First drive: 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe [Video review]

Hyunda's Santa Fe gets a total makeover for 2019.

The SUV boom is in full swing and Hyundai is looking to capitalize with an all-new version of its mid-size Santa Fe. The 2019 model year brings a ground-up redesign for the Santa Fe, along with a reshuffling of the SUV's model lineup.

What is it?

In addition to thoroughly updating the Santa Fe for 2019, Hyundai is also repositioning it within its SUV lineup. Since 2012, the Santa Fe has been a three-row SUV, with the Santa Fe Sport serving as the two-row version of Hyundai's family SUV. However, for 2019 the Santa Fe is two-row only; the three-row version of the SUV is now called the Santa Fe XL. Next year Hyundai will change things up again when it replaces the Santa Fe XL with a new model known as the Palisade.

Sometime down the line -- likely in 2020 -- things will get even more confusing when Hyundai launches a diesel-powered version of the Santa Fe that will be three-row only. That may seem a little strange since Hyundai just made the Santa Fe a two-row model, but the company has to put three-rows in the Santa Fe diesel in order for it to qualify as a light truck under the EPA's fuel economy guidelines.

Modern SUV looks

Hyundai's major design goal for the 2019 Santa Fe was to make it look more like a traditional SUV. That's because Hyundai felt the previous-generation of the Santa Fe was too minivan-like in its exterior design, which turned off some SUV buyers. So for 2019, out went the curves and in came the bulkier lines.

Hyundai also used the opportunity to update the Santa Fe with the latest version of its corporate face that debuted on the smaller Kona. That new look includes a muscular, creased hood; a big, upright grille; and a three-tiered lighting system that features LED daytime running lights at the top, low- and high-beams in the middle and fog lights at the bottom.

In profile the 2019 Santa Fe is much more butch-looking than its predecessor thanks to a steeper windshield, more upright greenhouse and the addition of exaggerated fender flares. Hyundai also included a flatter shoulder line to give the Santa Fe a stronger, more planted appearance.

The rear of the new Santa Fe is fairly traditional with the type of sculpted taillights and chrome cross-bar that a lot of automakers are using these days. A piece of gray cladding on the Santa Fe's lower bumper at least gives the SUV a slightly tougher look.

Inside the Santa Fe Hyundai designers took fewer risks. That's not to say the interior design of the new Santa Fe is bad, it's just not as evocative as its exterior. That's a missed opportunity in our books, but the Santa Fe's more conservative interior will likely appeal to a wider swath of buyers.

That new interior design consists of a tablet-like infotainment screen attached to the top of the dash (a 7-inch unit is standard, cars equipped with navigation get an 8-inch screen), a sculpted dash with unique, marble-like accents that flow into the front door cards, and convenient cubby holes in the dashboard in front of the passenger and below the center console. To add some richness the Santa Fe's interior, Hyundai also include a headliner that mimics the look of heather fabric and speaker grilles that are intended to look like an aerial view of a mountain range.

The Santa Fe's gauge cluster is a blend of modern and traditional tech. There's a large, configurable LCD in the middle of the cluster that's flanked by analog gauges for engine speed, fuel and engine temperature.

There's no old fashion tech below the surface of the 2019 Santa Fe. Every model comes standard with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and safety features like adaptive cruise control with stop and go, lane keep assist, emergency braking and blind spot warning. Optional equipment includes a head-up display and 360 degree cam.

In place of a third-row seat, Hyundai equipped the 2019 Santa Fe with a generous cargo area that can swallow more than 35 cubic feet of gear with the second-row seats in place and more than 70 cubic feet with the seats stowed.

Storage is also plentiful in the Santa Fe's second row. In addition to traditional door pockets, the Santa Fe has map pockets on the backs of both front seats and a slot in the center console that's perfect for smartphones.

The Santa Fe has plenty of room for people, too. Our panoramic sunroof-equipped test car had plenty of head- and leg-room in the front seats, and there's enough space in the back seat for people over six-feet tall.

Updated powertrains

The 2019 Santa Fe will be available with two different four-cylinder engines -- a naturally aspirated 2.4L that we didn't drive, and a 2.0L turbocharged engine that we did. The 2.4L is the standard engine in the Santa Fe and serves up 185 horsepower and 178 lb-ft of torque. Buyers of upper-end Santa Fe models can opt for the 235 horsepower, 260 lb-ft of torque turbo-four.

The Santa Fe is front-wheel drive based, but all-wheel drive can be specified for an additional charge. Both engines mate to a new eight-speed automatic transmission.

The 2019 Santa Fe is one of the lightest vehicles in its class thanks to the extensive use of high-strength steel in its chassis, but somehow the Santa Fe manages some of the worst fuel economy numbers in the segment. Base versions of the Santa Fe with the 2.4L and front-wheel drive return OK figures, with the EPA predicting 22mpg in the city, 29mpg on the highway and 25mpg in mixed driving. In comparison, the more powerful Nissan Murano and Ford Edge trail the 2.4L Santa Fe by a single mile per gallon in mixed driving.

When you add all-wheel drive, the 2.4L gets 21mpg in the city, 27mpg on the highway and 23mpg in mixed driving. That matches the economy you'll get from a turbocharged Edge and actually lags the V6-powered Nissan Murano by 1mpg in mixed driving.

The turbocharged Santa Fe is even thirstier. When hooked to front wheel drive it returns 20/25/22mpg city/highway combined; adding AWD drops those figures to 19/24/21mpg. Just for reference, the three-row Honda Pilot, which has a more powerful V6, is good for 19/26/22mpg.

On the road

Hyundai may have given the Santa Fe tougher exterior styling, but its ride quality is anything but truck-like. During our day-long drive around the roads of Park City, Utah -- which included plenty of wash-boarded gravel roads -- we were pleasantly surprised by the Santa Fe's comfortable ride. The suspension willingly absorbs bumps while still providing a planted and confident driving feeling on winding roads. The steering in the Santa Fe is also better than we were expecting -- it provided good weight and sharp response.

The Santa Fe's comfortable ride is enhanced by an extremely quiet cabin that does a good job of keeping out wind and tire noise.

Our day was spent behind the wheel of a Santa Fe Ultimate 2.0T with AWD. Based on its power figures and Hyundai's new eight-speed auto, we were expecting peppy performance from the Santa Fe. However, we came away disappointed.

The first issue holding the Santa Fe 2.0T back is a lazy throttle. Stab the gas from a standstill and nothing happens for a few seconds, which can be quite frightening when accelerating away from a blind intersection.

Once the engine finally kicks in, it doesn't provide a whole lot of forward thrust. We weren't expecting the Santa Fe to be a rocket ship, but we thought the 2.0L would have a lot more oomph than it does. Adding disappointing fuel economy to that disappointing performance is a double whammy.

On a positive note, we found the Santa Fe's cabin to be well laid out with easy-to-use controls. We also appreciated having several storage nooks available for our various electronic devices.

The available head-up display and heather headliner are nice touches in an SUV in this class, but some of the materials in the nearly $40,000 Santa Fe Ultimate test car we drove were on the cheap side. However, most Santa Fe models will list from somewhere in the low $30,000-range, and the materials feel much more appropriate for a vehicle in that price range.

One unique safety feature of the 2019 Santa Fe is a back seat reminder system that goes well beyond systems currently on the market. Like similar systems already on offer, Hyundai's Rear Occupant Alert gives the driver a warning in the gauge cluster if they opened the vehicle's rear doors before setting off. The idea behind the system is to alert the driver that they might have put a child or a pet in the backseat.

But unlike other backseat reminders on the market, Hyundai's system also uses a sensor in the Santa Fe's ceiling that can detect motion in the back seat and trunk for up to 24 hours after the vehicle is turned off and locked (the Santa Fe has an auto locking function so it can lock its doors once the driver exits the vehicle with the smart key). If the vehicle detects movement in the back seat or trunk, it'll set off the vehicle alarm and send a text to the owner via the Hyundai BlueLink app.

Leftlane's bottom line

The 2019 Santa Fe may have lost of row of seating, but it's gained expressive styling and standard safety tech that should lure more SUV buyers to Hyundai shows. Buyers drawn to Hyundai showrooms to gander at the new Santa Fe should be impressed with the SUV's comfortable ride and spacious cabin, but performance and fuel economy could be areas of disappointment. But on the whole, the 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe is a mid-size SUV worth considering.

Photos courtesy of Hyundai.