What kind of vehicle is the 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe? What does it compare to?
A mid-size crossover SUV, the 2023 Santa Fe can seat up to five people, and spans a gamut of performance from frugal 4-cylinder power to efficient plug-in driving. With plain base versions and a ritzy Calligraphy edition, it rivals the Nissan Murano, Honda Passport, Jeep Grand Cherokee, and its mechanical cousin, the Kia Sorento.
Is the 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe a good SUV?
Review continues below
Five-person families who want safe, efficient wheels will love it. We give it a strong TCC Rating of 7.0 out of 10. (Read more about how we rate cars.)
What’s new for the 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe?
The former SEL Convenience model is gone, and synthetic leather upholstery now comes on the XRT and SEL Premium versions. Hyundai also has made adaptive cruise control, blind-spot cameras, the 10.3-inch touchscreen, and the power tailgate available on a wider range of trims.
Hyundai injected some drama into the Santa Fe back in 2021 with revamped front and rear ends, but the result comes off busy. The crossover’s cutlines break up its otherwise standard-issue SUV body too often, but the XRT’s dark gloss trim mutes the effect somewhat. Inside, the Santa Fe has a refined ambiance, with confident splashes of metallic trim among its podlike air vents and touchscreens ranging from 8.0 inches to 10.3 inches.
A base Santa Fe comes with a 191-hp inline-4 and an 8-speed automatic, and doesn’t offer much excitement. The 277-hp turbo-4 moves more quickly but its dual-clutch automatic bobbles and pauses too much. The 226-hp Hybrid strikes us as the best compromise between efficiency and smooth output—unless you want to spend into the mid-$40,000s for a plug-in hybrid, the most frugal and most expensive Santa Fe of all. No matter which model you choose, ride quality stands out in front of steering precision; the Santa Fe’s a cruiser, poised even when fitted with smaller wheels and tires.
A cabin optimized for four 6-foot-tall people and their belongings can be pressed into five-passenger duty. The Santa Fe has well-shaped front seats that come with cloth, synthetic leather, or nappa leather, with power adjustment, heating, and cooling. The second-row seat can also be heated. Cargo space swells to 72.1 cubic feet when the back seats are folded down, but there’s no third-row seat option. For that, you’ll need to step into the bigger Palisade.
The Santa Fe sports standard automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitors, and automatic high-beam headlights. A surround-view camera system sits on the options list (it’s standard on the highest-end models), as does a head-up display. The IIHS and the NHTSA give the mid-size SUV excellent crash-test scores, too.
How much does the 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe cost?
Prices aren’t confirmed for 2023 yet, but the Santa Fe SE should cost about $30,000. It has 18-inch wheels, cloth upholstery, an 8.0-inch touchscreen, and wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The mid-range Santa Fe SEL adds a few grand with its wireless smartphone charging, power driver seat, and remote start. For about $40,000, the Santa Fe Hybrid brings high fuel economy ratings with its leather upholstery, digital gauges, and panoramic roof.
Where is the 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe made?
It’s built in Alabama, but plug-in hybrids hail from Ulsan, South Korea.