Jack of all trades, master of none
Five things about the 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe
It’s been a fairly long time since I have driven a vehicle that had not one single reason — be it some special all-wheel-drive system, particularly parsimonious fuel economy, easy-to-use infotainment system, or whatever — to recommend it. Similarly, it‘s been an equally long while since I have driven a car that had a singular fault — uncomfortable seating, poor handling, hard-to-use infotainment system, or whatever — so damning that it rated a please-don’t-buy admonishment.
What’s even rarer, however — I really can’t remember anything like this since perhaps the fourth-generation Toyota Camry — is a vehicle with neither; no particular attribute to justify its purchase, nor any vice so damaging that even angels fear treading. But just such a vehicle is the 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe, a vehicle so competent there is absolutely no reason not to buy it, yet lacking in any one superlative so definitive that one can rest one’s (marketing) hat on it being a must buy. Here’s what I mean.
PRETTY POKEY TURBO
The Santa Fe’s 2.0-litre turbocharged four-banger has more than enough moxie to move it along smartly. After all, there’s 235 horsepower and, more importantly, 260 pound-feet of torque under hood, plus an eight-speed automatic to make said engine shine.
All that torque makes the Santa Fe pretty punchy, providing more than adequate passing power. But at full honk, Hyundai’s little turbocharged engine is more fury than fast. Yes, there is more go-juice than the base, naturally aspirated 2.4-litre four-cylinder, but with 82 extra lb.-ft. of torque, I expected more outright pep. Ford’s similarly powered Edge 2.0T has a little more jump, while the Kia Sorento and Nissan Murano both offer more powerful V6s as their top-ofthe-line powerplants.
There’s nothing wrong with the Santa Fe’s top-line engine, except that it’s surrounded by choices that are, by varying degrees — from the base Ford Edge to the V6 Murano — a little more adequate. Similarly, the boosted Hyundai offers …
The Nissan Murano boasts 25 more horsepower, from an engine with 1.5 more litres of displacement — both attributes that should really penalize the Nissan in the fuel economy department. And yet, the Murano’s official Transport Canada overall fuel rating is 11.7 L/100 kilometres in the city, 8.5 on the highway, and 10.3 overall. The Santa Fe, meanwhile, averages 12 in the city, 9.2 on the highway, and 10.7 overall.
Now, a fuel consumption difference of four-tenths over 100 kilometres is hardly a reason to buy one vehicle over another — according to Natural Resources Canada’s official calculation, the difference is $104 per year — but since the Santa Fe is both less powerful and less likely to match official ratings (turbocharged engines almost always have a harder time replicating their official numbers than naturally aspirated engines) the Hyundai would seem to offer no advantages here.
Similarly, the base Ford Edge 2.0T edges out (sorry, bad pun) the Santa Fe by 0.7 L/100 kilometres, while the powerhouse Edge ST — its 2.7L Ecoboost V6 boasting no less than 335 horses — is but three-tenths behind. Perhaps even more startling is that Hyundai’s own Palisade, a humongous tank of an SUV powered by a 3.8-litre V6, is rated at 11.1 L/100 kilometres combined, just four-tenths off the smaller Santa Fe. Again, there’s no big disadvantage that will shame Hyundai loyalists, but neither is there anything in the powertrain department that screams, “buy me!”
DECENT HANDLING
Running on lower-profile 18-inch wheels and tires — the top-of-the-line Ultimate comes with 19-inch wheels — rather than the 17-inchers of the base 2.4L Santa Fe, there’s a little less body roll with the 2.0T. It’s also more agile and a little spunkier on a twisty road.
That said, the steering is fairly numb. Of course, steering feedback is hardly a top attribute to most shopping for family CUVS, so the Santa Fe, at least in 2.0T guise, is a more than adequate. The same applies to the Hyundai’s ride; there is not much to complain about, but neither is it a magic carpet ride.
Indeed, if I found the Santa Fe’s powertrain slightly lesser than the segment’s median, then its ride and comportment is slightly above average. Either way, neither handling nor performance is a reason to run to — or away — from Hyundai’s crossover.
FAIRLY SPACIOUS CABIN
Inside, the one aspect of the Santa Fe that borders on the superlative is its relative roominess. Though ostensibly in the same segment as the aforementioned Ford Edge, it feels demonstrably more spacious. Not so much that you think it’s fighting above its weight class, but more than enough to be noticeable to the eye, and depending on which weight class you fight in, your butt.
All that size friendliness, however, is accompanied by somewhat tepid styling. While the build quality — materials, panel gaps, etc. — are all up to Hyundai’s recently excellent standard, the actual styling is a little lukewarm, almost as if the South Korean giant had designated sister-company Kia as purveyors of exciting interiors to hard-to-please Millennials, while Hyundai was to be shopped by we aging, supposedly-placid Boomers.
Love the Santa Fe for its roominess and addition of driver assists, but the interior décor is a humdrum. Even the trick side-mirror display in the gauge cluster — which is really nifty the first time you see it — falters a little, compromised by night and heavy snowfalls.
INFOTAINMENT
The Santa Fe’s infotainment system is, likewise, more than adequate but still just short of stellar. The system is quick enough and not particularly ornery when it comes to searching through submenus, but at seven inches (the Ultimate offers an eight-inch unit) the display is fairly small and the graphics are, well, tired. They remind me of Nissan’s even more dated little icons; informative but not particularly inviting. Indeed, the whole thing looks like it was designed by Microsoft — and to an Apple guy, this is not a good thing. I simply hooked up my iphone and used Carplay the entire time.
I think Hyundai’s latest Santa Fe will be a grand success. Indeed, I see quite a few on the road, so despite official sales figures being down (perhaps a result of the entire market being in a slump), the Santa Fe remains popular and ahead of most of its competition. Nonetheless, I suspect that loyal owners will have a hard time finding that one reason that they use to justify their choice of the Santa Fe. Such are the ups — and downs — of becoming mainstream.