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Stepping into the crossover SUV market of SUV’s that have three rows of seats comes the Hyundai Santa Fe which offers a great deal of driving excitement and space for up to seven passengers to come along on any adventure. Fitting into with the competition of the Honda Pilot, Toyota Highlander, and Chevrolet Traverse, the Santa Fe has a leg up on all these competitors in differing points, making it an SUV that offers more stylish shape along with more interior interest than the others. Add the extended warranty and the larger cargo area than most of the other crossover SUV’s in the market, the Santa Fe has something that everyone will appreciate including a price tag that shows off some great value.
For the growing family who still wants to ride in style, rather than purchasing a minivan, the Santa Fe offers plenty of space for seven to ride in comfort and be able to enjoy the fantastic features offered. For 2015, the Santa Fe shows upgrades in the driver-selectable power-steering, adds daytime running lights a driver’s side blind-spot side mirror and a new Hands-Free Liftgate to make this cool SUV even more convenient and enjoyable.
The Hyundai Santa Fe offers a driving impression that is akin to a smaller sedan rather than a lumbering SUV. With a suspension that has been redesigned to allow flatter cornering the engineers at Hyundai have found a way to deliver a great driving feeling while still offering a larger vehicle for SUV lovers to drive. The steering adds to the driving enjoyment by being highly responsive and enjoyable giving the Santa Fe the ability to seek out canyon runs and perform with ease and excitement. Even though the Santa Fe has been designed to be much quieter than in years past and even though it’s not luxury quiet, it’s quiet enough to allow occupants to hear their musical selections instead of the outside road noises.
For the Santa Fe there is one engine offered to carry the load for this well-known SUV. This engine comes in the form of a 3.3-liter V6 engine offering up to 290 horsepower and 252 lb.-ft. of torque. This engine is married up to a six-speed automatic transmission which offers very smooth shifting and excellent response to an increase in throttle, allowing the vehicle to pass easily on the highway. This SUV offers the option to have all-wheel drive on board giving it more control on and off the road. The Santa Fe also has one of the largest towing capacities in its class coming in at 5,000 pounds to allow a boat or trailer to be pulled to the lake or campsite easily. The fuel efficiency is very enjoyable as well coming in at 18 city/25 hwy mpg for the front-wheel drive model and 18 city/24 hwy mpg for the all-wheel drive version.
The interior of the Santa Fe offers the driver a panoramic view, allowing them to be well informed and see everything around them and be able to keep everyone safe along the ride. Even the base model has enjoyable stain-resistant fabric allowing comfort and the ability to keep the vehicle clean, even for a family with small children. All control features are easy to locate and state-of-the art along with a very easy to enjoy audio and navigation controls to go with the other information systems. As a three-row vehicle, the Santa Fe offers plenty of space in the first two rows for adults while the third row is only appropriate for children but folds down to allow some great cargo space in the rear of the vehicle.
On the outside, the Santa Fe almost appears to be a luxury vehicle with the interesting lines, smooth angles and great looks of the SUV. The front of the Santa Fe gives a great look from an angular grill and trapezoidal headlights giving a look of interest and class to the front of the vehicle. Add some chrome accents to the beautiful lines all over the vehicle along with the heavy star shaped wheels that carry the load and the looks down the road.
The standard equipment offered for the Santa Fe comes in at the GLS model with multi-adjustable front bucket seats with power-adjustable lumbar supports and tri-zone climate controls. The Limited model adds leather seating, power-adjustable and heated front seats, push-button starting, heated captain’s chairs in the second row, an upgraded audio system with a 4.3-inch color display and a rearview camera. All Santa Fe owners will enjoy the benefits of the great warranty from Hyundai which comes in as a 5 year/60,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty and a 10 year/100,000 mile powertrain warranty, allowing owners to enjoy a vehicle that is extremely reliable and backed up by its manufacturer.
For the Santa Fe the optional features include a heated steering wheel, a navigation system, a premium audio system and all-wheel drive there are many packaged features as well. For the GLS model the Ultimate Package adds leather upholstery, a navigation system and many comfort and convenience features to make the ride even more enjoyable. The Limited’s Ultimate Package adds a 12-speaker Infinity Logic 7 audio system, a navigation system, a panoramic sunroof, a heated steering wheel, heated rear sets, HID headlights, rear backup sensors and manual rear-window side sunshades. Unfortunately the Santa Fe does not offer a rear-seat entertainment system, but still has plenty of great features to enjoy.
The Hyundai Santa Fe in the GLS model with FWD starts around $31,000 making it a very affordable vehicle for many to enjoy. The Limited model comes in with its base price a little higher at $35,000 giving plenty of extras for owners to enjoy. An all-wheel drive Santa Fe Limited with all the options checked off will run just below the $44,000 mark but is still well worth the price for all the great features that are added to the very nice SUV of the Hyundai Santa Fe.
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