2018 Hyundai Santa Fe Road Test and Review

2018 Hyundai Santa Fe hero driving ・ Photo by Hyundai

The 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe is a carryover from 2017, so there are no major changes for this year. It offers seating for up to seven passengers in an affordable and family-friendly crossover. It has a relatively small footprint that makes it ideal for city driving yet still provides a roomy interior that easily converts for hauling cargo instead of people.

Hyundai excels at offering cars that are an exceptional value and the Santa Fe is a perfect example. While other brands have a mind-boggling number of trims and options, Hyundai keeps it simple with three trim levels and a few well-conceived options packages. It’s easy to figure out what you need and stay within your budget. You’ll get far more for your money with a Hyundai than you will with competitors. Let’s take a closer look at the 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe and see if it’s the right crossover for you.

Powertrain

The Santa Fe is powered by a 3.3-liter V6 engine with 290 horsepower and 252 lb-ft of torque paired to a six-speed automatic transmission. This is your only powertrain choice regardless of the trim level. It’s a capable and quiet engine that does a nice job of getting the Santa Fe around town. It also has good acceleration that won’t leave you struggling to merge onto the highway.

The transmission is smooth overall; however, if you mash the gas pedal, it shifts more harshly. You can play around with that transmission by using the Drive Mode Select button on the dashboard, which offers a choice of economy, normal or sport modes that alter both the steering feel and shift points. If you’re looking for a sportier, more aggressive drive from your Santa Fe, then you’ll love sport mode.

Photo by Hyundai

Ride and Handling

The ride is smooth with a suspension system that quickly soaks up harsh bumps, so passengers don’t feel jostled by rough roads. It’s equally good on uneven pavement and rutted dirt surfaces. This is a vehicle designed to carry people, and Hyundai focused on making sure they enjoy the ride. Even those sitting in the third row will find the ride comfortable and relaxing.

Handling in a crossover can be sloppy, especially one large enough to accommodate seven passengers. Overall, the Santa Fe handles well with responsive steering and minimal body roll even in tight corners. The selectable sport mode provides a noticeable improvement to handling by tightening steering just enough to make it more precise without making the driver work too hard.

Photo by Hyundai

Fuel Economy

Fuel economy for the Hyundai Santa Fe is good with an EPA-estimated 18 mpg city and 25 mpg highway in the base SE trim equipped with front-wheel drive. Both the SE Ultimate and Limited Ultimate trims see a slight drop compared to the base model, down to 17 mpg city and 23 mpg highway. Choosing all-wheel drive drops any Santa Fe by 1 mpg on the highway only.

The numbers are competitive, but they aren’t exceptional, particularly when it comes to highway fuel economy. If fuel economy is a priority, the Kia Sorento and Toyota Highlander each achieve ratings of up to 28 mpg on the highway.

Photo by Hyundai

Exterior

The Santa Fe received a facelift last year, giving it a more updated look that keeps it in line with the rest of the Hyundai lineup. There’s a large six-sided grille up front that gives it character without becoming brash as it does in many of today’s crossovers. It has style, but it’s not an attention-getter. The Santa Fe might not be a minivan, but from a styling point of view, it very much looks the part aside from the absence of those sliding doors.

Roof side rails are standard, as are heated mirrors, chrome door handles, dual chrome-tipped exhaust and LED daytime running lights. Higher trims offer premium lower door trims, LED taillights, and HID headlights with dynamic bending to help see better in corners.

Photo by Hyundai

Interior

The exterior of the Santa Fe might be mild-mannered, but inside it’s a different story. Seating is roomy and comfortable with an available panoramic sunroof that makes this crossover feel bigger than it is, especially for third-row passengers. There’s room for up to seven people, but if you opt for the second-row captain’s chairs, then you have seating for six. The third row is tight, as most are, but it’s perfectly suited to the kids and occasional use by adults. Materials throughout are of high quality with available leather and wood finishes on higher trims. Options include head and ventilated front seats, a heated second row and rear sunshades. Standard across the lineup is an eight-way power driver’s seat with lumbar, three 12-volt power outlets, and a tilt and telescopic steering wheel. Hyundai isn’t considered a premium brand, but it offers a premium experience inside the Santa Fe.

Photo by Nicole Wakelin

Cargo and Towing

There is plenty of cargo capacity in the Santa Fe with the seats folded down, but space is cut short with the third row in use. There’s 13.5 cubic feet behind the third row, 40.9 cubic feet behind the second row and 80.0 cubic feet behind the third row. The second-row bench seat split-folds 40/20/40 for added flexibility when it’s a mix of people and cargo on board. The top trim gets folding second-row captain’s chairs.

Additional storage includes a large cubby beneath the center armrest, a smaller open storage area at the front of the center console, and a compartment beneath the cargo area. If there’s still not enough room in the Santa Fe for all your stuff, then you can take advantage of its towing capability. Standard towing is 2,000 pounds, but add on optional trailer brakes and that number more than doubles to 5,000 pounds.

Photo by Nicole Wakelin

Pricing and Trims

crossovers are family vehicles and pricing on the Santa Fe makes it appealing to those on a tight budget. The base SE starts at $30,850 with front-wheel drive. It includes dual-zone automatic temperature control, heated side mirrors and projector headlights. There’s a significant price jump to the SE Ultimate, which starts at $38,850 and adds a panoramic sunroof, leather seats, and heated first and second rows. The Limited Ultimate gets only a slight increase at $39,550 with the addition of standard second-row captain’s chairs.

Opt for all-wheel drive for an additional $1,750 on each trim. The SE offers a Premium Package for $3,650 with added safety and convenience features like rear cross-traffic alert and heated leather seats. It’s a nice way to get more luxury without the expense of going up a trim level. The SE Ultimate and Limited Ultimate each get a Tech Package for $2,100.

Photo by Hyundai

Safety and Technology

The 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe scored high marks in crash tests receiving a Top Safety Pick+ rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Since there are no significant changes for this model year, this 2018 is expected to fare equally well. Advanced safety features including rear parking sensors, a multi-view camera, lane departure warning and automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection are available, but unfortunately only on higher trims. They’re not even optional on the base model.

On the tech front, Hyundai improved its infotainment offering this year, including all services as standard for three years on Blue Link-equipped models. The infotainment system is intuitive and easy to use with a standard 7-inch display screen and both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for easy smartphone integration. SiriusXM/AM/FM/HD radio are standard with a six-speaker audio system. Higher trims feature a larger 8-inch touchscreen and an Infinity premium audio system.

Photo by Nicole Wakelin

Final Thoughts

The 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe is an affordable crossover with attractive styling and the features families crave. It hits a home run by offering an affordable base model that comes in just over $30,000 and isn’t too minimalist, with top trims providing more luxury-oriented features while keeping the price in check. It’s comfortable and versatile with plenty of room for cargo and people with the bonus of towing capacity.

It also has a comprehensive infotainment system with the latest features like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and newly expanded Blue Link offerings to keep the family connected. It rounds out its family-friendly attitude with advanced safety features and a history of strong crash test results. Families in need of a three-row SUV will appreciate the affordable pricing and find plenty to like about the 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe.

Photo by Hyundai