Test Drive: 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe Ultimate lives up to its name

The 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe is a five-passenger SUV with contemporary styling.
The 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe is a five-passenger SUV with contemporary styling.

Sometimes the highest compliment I can give a vehicle is the simple acknowledgement that it's better than I expected.

After all, every auto purchase comes down to the customer's estimation of "value," and being "better than expected" is the essence of that.

In that spirit, I found the 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe mid-size SUV to be way better than I expected - from its Land Rover-like interior to its spunky 2.0-liter turbocharged engine. It's not that the previous generation Santa Fe was bad, it's just that the newly-redesigned crossover is demonstrably better. It feels expensive, looks terrific and drives like a German luxury car.

photo The interior of the 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe includes a sculpted, two-tone dash and beige leather seats.

FAST FACTS

› Model: 2019 Santa Fe Ultimate 2.0T AWD› Exterior color: Earthy Bronze› Interior color: Beige› Engine: 2.0-liter, turbocharged› Horsepower: 235› Transmission: eight-speed automatic› Fuel economy: 24 mpg highway, 19 mpg city› Local Dealer: Long Hyundai› Price (as tested): $39,905


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Here's a prediction: Some day import-loving Millennials will hold up the Hyundai brand with the same reverence as GenXers and Boomers now give to Toyota and Honda. Those Japanese brands grew their popularity late in the last century through a slavish devotion to quality and innovation, two cornerstones of value. Hyundai, based in Korea, has successfully bench-marked those values. So, watch out.

Hyundai provided us a fully-loaded Santa Fe Ultimate, assembled in Montgomery, Alabama, for our one-week test drive on Chattanooga streets and highways. Locally, Long Hyundai (6035 International Drive) had 17 2019 Santa Fe models in digital inventory last this week, and all were listed with generous mark-downs. The sticker price of our top-of-the-line, Ultimate-trim tester is $39,905.

WHAT IS IT? The redesigned 2019 Santa Fe is a two-row, five-passenger mid-sized SUV. There's a seven-passenger version in the pipeline that has been dubbed the Santa Fe XL. The five-passenger Santa Fe compares to the Nissan Mirano and Volkswagen Tiguan.

DESIGN AND COMFORT: Time was, you couldn't find a flat surface on the swoopy Santa Fe, but the new model looks neatly pressed and contemporary, dare we way "buttoned-down." It has Hyundai's new "cascading" grille, which looks bolder than before. The over-all look is expensive. Some design touches, like the quilted quality of the speaker covers, would look at home on a luxury SUV. Materials throughout the interior, including the beige leather seats in our tester, are best in class.

THINGS WE LOVE: The sculpted dash, two-tone seats, impeccable fit and finish, panoramic moon-roof, rear-seat legroom and sharp and legible navigation-system graphics.

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT: We're not fans of the new start-stop technology that kills the motor at red lights. It takes half a heartbeat for the engine to restart, which is sometimes disconcerting. Also, rearward visibility is pinched due to the roof design. Fuel economy, 21 mpg in combined city/highway driving, is acceptable but not stellar.

DRIVING IMPRESSIONS: Our tester comes with a potent, 235-horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder engine. Throttle response is great, and acceleration is better than average. A 185-horsepower, normally-aspirated engine is standard in lower trim levels. A new eight-speed automatic transmission produces silky-smooth shifts.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST: Although our Ultimate-trim tester tickles the $40,000 threshold, an entry-level SE starts at $25,000.

BOTTOM LINE: Test drive the new 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe and we'd wager that you'll walk away pleasantly surprised.

We certainly did.

Contact Mark Kennedy at mkennedy@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6645. Follow him on Twitter @TFPCOLUMNIST. Subscribe to his Facebook updates at www.facebook.com/mkennedycolumnist.

photo The 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe Ultimate features durable skid plates and attractive 19-inch wheels.

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