Used 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe

A midsize 7-passenger SUV, the 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe is popular with families because it offers plenty of space, impressive features and a standard 290-horsepower 3.3-liter engine, which is the most powerful naturally aspirated V6 in its class. With a starting price just over $31,000, three rows of seats and the highest possible safety ratings, the new 2018 Santa Fe competes in the crowded midsize SUV segment. Its rivals include the Kia Sorento, Honda Pilot, Toyota Highlander, Mazda CX-9, Nissan Pathfinder, GMC Acadia, Ford Explorer, Volkswagen Atlas and Chevy Traverse. Four trim levels are available, SE, Limited, SE Ultimate and the top-of-the-line Limited Ultimate, which sounds properly aspirational. All-wheel drive is available on all models for an additional $1,750, and Hyundai’s 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty is standard.

While Mazda’s CX-9 may have set a new standard for 7-passenger SUV handling, the 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe SUV isn’t far from this benchmark. The Santa Fe offers more horsepower than the Mazda and features Drive Mode Select, a 3-position setting that permits the driver to change steering feel and transmission shift points ranging from Economy to Comfort to Sport mode. The Santa Fe’s suspension settings permit confident cornering devoid of excessive sway while simultaneously avoiding too harsh a ride. Interior sound levels are more than acceptable, although we think the Nissan Pathfinder and Ford Explorer do a better job. As for power, the 2018 Santa Fe’s 290-horsepower 3.3-liter V6 delivers when it counts most, with excellent off-the-line acceleration and ample power for low-speed passing maneuvers. All-wheel drive (AWD) does add more weight and thus a very slight reduction in acceleration times over the front-wheel-drive (FWD) models.

Two seating configurations are offered in the 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe. The standard 2nd-row bench not only reclines, but it’s split 40/20/40 and slides forward to maximize legroom back in the third row. In this configuration the new Santa Fe seats seven. If that’s one too many, two 2nd-row captain’s chairs are available, which are not only more comfortable but they ease access to the Hyundai’s third row. Front-seat comfort is high, and the base model’s stain-resistant cloth fabric feels good. All materials are impressive down to the rubber that lines the inside of the door pulls.

Last year Hyundai nipped and tucked the exterior of the Santa Fe and the surgery was a success. The SUV rolled out of the design studio with a new 5-bar grille, a more aggressive front end and a shapelier backside. It’s contemporary with strong shoulders, flared fenders and an aggressively canted backlight. Squint and its three-quarter rear view, with its oversized angular tailpipes, is reminiscent of the BMW X5. The base SE model gets the integrated rear spoiler and very attractive 18-inch wheels, while the Limited versions are dressed up with integrated fog lights, roof rails and 19-inch wheels.

AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING WITH PEDESTRIAN DETECTION
When equipped with this system, the 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe is rated a Top Safety Pick+ by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Within certain parameters, if the system determines a crash is imminent and the driver does not react, it will apply the full force of the SUV’s brakes.

MULTI-VIEW CAMERA SYSTEM
This is a rearview camera on steroids. It uses four cameras mounted all around the Santa Fe’s exterior and provides multiple views around the vehicle including front and side views displayed on the nav screen. There’s even a 360-degree overhead bird’s-eye view of the SUV and its surroundings.

Santa Fe SE drivers with a long journey ahead will appreciate the multi-adjustable front bucket seats with power-adjustable lumbar support. Passengers farther back will give thanks to the 3rd-row controls for air conditioning and heating. Stepping up to the 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe Limited includes luxuries like leather seating — power-adjustable and heated for the driver and front passenger — push-button starting and an electroluminescent gauge cluster. The Limited Ultimate adds heated 2nd-row seats, an 8-inch-color navigation touch-screen monitor and Multi-View Monitor. Sweet as ever, Hyundai’s confidence-inspiring 5-year/60,000-mile bumper-to-bumper and 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranties cover the new Santa Fe.

Beyond a laundry list of features bundled into trim levels like a heated steering wheel, navigation, Infinity premium audio and 3rd-row USB ports, Hyundai also offers a couple of option packages that contain its tech-based safety systems. For the new Santa Fe SE, the $3,650 Premium package brings blind-spot detection, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-departure warning, a hands-free Smart liftgate and more. The $2,100 Tech package for the SE Ultimate and Limited Ultimate includes Smart Cruise Control, Automatic Emergency Braking, lane-departure warning and HID Dynamic Bending Headlights with high-beam assist. All-wheel drive is a stand-alone option on all models for $1,750.

Hyundai makes it simple to shop for a 7-passenger 2018 Santa Fe SUV by offering only one engine and one transmission. In front-wheel-drive models, the SUV’s 290-horsepower 3.3-liter V6 feels exceedingly powerful, but with good throttle response, smooth pickup and strong acceleration. The heavier all-wheel-drive Santa Fe models, however, could do with some more low-end grunt to get moving. The Hyundai’s 6-speed automatic transmission isn’t exactly state-of-the-art. Most of the Santa Fe’s competitors have transmissions with more gears. Still, it works well enough, providing clean, easy gear changes and prompt downshifts when you need them. . All that said, Hyundai’s 2018 Santa Fe is comfortable towing up to 5,000 pounds of trailer, boat or anything else you’d like to haul.

3.3-liter V6
290 horsepower @ 6,400 rpm
252 lb-ft of torque @ 5,200 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 18/25 mpg (FWD), 18/24 mpg (AWD)