By Kamil Kaluski
That old saying of don’t judge a book by its cover certainly applies here. Someone in my neighborhood purchased this new version of the Hyundai Santa Fe as soon as it came out. When I saw it, I did not like it one bit. It looked like a Land Rover Defender knock-off to me. But now, after spending a few days with one, it won me over.
In this top Calligraphy trim, this Santa Fe looks much different than my neighbor’s black-on-black XRT model. So much so, that it did not remind me of the Defender but rather of the departed Ford Flex. And if you’ve ever met anyone who owned a Ford Flex, you’ll know that this is a compliment. The Flex was such a simple and functional design, without being truck-y, that it is surprising that it took this long for the industry to develop a similar vehicle.
One thing to note is that I do praise the interior of this Calligraphy, but as we noted in the below video, Hyundai interior may vary greatly based on the trim level, so choose carefully.
Here is a closer look at the Santa Fe center console:
Some of the specs on this non-hybrid Santa Fe Calligraphy:
- 2.5L Turbo DOHC 16-valve Inline 4-cylinder engine
- 277@ 5800 rpm, 311 @ 4000 rpm
- 8-speed dual clutch (wet-type) transmission
- Wheelbase: 110.8”
- Length: 190.2”
- Height: 69.7”
- Rood rack capacity: 220lbs.
- Weight: 4,486 lbs.
- Max towing: 3,500 lbs.
- Fuel economy: 20MPG city, 28MPH highway
Jeff Glucker