comfortable, and safe midsize SUV, you owe it to yourself to testdrive the 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe before making your choice.