After a complete redesign last year, the Hyundai Santa Fe midsize SUV is mildly updated for 2020, adding some safety features and modifying content availability to increase the value quotient for buyers.
The 2020 Santa Fe is available in SE, SEL, and Limited grades. Rear Occupant Alert, which reminds the driver to check the back seat before exiting the vehicle, is now standard on the SE and SEL. Blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and safe exit assist are now standard on the SEL. Safe exit assist uses radar to detect cars approaching from the rear and alerts Santa Fe passengers who are about to get out of the SUV.
Wireless charging for phones is now standard on SEL models equipped with the optional Convenience package.
Standard items added to the top-of-the-line Limited grade include premium door sill plates, dark chrome exterior trim, and a new feature called Blind-View Monitor, which displays a camera view of the driver’s left or right blind spot. The display appears in the gauge cluster and is activated by the use of the turn indicator. It’s a helpful bit of technology providing an extra measure of safety during turns and lane changes.
The 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe interior includes an abundance of useful stowage spots for smaller items. (Manufacturer photo)
The SE model has a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine with 185 horsepower. That’s also the standard engine on SEL and Limited trims but they offer the option of a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder generating 235 horsepower. The extra cost for the turbo engine is $6,850.
Every 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe has an eight-speed automatic transmission, and is available with front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. AWD versions are an extra $1,700.
The Santa Fe is among the more affordable midsize SUVs on the market, with pricing that starts at $27,245 (including destination charge) for a front-drive SE model.
I drove a 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe Limited model with the 2.4-liter engine and all-wheel drive. Packed with every special feature available on the Santa Fe, its bottom line was $38,580. Had it been equipped with the turbo engine, my test vehicle’s pricing would have ballooned into the not-so-affordable $45,000 range.
There’s also the fuel economy consideration when contemplating the engines. The tester’s EPA rating is 21 mpg city, 27 mpg highway, and 24 mpg combined. With front-wheel drive it would be 22/29/25 mpg. The turbo engine gets 20/27/23 mpg with FWD and 20/26/22 mpg with AWD.
The 2019 Santa Fe I drove last year had the more powerful engine, so I know what it can do, and the 2.4-liter wasn’t disappointing by comparison. It does help a lot that Santa Fe has nice sporty handling, so there’s always fun on tap regardless of horsepower.
The 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe has a choice of two four-cylinder engines and front-wheel or all-wheel drive. (Manufacturer photo)
2020 HYUNDAI SANTA FE LIMITED 2.4 AWD
Base price, including destination charge: $38,445
Price as driven: $38,580
Mary Lowry is an independent automotive writer who lives in Snohomish County. She is a member of the Motor Press Guild, and a member and past president of the Northwest Automotive Press Association. Vehicles are provided by the manufacturers as a one-week loan for review purposes only. In no way do the manufacturers control the content of the reviews.
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