2023 Hyundai Santa Fe Reviews, Pricing & Specs

Unlike some of Hyundai's recent designs, the Santa Fe's exterior styling is almost conservative by comparison. That's not to say it's not an attractive SUV, because it is. It just doesn't have stand-out looks like some of the brand's other models. That will change with the crossover's next redesign, coming for the 2024 model year.

For now, the 2023 Santa Fe soldiers on with the same look and feel as the 2022 model. The five-passenger SUV is available in Canada in four trim levels: Preferred, Urban, Luxury (sold with hybrid or plug-in hybrid powertrains only, covered under a separate review), and Ultimate Calligraphy. In Canada, all-wheel drive (AWD) is standard on all trims. (The front-wheel drive (FWD) variant sold in the U.S. is not available in Canada.)

Our U.S.-spec test vehicle was a top-of-the-line Ultimate Calligraphy trim wearing Stormy Sea paint (a deep, rich dark blue that’s not offered in Canada) Including the $1,975 destination charge, the total manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) is $51,606.

From an exterior styling standpoint, the only truly distinctive element on the Santa Fe is its wide upper and lower grilles—a look that runs in the Hyundai model family. Thin LED headlights also help give the Santa Fe its own look, but things normalize quickly, from the front turn signal lamps to the rears.

As previously mentioned, our Calligraphy test vehicle had a black interior with black leather seats. While the cabin certainly possessed a high-quality look and feel, it was dark and monotone in appearance. We recommend the beige interior to break things up a bit and provide some visual contrast, which is more pleasing to the eye. If beige isn't to your liking, you can opt for the gray interior on lower trim levels, which helps to break things up, albeit to a lesser extent.

We particularly liked the Nappa leather seats in our test vehicle, as they were both comfy and attractive. Heated and cooled front seats come standard in the Calligraphy; the second row also features seat heaters. Thanks to the spring weather (cold at night, warm during the day), we were able to take advantage of both seat heating and cooling.

Every 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe comes with a 2.5-litre engine, but shoppers can choose between natural aspiration and forced induction. In Preferred trim, the naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine produces 191 horsepower and 181 pound-feet of torque. It works with a conventional eight-speed automatic transmission. Hyundai adds a turbocharger to the Urban and Ultimate Calligraphy trims, boosting output to 281 hp and 311 pound-feet. The turbocharged engine works with an eight-speed "wet" dual-clutch automatic transmission.

Every Santa Fe also comes equipped with a drive-mode selector, offering four customizable drive modes: Comfort, Sport, Snow, and Smart. All 2023 Santa Fe SUVs have push-button gears located near the top of the centre console. Our test vehicle also had steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters. Of course, they are unnecessary on this type of vehicle, but they do add an extra touch of sportiness.

On paper, the turbocharged Santa Fe has a 90-hp advantage over the non-turbo version—a significant difference. On the road, the boost in performance (pun intended) provided by the turbocharger manifests itself immediately. While the acceleration and passing performance of the non-turbo Santa Fe is serviceable, the turbocharger takes things to another level. Off-the-line acceleration in the Ultimate Calligraphy test vehicle feels immediate, with no discernible turbo lag. Getting up to speed is a breeze, too. Likewise, passing power comes on instantaneously, especially in Sport mode.

We are happy to report that during our test drive, the brisk acceleration of the turbo was not accompanied by any undue engine noise or other harshness, for that matter—just quick, clean acceleration. We kept the Santa Fe in Comfort mode most of the time. Handling was smooth, with only a slight body lean during cornering maneuvers or highway-speed lane changes. Happily, we did not experience any low-gear, low-speed clunkiness that often accompanies dual-clutch transmissions. Perhaps Hyundai has finally found the answer to this industry bug-a-boo.

We did not take the Santa Fe off-road during our time with it; thus, we didn't have a chance to test the AWD-lock function or its trail capabilities. However, most owners will never take the Ultimate Calligraphy version of the SUV on any serious off-road trails. Likewise, we did not tow anything with the Santa Fe. That said, non-turbo Santa Fes can tow 907 kilograms (2,000 pounds), while the turbo version can tow 1,587 kg (3,500 pounds). Keep in mind, however, you'll need trailer brakes to achieve those towing capabilities (maximum trailer capacity without trailer brakes is 748 kg (1,650 pounds) for all trim levels).

The bottom line is that while the Hyundai Santa Fe is no BMW X5, its performance—power, ride, handling, smoothness—rivals that of any other SUV at its price point.

While some automakers equip their midsize SUVs with a cramped third row, Hyundai resists that temptation with the Santa Fe, instead reserving three-row configurations for the larger Palisade. That was a smart move. Not having to package three rows of seats in a vehicle appropriately sized for two has several benefits, including more rear-seat legroom and additional cargo space behind the second row. Indeed, the Santa Fe's 1,060 millimetres of rear-seat legroom is among the leaders in the class.

Likewise, cargo space behind the second row is a very competitive 1,032 litres. Fold down the second row of seats manually or with the remote release located in the cargo area to access 2,041 litres of storage space. There's even an underfloor storage compartment in the cargo area.

In addition to the extra space afforded by having only two rows, seat comfort is also a Santa Fe strength. An eight-way power driver's seat and heated front seats are standard equipment in Canada.

In terms of comfort and convenience features, all trims have dual-zone climate control and rear window sunshades, and the top two trims come with a hands-free smart liftgate with an auto-open feature and a power driver seat cushion extension, ventilated front seats, an eight-way power passenger seat, and heated rear seats. The Ultimate Calligraphy trim includes Remote Smart Parking Assist. This latter feature allows you to remotely pull the Santa Fe in and out of a tight parking space. This top trim also features items such as a head-up display, premium door and seat accent trim, a microfibre headliner, and ambient lighting.

One of our favourite features on our test vehicle was the extended panoramic sunroof spanning both rows of seats. We also appreciated the head-up display, though adjusting the display height involved navigating vehicle-settings menus rather than simply rotating a dial on the dashboard. But this is likely a one-time, set-it-and-forget-it scenario, so not a big deal.

Despite its many positives, the Santa Fe does have some minor shortcomings. For example, drivers who like to sit up high for a commanding view of the road will find that raising the driver's seat to its maximum height also pushes them toward the steering wheel. Alas, you might be sitting closer to the driver's airbag than you're comfortable with. You might also smack your head against the A-pillar when entering and exiting the vehicle due to the extreme seat position (not that we did that… twice).

Another thing we noticed is that the wide centre console, while great for storage, cuts into driver leg and hip space. Again, this is a minor niggle, and most drivers probably won't even notice.

One area in which the Santa Fe excels is in-vehicle technology, both in terms of infotainment and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), particularly those related to safety (more on that later).

From the Santa Fe's driver's seat, you'll face a standard 4.2-inch colour LCD multi-information display in Preferred and Urban trims. The Luxury and Ultimate Calligraphy trims feature a larger, 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster. Both offer crisp, clear graphics, but we prefer the versatility of the larger display.

All trims feature a 10.25-inch touchscreen with a navigation system and traffic information, wired (yes, wired) Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Bluetooth, SiriusXM satellite radio, BlueLink connected services, voice recognition, and dual front and rear USB ports. Wireless device charging is exclusive to the top two trims, and Ultimate Calligraphy also come standard with a 12-speaker Harman Kardon premium audio system.

While the infotainment systems in the Santa Fe don't have the fanciest graphics, home screen icons are clearly marked and arranged logically. There are many sub-menus through which to navigate to find certain settings, but the deeper you go, the more you realize just how much you can customize the vehicle. For a mass-market brand, the system's capability is quite remarkable.

A thorough test of the Santa Fe's voice-recognition capabilities brought mixed results. The system efficiently handled all our commands related to finding addresses or points of interest, producing an appropriate list of choices and asking if we'd like route guidance. We also successfully got a weather report on the very first try.

Things didn't go quite as smoothly when it came to requesting certain types of music or changing the cabin temperature. However, we eventually figured out the proper terminology to accomplish those tasks. Also, despite being parked in a remote location with the climate control working quietly in the background, the system struggled to hear or understand our commands. On several occasions, we had to shout into the microphone before achieving the desired result. Sadly, the system was not able to turn on the seat heaters.

As we alluded earlier, the Hyundai Santa Fe comes with a plethora of standard safety-related ADAS, including forward-collision avoidance with pedestrian, cyclist, and junction-turning detection, automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, lane-centring assist, driver monitoring, a safe-exit assist system, and a rear-seat reminder system. Highway Driving Assist comes standard on Ultimate Calligraphy. It leverages the vehicle's adaptive cruise control along with stop-and-go capability to help make the driving task easier.

While testing most safety-related ADAS during an evaluation drive is not advisable, knowing these features were working behind the scenes gave us peace of mind. Indeed, we appreciated the reminders to check the rear seat for precious cargo upon exiting the vehicle. The safe-exit warning system also alerted us to passing cars in close proximity as we exited. In an increasingly distracted world, simple reminders like these could (and likely do) save lives.

In crash tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe received the highest-possible five-star overall rating. Meanwhile, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) gave the 2023 Santa Fe its highest rating of "Top Safety Pick+" for the 2022 calendar year. The Santa Fe earned the highest-possible Good ratings from the Institute in all crashworthiness tests. Not surprisingly, the Institute liked the projector-type headlights in the Ultimate Calligraphy trim better than the reflector-type units in the lower trims.

Hyundai vehicles offer outstanding value thanks to their accessible pricing and standard feature lists. Factor in top-notch product quality, reasonable insurance rates, and low maintenance costs, and it's no wonder Hyundai (and its siblings Kia and Genesis) continues to climb the sales charts. The Santa Fe is yet another example of this value bonanza.

The 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe pricing starts at $40,706 (including the $1,975 destination charge) for the base Preferred trim level with AWD. It comes with LED headlights, 18-inch alloy wheels, cloth seats, heated front seats, keyless entry, split/reclining second-row seats, a 10.25-inch touchscreen display audio, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a multitude of standard ADAS.

The better-equipped Urban starts at a new vehicle price of $45,006 and comes with the turbocharged engine, leatherette seating surfaces, an 8-way power-adjustable passenger seat, 19-inch alloy wheels, and more.

The Luxury, priced at $48,306, is available in Canada exclusively as a the Santa Fe Hybrid or Plug-in Hybrid (the latter sold out early for 2023). It ups the luxury factor with a fully digital instrument cluster, proximity-activated smart liftgate, and more.

Starting at a new car price of $51,606, the top-spec Calligraphy adds 20-inch alloy wheels, Nappa leather seats, a surround-view camera and Hyundai’s blind view monitor system, and more.

According to Natural Resources Canada, the non-turbo 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe returns combined city/highway fuel economy of 9.9 litres per 100 kilometres. Opting for the turbo engine brings a very small efficiency penalty; the turbo delivers 10.0 L/100 km combined. During our week of testing in the Ultimate Calligraphy, we averaged 10.3 L/100 km in mixed driving—slightly higher than NRCan's estimate. With a fuel tank capacity of 67 litres, our maximum travel range would be approximately 650 kilometres.

The 2023 Santa Fe comes with a five years, 100,000-kilometre comprehensive warranty, including unlimited roadside assistance for the same period.

Note: Images show a US model.