Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
I must admit I was a bit concerned when I heard that Hyundai was replacing its then new Veracruz with a longer wheelbase Santa Fe, but I hadn’t seen it yet. The new Santa Fe’s completely reworked styling easily had me forgetting the Veracruz, while newfound size and substantive road presence targeted it directly at other large-midsize crossovers such as Honda’s Pilot and Toyota’s Highlander. Hyundai’s
Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
To make sure the popular five-seat Santa Fe didn’t lose any fans by forcing would-be buyers into a larger seven-passenger CUV, Hyundai split up the offering into two sizes, the smaller model being the Santa Fe Sport and the larger one getting
Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
Before I delve into the expected interior roominess aspects of the XL design, I thought I’d touch a bit on the unexpected styling differences between the two Santa Fe models. It would’ve been easy for Hyundai to have simply stretched the five-seater by the aforementioned parameters and called it a day, but they understood the larger ute is targeting a different, often more mature and slightly more conservative family buyer replete with three-plus children, the oldest of which are at least tweens if not teens. Therefore the grille, while still framed in the brand’s now familiar trapezoidal shape, gets four narrow chromed slats instead
Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
Likewise, once inside the two sport utes are more than just kissing cousins ahead of the second-row seatbacks. I recently drove and reviewed a Santa Fe Sport 2.0T SE, and the similarities between the two were blatant, although that model’s turbocharged
Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
My tester was dressed up in one of the most popular trims Hyundai Canada sells, Luxury, which along with its $39,899 price tag (plus $1,795 for freight) includes many of the types of features expected as standard and optional equipment in premium-level crossovers, such as all the usual powered accessories including powered and heated side mirrors, plus automatic headlights, an auto-dimming rearview mirror with an integrated HomeLink garage door opener and compass, a leather-wrapped
Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
If you want the convenience of proximity sensing remote access with pushbutton start, a better sounding 10-speaker Infinity sound system with a 12-channel external amplifier, or a larger eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system with navigation,
Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
All of these features wouldn’t be half as impressive if the Santa Fe XL wasn’t able to measure up to near-premium levels of fit, finish and materials quality, but Hyundai does a credible job of delivering the types of feel-good surface treatments expected in the class above. For instance, the dash-top is completely soft to the touch, which isn’t the case with all premium-branded seven-passenger CUVs, while that attractive, nice feeling and sound absorbing material flows down the front of the instrument panel too, as well as along the door uppers front and rear.
Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
That 12-way powered driver seat I mentioned previously is ultra-supportive, while all the seating positions offer a high level of adjustability and comfort. Even the third row allowed my five-foot-eight frame inside, but it’s not the roomiest rear seat in the industry and should probably be reserved for kids unless you minimize adult use to short hops around town.
Driving in mind, the Santa Fe XL moves along at a fast pace thanks to its standard 3.3-litre direct-injection V6. The engine sends a ready and willing 290 horsepower and
Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
Of course that’s not the way most will drive the XL, parents more concerned with fuel economy than slamming through curves or straight-ahead acceleration. To that end Hyundai includes their Active Eco indicator switch to the left of the steering column, helpful in eking out as much efficiency from big family hauler as possible. Transport Canada rates the XL at a rather optimistic 11.8 L/100km in the city, 8.0 on the highway and 10.1 combined, although you shouldn’t expect to achieve these numbers without using hypermiling techniques. A new five-cycle testing
Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
The 2015 Santa Fe XL will remain more or less the same as this one by the way, along with its practical tri-row layout and much-improved cargo capacity. It includes 383 litres of gear hauling space behind the third row, which is about the size of a Hyundai Accent Sedan’s trunk, and when you lay that third row flat there are 240 additional litres of cargo space over the five-passenger Santa Fe Sport, the new total measuring 1,159 litres. With both rear seatbacks tumbled forward the XL can load a maximum of 2,265 litres of life’s baggage, not to mention 51 litres of hidden storage below the cargo floor. Those rearmost seatbacks are configured in the usual 50/50 split, incidentally,
Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
I could only come up with a single complaint during my test drive, and it has more to do with current trends to push mainstream volume models into premium territory, a business model Hyundai has been responsible for creating with the aforementioned Veracruz and others. Where some manufacturers have just started adding large full-colour infotainment displays in their base models, Hyundai is still charging extra for the nicer system. My Luxury model had a rather small 4.3-inch display audio touchscreen that also housed the reverse camera system, making it look a little less advanced and not function at quite as high a level. This said, moving up to the trim level that includes the larger screen costs less in the Santa Fe XL than many competitors, and at that level you’ll be driving a
Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
The base FWD Santa Fe XL starts at only $31,099 plus freight, while a totally loaded Limited with Saddle Leather can be had for just $43,499. Compare that to a many of its peers and it will quickly become apparent you’ll save anywhere from thousands to tens of thousands if you opt for the Korean brand’s seven-passenger crossover.
That value proposition is what causes many buyers to investigate Hyundai in the first place, and once they purchase few ever go back to the brand they came from. Vehicles like the Santa Fe XL are testament to why they stay, while brand reliability is better than average and Hyundai’s five-year, 100,000 km comprehensive warranty is one of the best in the industry.
Make no mistake, the Santa Fe XL deserves to be on your seven-passenger CUV shopping list.
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