Is the Santa Fe Hybrid at residence within the grime? Eh, not likely. But it appears fairly good there.
Hyundai
Being the center youngster isn’t enjoyable, however the 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid makes probably the most of it. Hanging out between the three-row Palisade and its ever-so-slightly smaller Tucson sibling, the Santa Fe depends on a fancier strategy to family-friendliness with the intention to justify its existence, and a brand new hybrid powertrain provides individuals one more reason to take a look at this midsizer, as nicely.
LikeLots of normal featuresComfortable rideGreat in-car tech
Don’t LikeJust-OK gasoline economyNot that completely different from extra fascinating Tucson Hybrid
Posh getupThe Santa Fe and Palisade depend on most of the similar design staples, which may be very a lot a very good factor. The Santa Fe is a good-looking midsize SUV. Its maw could also be just a little massive for some individuals’s tastes, however I feel it integrates nicely with split-level headlights and numerous items of silver trim on the decrease a part of the physique. It’s good-looking sufficient to earn a praise or two with out going too laborious within the styling paint, which is extra of the Tucson’s area. And now that hybrids are supplied throughout almost all of Hyundai’s lineup, you are not going to seek out any garish brightwork signaling electrification; it is as regular as another crossover on the market.The Santa Fe Hybrid’s inside actually ramps up the plushness. My Limited-trim tester rings in at $41,290 together with $1,185 for vacation spot, and regardless of hovering across the common new-car transaction worth in 2021, it ought to make households really feel like they’ve moved up a category. The leather-based seats are snug and supportive, and so they’re each heated and cooled. Soft supplies cowl all of the related contact factors, and construct high quality is excessive all-around. The textured end of the entrance door speaker grilles could be my favourite half.
An digital push-button shifter hangs out on a middle console that rides sort of excessive, however it makes room for a positively cavernous storage cubby beneath. If that is not sufficient, there is a sizable pocket below the middle armrest, and the door playing cards are deep sufficient for additional bottles, masks, snacks, you title it. Another intelligent contact right here is the wi-fi telephone charger, which you fit your telephone into vertically, stopping it from sliding round and shedding connection whereas driving. Out again, there’s an ample 36.4 cubic toes of cargo house, which is on par with the outgoing Jeep Grand Cherokee, and it is mild years forward of the Chevy Blazer and Toyota Venza, however the Honda Passport has it beat with a shade over 50 cubes behind the second row.
2021 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid blends fashion and effectivity
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Plush driving at a priceThe 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid would not simply look fancy, it feels it, too. The very first thing I discover is how dang quiet the inside is at pace. Even over a few of Michigan’s gnarlier roads, the Santa Fe Hybrid permits only a few aural annoyances into the cabin, and people who do make it inside come largely from the powertrain on the opposite aspect of the firewall. The journey high quality is great, with mounted dampers mitigating all however the harshest highway surfaces, maintaining that luxury-adjacent feeling.
Under the Santa Fe Hybrid’s hood is similar hybrid-electric powertrain that may be discovered within the barely smaller Tucson Hybrid. A 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine combines with an electrical motor to supply a internet 226 horsepower, which is fed to all 4 wheels (normal!) by means of a six-speed automated transmission. This powertrain is not going to win any awards for sound high quality, coming off just a little tractor-ish for my style, however there is a adequate quantity of ahead movement on faucet. Off-the-line acceleration feels potent because of that electrical motor, and I can barely really feel the switch from electrical to ICE propulsion. It solely actually journeys up when I attempt to depart a cease signal too shortly, because the powertrain takes an additional couple of ticks to determine what it desires to do. The Santa Fe Hybrid does include a mode change, however I discover the automotive at its greatest when every thing is left in its default state.
The powertrain will do an ideal job acclimating households to the hybrid life, however gasoline financial system leaves a bit to be desired. The EPA estimates the 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid’s hydrocarbon thrift at 33 mpg metropolis, 30 mpg freeway and 32 mpg mixed. That’s higher than gas-only rivals will muster, however it pales compared to the crossover’s major competitor, the Toyota Venza, which might obtain 40 mpg within the metropolis and 37 on the freeway. For a mass-market crossover, the Santa Fe Hybrid can actually pile on the flowery.
Hyundai
Excellent techHyundai has lengthy supplied one in all my favourite infotainment methods, and its newest iteration within the 2021 Santa Fe Hybrid solely makes it higher. A 10.3-inch show rises from the middle of the dashboard, carrying the newest model of Hyundai’s telematics, which has been reskinned to match the newest from sister model Genesis. The result’s extra visually interesting, with a minimalist residence display and a menu web page that places all of the essential stuff inside attain. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are, as chances are you’ll count on, normal throughout the lineup. A second display resides within the gauge cluster, offering the standard speedometer and hybrid energy meter, along with a configurable portion that lets me monitor gasoline financial system, hybrid system operation, what’s taking part in on the radio, the standard.Korean automakers have standardized an extended record of lively and passive security methods, and the Santa Fe Hybrid retains that going. Standard equipment consists of forward-collision warning, automated emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, lane-keeping help and full-speed adaptive cruise management. Highway Drive Assist combines a few of these options to carry the automobile in its lane on the tempo of visitors, and so far as hands-on methods go, it is a good one, controlling its place nicely with out swaying or bouncing about.The Santa Fe Hybrid’s infotainment system is each enticing and practical, and it has been one in all our favorites for years.
Hyundai
Down to brass tacksAt $41,290 out the door, the 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid is fairly darn inexpensive for one thing this fancy, much more so when you think about the bottom mannequin might be had for a hair below $35,000. While gas-powered rivals abound, from the Chevy Blazer to the Honda Passport, its major electrified competitor is the Toyota Venza, which has the Hyundai beat on gasoline financial system and general luxuriousness, and the 2 are fairly evenly matched on worth. It is, nevertheless, styled like a glass of room-temperature milk. There’s additionally the matter of the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid, which supplies up a tiny little bit of house inside and outside, however it has extra evocative styling, presenting a case the place a automotive’s largest competitor could be calling from inside the home.The 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid is completely price your time. While the effectivity may very well be higher, a easy powertrain and a fancy stature have the makings for fairly the worth play in its worth vary, providing households a good way to ease into electrification.
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