The Korean manufacturer won’t stop with novelties for its popular mid-size crossover. After the last year’s facelift, the 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe will come with another big novelty, a new plug-in hybrid powertrain. We are about to see a new setup, the same one that is used for other Kia Hyundai models, with more power compared to the standard hybrid model. Other than that, we don’t believe the next year’s model could feature bigger changes. It should continue in the same way, with the same design and features.
In other words, you may count on a versatile crossover, which is affordable but gives a lot in return. It offers good interior quality, combined with a pretty long list of standard and available equipment. With the new PHEV model, it will not have four powertrain options in the offer and all of them offer a great balance between power and efficiency.
2022 Hyundai Santa Fe Gets Plug-in Hybrid Powertrain
Without any doubt, the biggest novelty for the 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe is a new powertrain option. For the first time, we will see this crossover equipped with a plug-in hybrid setup. Compared to the standard hybrid, it will come with a few differences. While both versions are based on a 1.6-liter turbo-four engine, the new version comes coupled with a more powerful electric motor. As a result, the total output goes up to 265 horsepower, which provides better acceleration and overall performance.
From what we can hear, the new version will be slightly thirstier than the standard hybrid model, with the expected combined fuel economy of around 33 miles per gallon. On the other hand, you may count on a quite decent all-electric range, which will go up to 31 miles.
Powertrain
The rest of the lineup will continue with familiar engine options in the offer. Therefore, base models will be equipped with a good-old 2.5-liter naturally-aspirated four-cylinder engine, which delivers 191 horsepower and 181 pound-feet of torque. It offers decent performance and also promises a solid economy. You may count on about 25 mpg in the city and 28 mpg on the highway, which is pretty good for the segment.
If you’re up for something more capable, there is a new 2.5-liter turbo-four, with notably better performance. It features a max output of 281 horsepower and 311 pound-feet of torque and it replaces the old V6 unit. When it comes to fuel economy, this engine returns around 22 mpg in the city and 28 mpg on the highway.
Finally, there is the hybrid version. It is based on a 1.6-liter turbo-four engine, which gets help from an electric motor. The total output goes up to 230 horsepower, which is enough to move this mid-size crossover from zero to sixty in less than nine seconds. When it comes to fuel economy, you may count on about 34 mpg combined.
2022 Hyundai Santa Fe Design
When it comes to the overall design, the 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe definitely won’t feature any notable changes. The recent update has brought a lot of interesting novelties, particularly in terms of styling. We saw a completely new front end, with new grilled, headlights, bumper and other updates. The rear end also included several new details. That’s why the best we could see in the next year are the new color option.
The same thing is with the 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe interior. The recent update has brought a completely new center console, with new controls and a push-button gear selector, which replaced the traditional lever. Also, there is a new infotainment screen, with more intuitive controls and faster response.
Features
We presume that the 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe could come with a couple of new things regarding standard equipment. Still, most of the things should remain the same as in the current model, which is pretty generous in this aspect. It comes standard with goodies like an 8-inch touch screen, four USB ports, Bluetooth, and wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Of course, there is much more to get in higher trim levels. Some of the highlights are 10.25-inch touch screen (with wired smartphone integration), navigation, HD Radio, a 12-speaker Harmon Kardon sound system, wireless device charging, a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster, Hyundai’s Blue Link telematics system, push-button start, proximity keyless entry, dual-zone automatic climate control, and a panoramic sunroof.
The same thing is with safety features. The current model already comes standard with goodies like a rearview camera, lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control, and forward collision avoidance assist, which bundles forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking, pedestrian and cyclists detection etc.
2022 Hyundai Santa Fe Release Date and Price
We expect to see 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe later in the year, with a starting price of around 28.000 dollars. Key competitors should be models like Chevy Blazer, Ford Edge, Nissan Murano etc.