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SPEAKER: Everybody, we're outside Park City,
Utah, checking out this, the all new 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe,
completely redesigned this year with, obviously, a new style.
And particularly, I like this nice chrome
band that goes across, ties in the nice running lights up here
and, like the Kona, has its headlights lower down here.
But I think it's way better done here than on the Kona.
Overall, I think it's an attractive SUV.
It's a compact SUV.
It competes against the likes of the Jeep Cherokee and Ford Edge
as well as the Nissan Murano.
Prices start right around $26,000 for the base model
all the way up to about $36,000 for this, the Ultimate trim--
pretty much fully loaded.
The top two trims are eligible for
the 2-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine
that puts out 235 horsepower.
The base engine is a 2.4 non-turbo
that only puts out 185.
All wheel drive is available on every single model, though.
As you'd expect with pretty much any new modern SUV,
you get a long list of advanced safety features,
from frontal collision warning with automatic braking,
blind spot monitors, rear cross traffic.
All that stuff is standard on every single Santa Fe.
The advantage of the Santa Fe has obviously is,
well, it's the latest to come to market,
and it has the advantage of getting
all that technology and all the latest innovations
in engineering into it.
The question is, is it the best in its class right now?
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Behind the wheel.
There's a good solid feel about everything.
Right off the line, though, there
is a little bit of a delay between throttle application
and when you really start picking up speed and getting
some steam going.
But it's not that big of a deal.
Once you do get past those first couple feet or so,
it starts gaining speed just fine.
So what I'm driving right now is the Ultimate, the highest trim.
And it has the 2-liter turbo with 235 horsepower.
Honestly, this is probably going to be the engine of choice.
The 185 horsepower 2.4-liter non-turbo doesn't have a lot
going for it.
I'm sure it's adequate, but this gets you up
to speed with confidence.
One thing I'm noticing on the road
immediately is how quiet it is.
Oh, in the presentations they'll usually
go on and on and on about how they've made improvements
here and here, and it's quiet as a crib.
This is actually really quiet, not just for the class,
but even for some higher-end luxury SUVs.
I'm not getting a lot of wind noise.
I'm not getting a lot of road noise.
It's all really well attenuated.
Another thing that I'm noticing is visibility.
I have this great expansive view forward,
and out to the sides, and even out the back,
which for some SUVs is a little constricted
just because they get a smaller window and a narrower aperture.
This one, actually, you get a really good view.
You can tell exactly what's behind you for quite a while.
The ride quality, it's a little hard to tell.
We're on some really nice smooth roads right now.
But it is handling pretty well.
It's taken the curves with confidence.
It's not feeling boaty, or I'm not getting any residual bumps
after it sets.
I'd actually say it probably feels as good
as some of the Mazdas do, and they're generally
known for being a little more reactive and a little more
engaging for drivers.
The brakes feel good.
It's a moderately firm pedal, which
is appropriate for a car like this.
I certainly have the confidence it'll bring us to a stop.
And the adaptive cruise, it's come a long way
in the last eight years or so.
It's nice and smooth with the inputs.
It's not jamming on the brakes, It's
not getting on the accelerator too aggressively.
It's pretty much driving as a normal human would.
And it brings you down to a complete stop.
One thing I'm not getting is a lot
of false alarms from all the advanced safety
features some cars--
Volvo, Honda-- they'll send off false alarms all the time.
This is actually really well attuned
to give you alerts that you need when you need them
and not flashing lights and beeping all the time at you.
I have ventilated seats.
And even though it's not very hot,
it's really nice having them--
just keeps you a little fresher, takes just a little bit
of fatigue off of you.
The seats themselves, well, they're
actually pretty well-padded-- good bolstering on the sides,
too, when you are taking some turns.
And materials quality throughout the cabin
is actually really nice.
All the buttons are placed right where you think they should be.
There's a good tactile feel so that you
don't have to keep looking down to see
which button you're hitting-- it just becomes second nature.
One thing I like is having the infotainment
screen right up on top.
It's a nice, big, clear, eight-inch touch screen.
It's right in my sight line--
I don't have to really take my eyes off the road.
It's just a quick glance.
And it's easy to use as well.
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In addition to the pretty decent on-road characteristics
of the new Santa Fe, they're telling me
that it has a pretty decent amount off-road capability.
Now, we're not talking Cherokee Trailhawk level,
but we're climbing up this pretty steep hill here.
And we're going a little squirrely.
We've got it in all-wheel drive lock mode,
and I'm not really working very hard at all.
It's just a nice moderate pace.
It's handling it just fine with all-season tires.
So for sure, you can get to your favorite fishing spot--
it's not a problem.
Got some ruts here.
Seems like we've got a decent amount of ground clearance too.
And the best part is you've got all the visibility
to see where all the rocks are.
Well done, Hyundai.
Surprised us.
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Not only is the Hyundai Santa Fe driver-friendly,
it's also family and passenger friendly.
I'm 5 foot 10, and I have plenty of headroom.
This seat is actually set further back probably,
for a 6-footer, and I still have tons of foot and legroom,
and knee room too.
It's really quite nice.
And like a lot of SUVs, the second row
is slightly elevated from the first row,
so you get a better view outward.
You don't feel claustrophobic.
And these windows give you a good view outward too.
So you don't feel like you're missing out on all the action.
Another good thing sunshades work
pretty well and on a hot day will be a lifesaver back here
Now, some other manufacturers started
doing the rear seat alert, which will remind you
if you may have put your child or your pet in the back seat.
Those are triggered because the rear doors are open, then
closed, and then you drive away.
And then when you park, it tries to remind you
that you may have actually left something back there.
Hyundai takes it a step further with a sensor right
over my shoulder that senses motion.
So if your dog or child is back here,
it will alert you with a honk immediately.
It will also alert you with a text message and an email.
In this top trim, you do have heated seats back here.
You also have additional USB ports and a household power
outlet.
So with kids on a long road trip, pretty sure
they'd be fine back here.
Actually, I'm fine back here.
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Like a lot of SUVs in the class, the Santa Fe
has a hands free tailgate.
[BEEPS]
Except unlike a lot of the others,
where you have to swipe your foot,
you just have to stand here for a few seconds.
That means if you're really loaded down
with some heavy objects, you don't
have to lose your balance trying to swipe your foot underneath.
You have 35.9 cubic feet of cargo space
behind the second row.
That's actually a lot for the class.
On top of that, you have some really nice cubbies underneath
and some really large ones under the floor here.
All in all, I get a really good rating for utility.
After spending a lot of time behind the wheel with the Santa
Fe, I have to say, yeah, it actually
might be the class leader now.
It drives great!
You got a ton for the money.
And quite honestly, I really like the way it looks too.
For more information on the Santa Fe
as well as its competition, head on over to Edmonds.com.
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