Similar to with so many current Hyundais, the 2024 Santa Fe grabbed the automobile world’s consideration with its daring design. The midsize crossover jumped from a handsome-yet-generic form to a crisply creased field, capitalizing on each the development towards squared-off and off-road-oriented designs and Hyundai’s current retro-futuristic motif. In line with Kevin Kang, the pinnacle of Hyundai Design North America, the design and improvement course of happened in the course of the pandemic, and it shortly turned obvious that clients have been going to need one thing that regarded, felt and was fairly able to getting them away from all of it. To that finish, it’s evident from early sketches that ruggedness was at all times a key focus. That led partly to the boxy form, but it surely knowledgeable the need to supply most house, once more, as a necessity for getting away. Theoretically, you would wish house for gear, provides and presumably for sleeping in. Even in South Korea, automobile tenting, or “chabak” in Korean, was changing into widespread because the Santa Fe was developed.
Whereas each model of the brand new Santa Fe advantages from the design workforce’s deal with ruggedness and house, one trim inarguably represents the top of these concepts: the XRT. The trim made its debut on the earlier Santa Fe, and has expanded to the Tucson, Santa Cruz and Palisade. Whereas all of these have been and are largely look packages (the Palisade model is even known as the “City” in Canada), the 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe XRT is extra of the true deal. It will get a further 1.3 inches of floor clearance for starters. An inch of that’s from a suspension carry, whereas the remainder comes from the bigger 29.6-inch Continental TerrainContact all-terrain tires. That offers the XRT 8.3 inches of floor clearance, which is 0.2 greater than the Honda Passport (together with the TrailSport), 0.1 lower than a normal Jeep Grand Cherokee, and 0.4 lower than a normal Subaru Outback. It’s the identical because the Honda Pilot TrailSport. The carry additionally improves strategy, breakover and departure angles by 1.9, 2.1 and 1.5 levels respectively in comparison with an everyday, non-hybrid Santa Fe.
Design-wise, the XRT receives black badging throughout, a novel blocky grille insert, XRT branded leatherette seats, extra versatile raised roof rails, and people all-terrain tires are fitted to distinctive 18-inch wheels. That gives extra sidewall on prime of the chunkier tread sample. The wheels are lots chunky themselves, with thick rims that vaguely recommend beadlock wheels. Additionally, whereas the XRT doesn’t have a particular off-road drive mode, the traction management settings have been adjusted throughout the board for higher off-road use, akin to permitting for a bit extra tire slip than regular. Hill descent management and an all-wheel-drive lock button are included, the latter of which retains the clutch pack that connects the rear axle totally engaged. Activating these options additionally additional adjusts the traction settings.
The XRT is just out there with the turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder, which is a really welcome enchancment over the naturally aspirated 2.5-liter four-cylinder of the earlier model. Like different Santa Fes, the engine makes 277 horsepower and 311 pound-feet of torque (in comparison with 191 horsepower and 181 pound-feet for the outdated one), however the cooling system has been enhanced. It will get a higher-output radiator fan, and there are bigger grille openings for added airflow. This offers the XRT an additional 1,000 kilos of towing capability over the non-hybrid fashions for 4,500 kilos complete. That falls in need of these rivals talked about above, minus the Outback, but it surely’s nonetheless an honest quantity for towing a small camper or toy hauler. Sadly, a trailer hitch shouldn’t be included (in contrast to the Honda TrailSports and Nissan Pathfinder Rock Creek), that means you’ll have to look sellers for an optionally geared up XRT should you’re seeking to tow or use a hitch-mounted rack.
Like different rugged crossovers with all-terrain tires, the XRT does obtain its additional functionality on the expense of gasoline financial system. With 19 mpg within the metropolis, 26 on the freeway and 22 mpg mixed, it is 1 to 2 mpg thirstier than every other non-hybrid Santa Fe. The XRT can be solely supplied with all-wheel-drive, and it will get an eight-speed dual-clutch computerized transmission.
The XRT in fact advantages from the brand new Santa Fe’s general redesign. It has the nifty hid seize handles for accessing no matter you’ve loaded onto the roof. The additional exterior dimension enabled the introduction of a 3rd row of seats, and with them folded, there’s extra cargo house behind the second row than earlier than (36.4 cubic ft as much as 40.5). Whole cargo house additionally jumps from 72.1 to 79.6 cubic ft. Even the hatch has been expanded to make it a lot simpler to load cumbersome gadgets. Top expands by 2 inches to 32, and width expands by 5.7 inches to 50.2. Simply don’t anticipate to completely make the most of each the third row and all that additional cargo house: The aft-most row is surprisingly spacious, but it surely comes on the expense of cargo house behind it. You’ll be fortunate to hold purchasing baggage. Much more motive to have these higher roof rails and go for the trailer hitch, then.
With all that out of the best way, let’s get into the precise drive. On this journey, we had entry to each an XRT and the top-spec Calligraphy for street driving, with an off-road course arrange for the model greatest fitted to it. To be clear, that may not be the Calligraphy, as its 21-inch wheels wouldn’t have made for expertise, and doubtless would’ve resulted in some harm.
Having pushed each fashions back-to-back on the road, we’re happy to report that the additional top and the all-terrain tires do not actually change the pavement expertise, not less than not in any vital approach. The engine stays torquey and keen, and the transmission is pretty easy with immediate, if not split-second, shifts. You’ll be able to hear some rumbly gargles at larger rpm, but it surely’s not notably loud, plus with all that torque, it is simple for the engine to work largely unnoticed with low revs. There are guide shift paddles that work fairly nicely, however their actual use will possible be for holding decrease gears for engine braking on downhills.
The Santa Fe can be slightly succesful in corners, with solely reasonable physique roll and strong grip. Nonetheless, the character is rather more of a relaxed cruiser. That is made extra obvious with steering that is not notably fast to react and is a little bit gentle and numb. It will hustle should you actually ask it to, however the Santa Fe asks that you just calm down within the comfortable seats and benefit from the astonishingly huge visibility out the tall windshield. And the wonderful physique management with the flippantly agency suspension tuning is enhanced by the additional sidewall of the XRT’s 18-inch wheels that additional take in little bumps. We didn’t get to drive them, but it surely’s protected to say that every one hybrids plus the SE and SEL would possibly experience even higher as they too have 18-inch wheels, however with softer all- season rubber.
The XRT off-road course was a mixture of extraordinarily gentle gravel and dust roads, adopted by extra reasonable obstacles with steep hills, ditches, ruts, buried rocks, stumps, roots and a little bit of mud. Mainly, it concerned every part that this class of auto would most likely be requested of it: driving down gentle to reasonable fireplace roads and campsite trails. On the gravel and dust roads, what was fairly spectacular was how snug and secure the Santa Fe felt. I discovered myself persevering with so as to add a little bit extra velocity due to that stability. I used to be getting it as much as round 30 mph or so on single-track paths and was having a good bit of enjoyable because it floated alongside.
As the trail obtained a little bit bumpier and with extra timber, I naturally slowed down, however I nonetheless felt in a position to zip by fairly confidently because of that spectacular visibility. Coupled with the good view of the boxy corners, it was a breeze to snake it round brush. Although after going up and down hills and ditches, it could be good if the XRT had the identical forward-facing digicam discovered within the Calligraphy as a part of its surround-view parking system.
For the hills, the Santa Fe cruised up simply, with the all-wheel-drive lock including some additional traction. With that stated, heading up the hills, issues might get jerky on the 1-2 upshift. Between being a dual-clutch transmission that has to stability clutch slipping and the turbocharged powertrain, it is not the smoothest to alter. It did not actually have an effect on the potential on this state of affairs, but it surely did have me pondering that providing an XRT hybrid can be a good suggestion. Not like Toyota or Honda’s hybrids, Hyundai’s system has a conventional computerized transmission and all-wheel-drive system. Meaning it must be simply as succesful off-road, but present the moment and low-down torque of an electrical motor in live performance with a turbocharged engine. Quieter operation and nice gasoline financial system – rated at 35/34/34 mpg with AWD – would appear like interesting options for outdoorsy of us, too.
The hill descent management additionally supplied a bit of additional security margin heading again down, although it is a pretty fundamental system based mostly in your incline, throttle enter, and velocity at which you activate it. You’ll be able to’t management your velocity degree with paddles or cruise management buttons like with many different so-equipped automobiles. And naturally, for a few of the extra excessive ditches, rocks and such, the additional floor clearance was very welcome. These have been tracks that positively required the added top, and you wouldn’t wish to take a automobile down them.
At $41,995, the XRT is priced fairly competitively. It is a few thousand bucks costlier than the most cost effective turbo Subaru Outback, and a few grand lower than a base Honda Passport and even the Santa Fe’s mechanically associated cousin, the Kia Sorento X-Professional. Bigger three-row crossovers just like the Pilot TrailSport and Pathfinder Rock Creek are a lot pricier. It is full of normal options together with (deep breath) a sunroof, energy tailgate, power-adjustable heated entrance seats, ambient lighting, 12.3-inch infotainment display, digital devices with a 4.2-inch information display, navigation, wi-fi CarPlay and Android Auto, wi-fi cellphone charging, 115-volt family energy outlet, adaptive cruise management, blind-spot warning, rear-cross-traffic alert, ahead computerized emergency braking, entrance and rear parking sensors, lane-keep help and driver monitoring.
Hyundai created one thing of a candy spot with its Santa Fe XRT. It is essentially the most versatile and succesful Santa Fe, with out sacrificing vital on-road functionality or consolation. And it does so with aggressive pricing, a great deal of house, and naturally, the section’s most enjoyable styling. We’d nonetheless extremely suggest trying out a Santa Fe hybrid first, particularly because the XRT’s additional functionality will realistically be a moot level for a lot of, but when getting away from all of it sounds most interesting, the XRT is well-worth your consideration.
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