Topic: First Drive: 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe

[AutoTrader.ca]

No ifs, no buts.
Read more...

[Ex-airbalancer]

Infinity wants its design back
In pictures that dash look cheap
I guess everyone likes a big mouth on their cars

[Jaeger]

SUVs aren't my thing but that looks pretty good to me inside and out.  I could do without the body creases over the wheel arches, but overall it certainly presents as a more attractive and upscale-looking vehicle than the one it replaces. 

My segment faves are still Mazda, and.... well.... probably have to jump up to Audi after that.

[ChaosphereIX]

will continue to sell extremely well and be everywhere in suburbs throughout Canada

and still is as boring as butter

[z973]

I was checking the prise online the least expansive AWD model is 32000 and the 2.0t starts at 37000 and end at 45000
Hyundai in my mind doesn't deliver much value anymore

[mlin32]

That implementation of the tacked-on-iPad central display looks particularly cheap. Overall the interior design doesn't have much.....design or creativity to it. Nothing groundbreaking, in general.

But it'll still sell well, I'm sure.

[whaddaiknow]

As a former Santa Fe owner, I see nothing in this iteration that attracts me.
The interior looks cheap, the DRL look good but the headlights look ugly (Cherokee tried it and thank goodness reversed that design decision).
The EPA combined rating for the 2.0T is the same as '19 RAM 1500 3.6 eTorque.
Hyundai lost its value proposition.

[dkaz]

I saw one of these on the road yesterday, looked sharp if not a little Mazda-esque. I was never a fan of how they did they finished off the rear quarter window on the previous generation, it looks a lot better here.

Common gripe with many other manufacturers but not sure why they couldn't do dual zone auto climate in all trims.

[tooscoops]

it's not that they can't... it would likely streamline production and might actually save money in that process. but they have to find little things to take away from the lower levels to make you want to jump to higher trim levels that will have a higher profit margin.

looks like a nice rig and will sell well. as others have mentioned, the fact that they are no longer the "cheap" option might hurt them for now, but makes sense for the future of the brand. can't improve in all aspects and stay too frugal.

few take-aways... love that they are changing the naming structure for the 3 row crossover... never liked the XL thing. made it hard to figure out what vehicle my customers were cross-shopping! also, I am a fan of the naming structure of the packages. too often manufacturers are trying to come up with some way to say entry level without it sounding like an insult. calling it "base" always upsets people... guy was just going to trade in his ATS and it came up as a "base"... he was offended when I referred to it as such. Essential is a way of saying "entry level, but still has all you really *need*".

oh, and you repeat heads up display in the third last paragraph.

[Robin2]

Wife had a 2010 Santa Fe and had the same base engine in 2019 Santa fe

the 2.4L with 6spd been around a long time and it's not the best either.  Looking at Fuelly site, 2018's are still as bad as our 2010 Santa fe in fuel ratings.... getting low 20mpg only.  The 2.4L engine combo sells a lot and they'll keep on selling it.  I couldn't pay near $40k for this basic vehicle in awd trim.  certainly not the bargain and lots of other options out there.

[carcrazed]

SUVs aren't my thing but that looks pretty good to me inside and out.  I could do without the body creases over the wheel arches, but overall it certainly presents as a more attractive and upscale-looking vehicle than the one it replaces. 

My segment faves are still Mazda, and.... well.... probably have to jump up to Audi after that.

That alone would take this off my list.  Plus the placement of the headline would prove to be costly with what could have been a bumper-scraping incident in a parking lot.

CX-5 would be my pick if they brought ACP/AA to it. It's way overdue.

[dirtyjeffer]

i think this looks decent inside and out as well...maybe not class leading in any way, but certainly not offensive...likely what's hot in this segment is features people want, which these always seem to include, which is why they've sold so well in the last decade or so...i'm kind of surprised they're still using the 2.4L to be honest...in a vehicle like this, it's a bit of a dog...but, the reality is, there's a lot of them out there, so it's likely just us that feel that way...our Sorento has the 2.0T and it really matches the vehicle well, so i'm sure it's a worthy option for this vehicle too.

[carcrazed]

i think this looks decent inside and out as well...maybe not class leading in any way, but certainly not offensive...likely what's hot in this segment is features people want, which these always seem to include, which is why they've sold so well in the last decade or so...i'm kind of surprised they're still using the 2.4L to be honest...in a vehicle like this, it's a bit of a dog...but, the reality is, there's a lot of them out there, so it's likely just us that feel that way...our Sorento has the 2.0T and it really matches the vehicle well, so i'm sure it's a worthy option for this vehicle too.

Sorento is a larger & heavier car, no?
Two of my friends (non-car people) have Santa Fe with non-turbo I4s and they don't find it underpowered as a DD family car.

[dkaz]

That alone would take this off my list.  Plus the placement of the headline would prove to be costly with what could have been a bumper-scraping incident in a parking lot.

CX-5 would be my pick if they brought ACP/AA to it. It's way overdue.

The CX-5 is smaller though being a compact vs. the midsize Santa Fe.

Should Mazda bring back a two row mid size CUV like the old CX-7?

i think this looks decent inside and out as well...maybe not class leading in any way, but certainly not offensive...likely what's hot in this segment is features people want, which these always seem to include, which is why they've sold so well in the last decade or so...i'm kind of surprised they're still using the 2.4L to be honest...in a vehicle like this, it's a bit of a dog...but, the reality is, there's a lot of them out there, so it's likely just us that feel that way...our Sorento has the 2.0T and it really matches the vehicle well, so i'm sure it's a worthy option for this vehicle too.

Sorento is a larger & heavier car, no?

Nope, same size.

[dirtyjeffer]

Sorento is a larger & heavier car, no?

not exactly sure about the 2019 model, but ours is a 2016...it's a bit bigger than a Sante Fe, but not as big as a Santa Fe XL.

Two of my friends (non-car people) have Santa Fe with non-turbo I4s and they don't find it underpowered as a DD family car.

makes sense...as i said, it's likely just us (car enthusiasts) that find it underwhelming...i'm sure it's fine for the masses (it must be, they sell tons of them).

[greengs]

As a former Santa Fe owner, I see nothing in this iteration that attracts me.
The interior looks cheap, the DRL look good but the headlights look ugly (Cherokee tried it and thank goodness reversed that design decision).
The EPA combined rating for the 2.0T is the same as '19 RAM 1500 3.6 eTorque.
Hyundai lost its value proposition.

I just looked it up.  That has to be the worst fuel econ rating in the segment.  The V6 highlander is rated better. 

[Ex-airbalancer]

Are They being sold yet
Pretty sure I saw one in a driveway just north of Cobourg
It was a dark blue maybe black in colour

[ChaosphereIX]

Are They being sold yet
Pretty sure I saw one in a driveway just north of Cobourg
It was a dark blue maybe black in colour

I think so. But you know as soon as they are available, you sill see them everywhere. I bet each shop pushes out 10-15 a day as the faithful trade in the 2012s for the new models.

These will be everywhere.

[dirtyjeffer]

Are They being sold yet
Pretty sure I saw one in a driveway just north of Cobourg
It was a dark blue maybe black in colour

I think so. But you know as soon as they are available, you sill see them everywhere. I bet each shop pushes out 10-15 a day as the faithful trade in the 2012s for the new models.

These will be everywhere.

now that my Rio5 is getting a bit older, i keep getting flyers from the dealership saying how they really want my vehicle for a trade as it is in high demand (seriously, who falls for this BS?) and can give me special deals on a newer model vehicle...the plan is to still keep this vehicle for another 3-4 years.

[ChaosphereIX]

lol yeah that is BS

I once got a letter...from my old employer...saying they wanted my high mileage 07 Saab for trade because it was in high demand HAH!

also that special deal is "loyalty" credit combined with door-crashing rates on the new model to take market share while it is hot, which is nothing special whatsoever