2017 Hyundai Santa Fe: First Impressions
CARS.COM — Hyundai’s refresh of the three-row Santa Fe is restyled just enough to help differentiate it from the similarly named two-row Santa Fe Sport. Last year, the two looked so alike they required a close inspection and detailed knowledge of their differences to distinguish one from the other, even for us. We were able to compare them at the 2016 Chicago Auto Show.
For model-year 2017 it’s a little easier — and let me reiterate, a little — with the three-row Santa Fe taking on front styling that’s similar to the all-new 2017 Hyundai Elantra. The fog lights and daytime running lights are carved into the bumper like the Elantra with vertical LED daytime running lights, while the grille sports more thin bars than the grille of the Santa Fe Sport. The Santa Fe Sport’s LED daytime running lights are positioned horizontally.
The Santa Fe’s interior showcases more changes to feature content than design, but there’s a new matte-finish woodgrain trim on leather-equipped models to give the SUV a higher-quality trim similar to the Genesis lineup of luxury vehicles. Unlike the Genesis G80, however, the matte finish inside the Santa Fe is faux, but isn’t immediately apparent until you take an up-close look at the material.
The new 19-inch wheels worn by the Santa Fe on the show floor are a good-looking design that seemed familiar. After a closer look, the wheels have a spoke design and color pattern nearly identical to the rollers that came on a 2010 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500. The wheels look right at home on both and give the Santa Fe a little more edge.
