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Is the 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe worth the money? Find out the details of this new Hyundai and if you should choose it for your next vehicle.
2021 Hyundai Santa Fe – hyundainews.com | Shop 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe on Carsforsale.com
What’s New for the 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe?
Can’t decide on which mid-size SUV to choose? The Hyundai Santa Fe could be the answer you’re looking for. It is a good choice in terms of pricing, size, and feature availability. This gives the Santa Fe a strong middle-road appeal, and the 2021 model is a step up from last year’s model as it has been considerably updated.
This year’s updates include a redesigned exterior appearance, a bigger touchscreen, a new push-button gear selector, and a new top-level Calligraphy trim level. The Santa Fe’s engines are also fresh. The Santa Fe now has a turbocharged four-cylinder engine with 277 horsepower and a new hybrid powertrain that gets an EPA-estimated 34 mpg in combined city/highway driving.
The Breakdown
Great gas mileage
Major interior and exterior updates
Comes with a great warranty
New optional 10.25″ touchscreen
New optional 8-speed automatic CVT
Improved advanced safety features
Soft suspension makes for a bumpy ride
Touchscreen controls need work
2021 Santa Fe Specs
- 191 horsepower from base engine
- 182 lb-ft of torque from base engine
- 4 available trims
- 36.4 cu-ft of cargo capacity
- 72.1 cu-ft of cargo capacity with seats down
- Up to 3,500 lb towing capacity
- Standard 8″ touchscreen
- Forward collision avoidance assist
- 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty
2021 Hyundai Santa Fe Powertrain
The all-new base engine in the 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe is a 2.5-liter inline-four with 191 horsepower and 181 pound-ft of torque, a marginal improvement over last year. It is included in the SE and SEL trims and is paired to an eight-speed automatic transmission. Front-wheel drive is standard, although all-wheel drive is available.
Upgrading the trim will give you the turbo engine, which is bigger than the previous version. The new turbo 2.5-liter inline-four produces considerably more power at 277 horsepower 311 lb-ft of torque, a noticeable improvement of 42 hp and 51 lb-ft of torque. Despite the extra power, the turbocharged powerplant is also expected to actually improve mpg when combined with the eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission its paired to.
The 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe’s hybrid powertrain uses a turbocharged four-cylinder engine and an electric motor. Together, they are suitable for 226 horsepower and 195 lb-ft of torque. In addition, the hybridized setup provides seamless propulsion between gas-only and hybrid modes.
Towing & Payload
The Santa Fe towing capacity is 3,500 pounds when equipped with trailer brakes and the 2.5L turbo engine, which is more than many competitors. The 2021 Santa Fe Limited, Calligraphy, and Calligraphy 2.5T with AWD models come standard with this engine. In addition, the 2.5L engine on the 2021 Santa Fe SE and Santa Fe SEL variants can tow up to 2,000 pounds. Features include highway driving assist, trailer sway control, surround-view monitor, and lane assistance.
2021 Hyundai Santa Fe Fuel Economy & MPG
The 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe’s EPA-estimated city is 25 mpg and highway is 28 mpg, which places it in the same class as models like the Honda CR-V. The highway efficiency drops to 22 mpg with the turbocharged engine, but the city efficiency remains at 25 mpg. Those are excellent fuel economy figures for the mid-size SUV category the Santa Fe resides in. Going for the hybrid option allows the Santa Fe to reach 36 mpg in the city and 31 mpg on the highway.
Interior, Comfort, & Cargo Space
The 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe is a five-passenger SUV that starts with standard cloth upholstery. Moving up the trim ladder opens up interior options like leather upholstery, heated front seats, power-adjustable front seats, ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, power-folding second-row seats, and a heated steering wheel. The Santa Fe’s cabin combines both low and high-quality plastics to create a beautiful package at low cost. Adding some luxury flare, the Limited trim comes with a mélange headliner and moving up to the top Calligraphy replaces that with an eco-suede microfiber headliner.
Thanks to the rear seats’ ability to recline, the Hyundai Santa Fe offers enticing rear-seat comfort. They’re also nicely contoured and provide excellent back and shoulder support, in addition to plenty of legroom. Although, the optional panoramic roof takes away some headroom in the back seats, both rows offer good legroom. The 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe also features rear outboard seats with two complete sets of LATCH connections and a tether anchor for the rear middle seat.
Entertainment & Technology
While the 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe’s technology is cutting-edge for its class, using the infotainment system may be difficult for some drivers. The standard infotainment system is an 8-inch touch screen that features Bluetooth and wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. There are a lot of physical controls for the infotainment system, but they all look similar and makes it tough to tell them apart.
The infotainment touchscreen’s menus are complicated and time-consuming to explore. Furthermore, while the base touch screen includes wireless smartphone integration, the larger display does not, meaning you’ll have to use a cable for Apple CarPlay or Android Auto if you upgrade to this system.
Safety Features
The IIHS gave the 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe the highest possible ranking in its safety tests. Specifically, the Limited and Calligraphy models that feature LED projector headlights helped them standout as Top Safety Picks. The Santa Fe received the highest rating of Superior for its basic front crash prevention systems too. Some of the key safety features found in the Santa Fe include electronic stability control, daytime running lights, lane departure warning, lane keeping assist, and plenty more.
2021 Hyundai Santa Fe Trims & Pricing
SE – $26,850
The base 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe SE package features an 8-inch touch screen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, four USB connections, Bluetooth connectivity, LED headlights, and stain-resistant cloth upholstery. and alloy wheels. Hyundai offers plenty of safety technology too like a rearview camera, adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection, cyclist detection, junction turning recognition, lane keep assistance, and driver attention monitor.
SEL – $28,650
After the base model, the SEL takes on a lot of features. It comes standard with plenty of extra goodies not available on lesser Hyundai models, including an eight-way power-adjustable driver’s seat, heated front seats, Blue Link telematics system, HD Radio, wireless device charging, and proximity keyless entry. This trim also adds in safety features like blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic warning, and safe exit assistance.
Upgrades include the $1,800 Convenience package, which will give you a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster, dual-zone automatic climate control, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, power-folding second-row seats, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, and a hands-free power liftgate.
The $3,950 Premium package will also give you a panoramic sunroof, eight-way power-adjustable front passenger seat, leather upholstery, a 10.25-inch touch screen (will need a cable for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay), navigation, and a 12-speaker Harman Kardon stereo.
Blue Hybrid – $33,650
The Blue Hybrid trim is the cheapest hybrid option for the Santa Fe. It supports a 1.6L turbocharged inline-4 hybridized engine, featuring a 6-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. The EPA estimated is about 36 mpg in the city and 31 mpg on the highway
SEL Premium Hybrid – $37,600
The SEL Premium Hybrid steps it up with the same hybrid powertrain found in the Blue, and adds on everything from the SEL trim and the Premium Package is added standard.
Limited – $38,600
The 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe Limited has a stronger turbo engine with 277 hp, ventilated front seats, additional power adjustments for the driver’s seat, heated rear seats, a heated steering wheel, rain-sensing windshield wipers, and 19-inch wheels. Safety additions include front and rear parking sensors, Remote Smart Parking Assist, and a Blind-View Monitor that shows your blind spot when using the turn signal.
Limited Hybrid – $39,950
The 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe Limited Hybrid brings everything found in the Limited trim and tacks on the fuel efficient hybrid powertrain.
Calligraphy – $42,300
The Calligraphy trim starts at $40,750 and provides quilted Nappa leather seats, an Eco-suede microfiber headliner, 20-inch wheels, a color head-up display, unique luxury accents, and enhanced interior accent lighting.
Warranties
The 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe come with a 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty and an industry leading 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty. It also comes with 3 years or 36,000 miles of complimentary maintenance coverage.
What we think
2021 Hyundai Santa Fe – hyundainews.com | Shop 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe on Carsforsale.com
The 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe is an appropriately priced SUV that gives you value for the money. It is definitely worth upgrading to the Limited or Calligraphy trims if you want more than the basic cloth interior. The ride can be bumpy and you need a cable for smartphone integration on higher trims, but it has decent gas mileage even in non-hybrid form. All in all, no matter which trim level or powertrain you choose, the 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe is a great overall value.
