New 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid
New 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid – Santa FE’s mid-size SUV gets two new gasoline engines, new features, and adds a hybrid variant. The gas version will arrive first, at the end of this year, while the hybrid will come early in 2021 or 2022 and will eventually be followed by the Santa Fe plug-in-hybrid as well.
Although the details of the 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid still do not include gas mileage estimates, Hyundai on Monday released further U.S. specifications that might help you gauge whether to survive for this mid-size crossover SUV, due in the first quarter of 2021, or for the Plug-In Hybrid that arrives later in 2022.
New 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid
Hyundai Santa Fe Engine
The new base engine is a 2.5-liter inline-four with 191 horsepower and 181 lb-ft of torque, an increase of 6 hp and 3 lb-ft on top of the old 2.4-liter engine. It uses an eight-speed automatic and is standardly equipped with front-wheel drive, with optional all-wheel drive. Hyundai said the new engine will provide up to 26 mpg combined, a bump of 1 mpg.
The optional turbo engine is an even more significant improvement, with the new 2.5-liter inline-four turbo delivering much more power than the old 2.0T — 277 horsepower and 311 lb-ft of torque, to be specific, an increase of 42 hp and 51 lb-ft.
Despite the extra grunt, the engine is also said to offer improved fuel economy, with a combined up to 25 mpg. The transmission is an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic, and the 2.5T is also equipped with standard front-wheel drive and optional all-wheel drive.
The new Santa Fe hybrid pairs a turbocharged 1.6-liter inline-four 1.6-liter with a six-speed automatic and a 59 hp electric motor. Total output stands at 225 hp, noisy gas engine options. Hyundai hasn’t talked up the amount of efficiency, but we expect its combined EPA forecast to fall somewhere in the mid-30-mpg range.
Plug-in hybrids are a little further down the road and should have larger battery packs to allow for a certain amount of all-electric driving range.
Santa Fe Hybrid Specs
The Santa Fe Hybrid specification is very much in line with the one released earlier in July for Europe. The Santa Fe Hybrid is only offered with all-wheel drive— something you can’t get with the Sonata Hybrid — and its hybrid system specifications read as a mixed and suitable sweet spot from other Hyundai hybrids.
2022 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid Interior
Hyundai does not offer the Santa Fe with third-row seats available. That sets it apart from the closely related Kia Sorento Hybrid, which does have a third line available and was recently rated 37 mpg combined, topping the 36-mpg Toyota Highlander Hybrid.
The 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid is rated to tow 2,000 pounds of trailer weight, and its fuel tank is 17.7 gallons. That might give him a driving range of more than 600 miles if his fuel economy matches the Sorento Hybrid.
Trim Levels and Design
Sitting at the top of the lineup is the new Calligraphy trim level, a name shared with Palisade’s top three-row models. It comes standard with a turbo engine and all-wheel drive and features custom leather upholstery, 20-inch wheels, a different grille, and some other trim differences.
All Santa Fe 2022 models get an updated look, with reshaped grilles and different headlights and taillights. The wheel design is also new across the board, and Hyundai says it has improved interior materials.
The updated center console has a floating design, pushbutton shifter, and optional touchscreen standard grows larger, from 7.0 to 8.0 inches and from 8.0 inches to 10.3 inches. There is also an additional 0.5 cubic feet of cargo space.
Optional new features include wireless charging, a remote parking system, an improved driver assistance system, and a digital lock system that lets you use your phone as a lock.
A plug-in hybrid version of the Santa Fe has yet to be detailed for the US. European specifications use a 13.8 kWh battery pack and a higher-output electric motor for a total output of 226 hp. This essentially took the place of the now-discontinued Hyundai Sonata Plug-In Hybrid, as the Sonata Hybrid has shifted to becoming more widely available and superior technology to Hyundai’s sedan range.
2022 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid Release Date and Price
Hyundai won’t release the price until closer to the Santa Fe 2022 sales date later this year, but we don’t think it will stray too far from the model’s current base price of $27,450. Loaded Santa Fe calligraphy is likely to start well above $40,000.
Hyundai Tucson Vs Hyundai Santa Fe 2022
The new Hyundai Tucson 2022 looks sharp, literally. It has a strained front fascia, angular body panels, and knife-like taillights, all designed to give a small crossover an aggressive appearance. And while the Tucson certainly looks different, it’s the detail under its new body that makes Hyundai a great package overall.
But buyers in the market for small crossovers – one from Hyundai in particular – have more than a few options to choose from. Excluding competitors, of which there are more than a dozen, Hyundai itself has six crossovers on sale now: Venue, Kona (and electric), Tucson, Santa Fe, Palisade, and Nexo. However, in terms of size, the Santa Fe is compact which makes for an interesting sibling rivalry with the new Tucson.
Although Hyundai has released an image of the Santa Fe 2021 facelift and some scant details, full details won’t arrive until the end of the year, closer to the SUV’s sales date. So we’re stuck comparing the new Tucson 2022 to the Santa Fe 2020 in terms of size, powertrain, and options, and on paper, the two crossovers are fairly evenly distributed.
2022 Hyundai Santa Fe Exterior
Tucson Vs Santa Fe: Size
Technically, both Santa Fe and Tucson are the brand’s compact options – but one is on the slightly larger side of the compact. The Santa Fe has a wheelbase of 108.9 inches versus Tucson’s new 105.5-inch wheelbase, and the Santa Fe measures 187.8 inches overall, while the Tucson is only 177.2 inches. In terms of width, the Santa Fe is still larger, measuring 74.4 inches versus the 73.4-inch Tucson. Obviously, one sibling was shopping in the shop chaff area and one wasn’t.
Of course, Santa Fe’s larger size means more cargo and passenger space inside. The Santa Fe 2020 has 35.9 cubic feet of cargo space behind the second row and a total of 71.3 cubic feet with the second row folded flat. Tucson, meanwhile, has more space behind the second row – 38.7 cubic feet – but less total – 63.5 cubic feet – with the second row folded flat.
Those two figures there can determine which of these two SUVs is right for you: do you want more cargo space with all the seats accessible or more total cargo space? If your answer is first, choose Tucson, and if the latter, choose Santa Fe.
Hyundai has not provided any passenger volume figures for the new Tucson, but it promises an inch of extra legroom compared to last year’s model. That means the rear legroom will grow to a total of 39.2 inches, making it almost identical to the larger 40.9-inch Santa Fe.
Tucson Vs Santa Fe: Strength and Performance
The Hyundai Tucson 2022 comes with several different engine options, including pure gas and hybrid. The Tucson base has a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine capable of reaching 190 horsepower (142 kilowatts) and 182 pound-feet (247 newton-meters), paired to an eight-speed automatic.
The optional four-cylinder, 1.6-liter hybrid powertrain, meanwhile, produces 230 hp (171 kW) and 258 lb-ft (350 nm), and is paired to a six-speed dual-clutch. The Tucson will also have a plug-in hybrid option using the same 1.6-liter engine, but Hyundai has yet to release other important details about it yet as to its all-electric range.
As for the Santa Fe 2020, buyers can choose from a 2.4-liter four-cylinder base that produces 185 hp (137 kW) and 178 lb-ft (241 nm) or a more powerful 2.0-liter turbocharged engine for both 235 hp (175 kW) and 260 lb-ft (352 nm). Both crossovers also offer optional all-wheel drive.
When questioning which crossover powertrain is best, going by the numbers, we’ll give the Tucson’s new hybrid powertrain a nod. The power score is about the same as the Santa Fe’s most powerful engine choice, and being a traditional hybrid powertrain in smaller, lighter vehicles is sure to restore superior fuel economy.
Tucson Vs Santa Fe: Technology
The inside of the new Tucson looks like a step above a few years ahead of the Santa Fe. It comes standard with an 8.0-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but choosing a range-topping model gives you a sleek, nearly flushed 10.3-inch screen with CarPlay, Android Auto, and navigation, as well as separate screen and sound functionality. There is also a fully digital instrument cluster right behind the wheel.
Santa Fe 2020, meanwhile, gets a slightly smaller 7.0-inch touchscreen to start with, with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functions. A larger 8.0-inch screen is available and offers all the same features plus navigation, but it’s hardly as impressive as the new Tucson main screen. Intervene, Tucson wins in front of technology.
Tucson Vs Santa Fe: Price
Hyundai has yet to release a price for the 2022 Tucson, but given that the 2021 model starts at $23,700 in the U.S., expect the new one to get a slight price increase. The Hyundai Santa Fe 2020, meanwhile, costs $26,275 to launch in the U.S. It’s a bigger vehicle, so it’s no wonder the price is higher, but now it’s also more dated compared to the new Tucson, which makes it higher priced harder to swallow.
That said, there’s an updated Santa Fe also coming up for 2022. Although we don’t yet have all the details, it should improve on its predecessor and borrow some powertrain options and the same technology from the smaller Tucson.
