2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Review – St. Petersburg, FL

 Performance

One area where the 2017 Santa Fe remains consistent with the prior year is in the choice of engines. The 290 horsepower output from the standard 3.3 liter V6 is more than adequate for this size of crossover SUV without guzzling gas. Combined with a 6-speed shiftable automatic transmission, the Santa Fe supplies 18 mpg city and 25 mpg highway in typical front-wheel drive form*. Normal, sport, and eco driving modes also remain available. Surprisingly, selecting the all-wheel drive option only affects highway mileage by just one mile per gallon. On the other hand, the SE Ultimate and Limited Ultimate will pull down mileage by an extra mile per gallon due to their additional weight.

 Interior

Unlike the previous model year that provided two models, the 2017 Santa Fe now offers the SE, SE Ultimate, Limited, and Limited Ultimate editions. Interior dimensions are unchanged from 2016. Front headroom is 39.6 inches and legroom is 41.3 inches while rear headroom and legroom are virtually identical. With the introductory SE model, three rows of seating allow for seven total passengers. An automated 8-position driver’s seat and power windows and locks are also included. The Limited edition trades the second bench row in for two captain’s chairs. This gives an extra layer of comfort, but cuts passenger capacity to six. With all models, three zone climate control is standard. In the SE Ultimate and Limited Ultimate models, this is supplemented with heated seats and steering wheel along with a sunroof.

 Features

The most noticeable change in the Santa Fe’s electronics for 2017 is with the dashboard touchscreen. On the SE and Limited models, a 7-inch monitor takes center stage while the SE Ultimate and Limited Ultimate sport an 8-inch version. On all models, along with serving as a monitor for the rearview camera, this screen provides controls, via Blue Link, for the AM/FM/CD music system with Android Auto and Bluetooth connectivity. There’s also a USB port. With the SE Ultimate and Limited Ultimate choices, a 12-speaker Infinity system provides the sound.

 Safety

Tough construction has garnered the Santa Fe an overall 5-star rank from the NHTSA and a rating of Good from the IIHS. Antilock brakes, traction and stability control, airbags, rearview camera, and tire pressure monitoring are also standard fair for all 2017 Santa Fe models. Advanced safety technology like blind spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alarm, lane departure alert, and front collision attenuation with pedestrian recognition are also standard or optional with either Ultimate editions.