Her + His Car Reviews
2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Limited Ultimate FWD
There are two sides to everything, right? To keep our car reviews innovative and interesting, we provide an animated, insightful, and detailed POV's on the same car from - Her + His perspectives.
Her: Anne Fleming, Car Buying Advocate, women-drivers.com
His: Don Hammonds, Writer, AutomobileJournal.com
| HER | HIS |
|---|---|
| Price | |
| $43,160 | $43,160 |
| Performance | |
| This year's Santa Fe has serious power with a V6 engine and 290 horsepower that affords robust handling and secure responsiveness from this stand out three row SUV. Hyundai has come a long way with this ultra rider and handler. Our model, a Front Wheel Drive, is good for all types of weather conditions. 6 speed automatic transmission with SHIFTRONIC Drive Mode Select for the gear choice preferred. Thank you Hyundai designers for not having paddle shifters; they'd have been a waste of money and a gadget not used. Weighing in just over 4000 pounds, the 2017 Santa Fe can trailer a maximum capacity of 5,000 pounds. | The Santa Fe is powered by a 290 horsepower, 3.3-liter V6 engine with 252 pound-feet of torque. A six-speed automatic transmission is standard, and you can get front-wheel or all-wheel drive on all models. Handling was quite sharp and controlled on the Santa Fe. It always felt composed and under control, never sloppy, and the brakes were particularly strong. Acceleration was lusty, and this car can really haul it when asked to do so. |
| Fuel Economy | |
| 17 city miles, 23 highway miles and 20 overall miles. | Our test model had a fuel economy rating of 20 miles per gallon overall, 17 city and 23 highway. We averaged slightly less than the city rating---about 16 or so miles per gallon. You'll spend $2,250 more in fuel costs over five years compared with the average new vehicle, federal officials say. Driving 100 miles requires 5.0 gallons, and annual fuel costs are $1,850 based on 15,000 miles of driving annually - with gasoline costing $2.50 a gallon. |
| The Vehicle | |
| The 2017 Santa Fe is a Best Buy for sure. The vehicle has all the gadgets, all the value and all the safety to make it a win-win-win. Roomy and comfortable for all passengers, it's well appointed throughout the vehicle. An 8-inch screen, a tremendous warranty package, and 19" alloy wheels with third row seats are a start. And that's in the $39K model before you add the 'Ultimate Tech package' which was our test drive model. All-in-all this model is priced very competitively. The one thing we observed immediately was the significantly smaller third row. And the lack of space in the trunk. No way a woman with a few children can go shopping with her children, and place groceries and even one (1) stroller. Not happening. No spare tire. Smart hands-free lift gate another great feature. And a free tank of gas; nice touch, Hyundai! |
Hyundai has a winner with the 2017 Santa Fe. It has a solid style, it's laden with features, and offers quite a bit of value, and performs with the best of them in its class in the full-size crossover segment. But better known brands still tend to garner more sales. What's more, fit and finish are both beyond reproach, and often outclass the competition. Its biggest challenge? After all these years, there are consumers who simply won't consider a Hyundai and are sadly uninformed about the fact that Hyundai's rank highly in virtually every category. So...what's new for 2017? Some revisions and fine tuning have been done to the rear end and front end of the car, and there's now LED daytime running lights. You also now get a 7-inch touchscreen and you can order a USB charging port for the third row. There's some new safety equipment available on the Santa Fe that make it more competitive on the market. These include: a 360-degree parking camera system, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning and automatic emergency braking for forward collision mitigation. |
| Safety | |
| Driver Air Bags and Rear Air Bags Galore - including head and Side and Body Airbags. Brake Assist, Child Safety Locks, LATCH, Night Vision, Adjustable Pedals, Electronic Stability Control, Front and Rear Tow Hooks, Blind Spot Monitoring, Lane Departure Warning, Rollover Protection System, Emergency Trunk Release, Integrated Turn Signal Mirrors, Traction Control, and Tire Pressure Monitoring System. | Vehicle Stability Management with Traction Control, front, Front Side Impact, Side Curtain and Drive's knee Airbag, Tire Pressure Monitoring System and Blind Spot Detection are among the Santa Fe's standard safety features. |
| Technology | |
| Loaded to love! Supported by 19" alloy wheels the 2017 Hyundai Sante Fe's interior has all the tech gadets. An 8-inch touch screen in our model was a vey nice size. Later this year there will be a software upgrade that will employ Apple Car Play connectivity - super great. We jammed with Infinity Premium Audio surround sound that was smooth and caught every beat. Delicious. Heated, leather seats and steering wheels, power windows, tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel for customized driving. Dual zone temperature control for personalized and customed climate control rides. Captains chairs, Rearview camera - with a 360-degree surround view camera system - very nice touch and assistance for driver, I might add! Bluetooth and Sirius XM with 90-day trial. Blue Link Connected Care Complimentary Trial. High Beam Assist. Cargo Package with First Aid Kit, Cargo Net, Mud Guards, Rear Bumper Appliques and Wheel Locks. Dynamic Bending Light. Smart Cruise Control. |
The entry-level SE comes standard with 18-inch alloy wheels, automatic headlights, LED daytime running lights, heated outside mirrors, roof rack side rails, dark-tinted rear privacy glass, a rear spoiler, dual-zone automatic climate control, a sliding 40/20/40-split second-row bench seat, a two-person third-row seat, an eight-way power driver seat (with four-way power lumbar) and a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel. You also get Bluetooth, a rearview camera, a 7-inch touchscreen display, Hyundai's Blue Link system, Android Auto smartphone integration and a six-speaker sound system with a CD player and satellite/HD radio. The Limited model adds outside mirrors with built-in turn signals, LED taillights, keyless ignition and entry, a hands-free power rear lift gate, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, blind-spot warning with rear cross-traffic alert, lane departure warning, leather upholstery, and it swaps out the second-row bench seat for captain's chairs (reducing seating capacity to six). The SE Ultimate and Limited Ultimate models add 19-inch alloy wheels, a 360-degree multiview camera system, a panoramic sunroof, rear parking sensors, keyless entry and ignition, a six-way power front passenger seat, heated and ventilated front seats, heated second-row seats, a heated steering wheel, driver memory settings, a navigation system and an Infinity surround-sound audio system with an 8-inch touchscreen display. Because there is so much standard equipment, you really only have two option packages from which to choose. If you buy the SE model for instance, a Premium package brings many of the SE Ultimate model's features and adds LED fog lights, manual side window sunshades and a third-row USB outlet. For either the SE Ultimate or Limited Ultimate, an Ultimate Tech package tacks on adaptive xenon headlights, automatic high-beam control, adaptive cruise control with automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning and an electronic parking brake with auto-hold. |
| Aesthetics & Styling | |
| The 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe is a strong contender in its class. It is universally accepted and plush - a stronger design with lots of luxurious features on the inside. We love the multi-view rear view camera and the automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection. The exterior is sturdy, and in 2017 has a refreshed appeal. We do look forward to a more contemporized model, but Hyundai is definitely the less flashy of the two Korean brands. We like the Captain's chairs are in the middle row and the acceptable space for seating children in the the third row. MOMS, BE ADVISED - when the third row seating is in tact, there is little room for a stroller, groceries, travel gear, school accessories to fit in the trunk. It's all way too tight. |
Inside, you will find that the Santa Fe, like all Hyundais, makes absolute certain you are aware of every single thing going on with the car. If your steering wheel is aligned in such a way that will make pulling out from your parking space tough, the car will warn you of that before you pull off, for instance--an unusual feature. And I think that Hyundai's onscreen parking system is among the best in the business. The camera shot from a bird's eye view showed me precisely where the car was in relation to the curb, and there was none of the fuzziness of camera shots or overworked graphics like I have seen on many other products. I will say that the dashboard design, with all of its angles, odd shapes for gauges, and character lines going here, there and everywhere, were just too overdone for me. Everybody to their own tastes, but the dash design was just too much. I also thought that the switchgear in the Santa Fe, with dull surfaces, did not seem in keeping with the considerable expense of the car, and the inner door materials and design could use some attention as well. Another issue: Although all the seats were comfortable, the third row seat seemed somewhat cramped, and be aware that if you choose to use the third row, your cargo space will be severely compromised. I'm not sure what a traveling large family would do with all their belongings. |
| Warranty | |
| 5 Year/60,000 New Vehicle Warranty and Roadside. 7 Year/Unlimited Anti-Perforation Warranty (BodyWork). 10 Year/100,000 mile Powertrain Warranty. | The warranty package is a strong one, too. Hyundai includes a 5 years/60,000-mile new car warranty, 10 years/100,000 mile powertrain warranty and five year/unlimited roadside assistance as the highlights. |
