2020 Hyundai Santa Fe

History/Overview

The Hyundai Santa Fe is the South Korean brand's mid-size SUV model. This long-standing member of the Hyundai lineup was redesigned into its fourth generation in 2019.

What's New / Key Changes from Last Year

For 2020, the Santa Fe shuffles some features around its various trim levels. A renamed Preferred Turbo with Sun and Leather (formerly simply called Preferred Turbo) model gains leather seating, a power front passenger seat, and a panoramic sunroof.

All Preferred trim models get rear window sun shades. However, last year's available sliding rear seats are gone.

LED interior lighting moves down the ladder to become standard in Preferred Turbo trim, and is now optional in non-turbo Preferred models. New to the standard features list is a rear seat occupant alert.

Available Trims

Hyundai offers the Santa Fe in Essential, Preferred, Preferred Turbo with Sun and Leather, Luxury, and Ultimate trim levels. Essential and Preferred use a 2.4L four-cylinder engine, while the top three get a 2.0L turbo engine. An eight-speed transmission is common to all trims. Essential is the sole version offered with FWD; it's optional with AWD, which is standard elsewhere.

Standard Features

Essential trim starts things off with 17-inch alloy wheels, automatic on/off headlights, LED daytime running lights and front accent lighting, fog lights, power-adjustable/heated side mirrors, heated front seats, a six-way manual driver's seat with lumbar, a 7.0-inch infotainment screen, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, four USB ports (three are charge-only), Bluetooth, leather-trimmed shifter and steering wheel, air conditioning, cruise control, a heated/tilt-and-telescopic steering wheel, and a rear-seat occupant alert.

The Preferred package adds 18-inch wheels, blind spot monitoring, manual rear-door sun shades, satellite radio, BlueLink, dual-zone automatic climate control, passive keyless entry, and an auto-dimming rearview mirror with integrated garage door opener.

Preferred also adds a number of driver assists, like adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning with pedestrian detection and automatic braking, lane keeping assist, driver attention warning, automatic high beams, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, safe exit assist, rear parking sensors, and an upgraded rear-seat occupant system with ultrasonic sensors.

Preferred Turbo with Sun and Leather adds the turbo engine, leather seating, an eight-way power driver's seat, a leather console cover, upgraded cloth headlining, a panoramic sunroof, trailer pre-wiring and transmission cooler, and LED interior lighting.

The Luxury package brings dark chrome door handles, four-way driver lumbar, ventilated front seats with bottom cushion extension, heated rear seats, 360-degree exterior camera views, door scuff plates, a 7.0-inch digital gauge cluster display, a hands-free power tailgate, and a blind spot view monitor.

Finally, Ultimate models gain 19-inch wheels, LED headlights, fog lights and taillights, rain-sensing wipers, an 8.0-inch touchscreen with navigation and a 12-speaker Infinity stereo system, a head-up display, wireless smartphone charging, and tire pressure monitoring.

Key Options

Essential trim can be optioned with a basic set of the driver assists that are standard in Preferred and higher trims.

Fuel Economy

Hyundai's fuel consumption estimates for the Santa Fe are 10.8/8.0 L/100 km (city/highway) for 2.4L/FWD models, and 11.3/8.8 L/100 km with the 2.4L/AWD combo.

All 2.0L/AWD Santa Fe variants are rated 12.0/9.2 L/100 km (city/highway).

Competition

The Santa Fe's five-seat interior means it goes up against a subset of the mid-size crossover field that includes the Honda Passport, the Nissan Murano, Subaru's Outback, the Ford Edge and the Chevrolet Blazer.

There are also a few seven-seaters to consider, like the Mazda CX-9 and GMC Acadia, which have three rows of seating but live at the smaller end of the seven-seat mid-size category.