2022 Hyundai Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid

History/Overview

The Hyundai Santa Fe is a big name in the mid-size crossover segment, having had more than 20 years to build a loyal following among fans of practical family transportation. Hyundai redesigned the Santa Fe in 2019 and refreshed it last year.

What’s New/Key Changes From Last Year

New for 2022 is the plug-in hybrid powertrain you’re reading about right now. It introduces Santa Fe buyers to EV driving with a promise of 50 km of electric range on a full charge of the battery.

Available Trims

Hyundai offers the Santa Fe PHEV in Preferred and Luxury trim levels. Standard in both is a 1.6L turbo four-cylinder gas engine/electric motor combo, which powers all four wheels through a six-speed automatic transmission.

Standard Features

Preferred trim comes with 18-inch wheels, auto on/off LED headlights, heated side mirrors, and passive keyless entry.

Inside, there’s an auto-dimming mirror, heated front seats, a power driver’s seat, an 8.0-inch touchscreen, wireless Apple/Android smartphone integration, dual-zone A/C, heated steering wheel, and rear side sun shades.

Standard safety items include blind spot detection, adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning with pedestrian/cyclist detection, lane keeping assist, lane follow assist, driver attention warning, automatic high beams, rear cross-traffic warning, safe exit assist, rear occupant alert, and rear parking sensors.

Luxury trim adds 19-inch wheels, LED taillights, rain-sensing wipers, a power front-passenger seat, leather upholstery, ventilated front seats with a leg cushion extension, heated rear seats, wireless smartphone charging, a digital gauge cluster, panoramic sunroof, and hands-free tailgate.

Fuel Economy

Hyundai’s energy consumption estimates for the Santa Fe PHEV are 3.1 Le/100 km in all-electric mode, and 7.1/7.3 L/100 km (city/highway) in gas-electric hybrid mode.

Competition

While the conventional Santa Fe faces a vast array of competition in the mid-size crossover segment, the PHEV version competes in a smaller sub-class, where you can cross-shop it against the Toyota RAV4 Prime and Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV – which are technically compacts but nonetheless the Santa Fe PHEV’s closest direct competitors.