2021 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid Puts Premium Price on Being Green
Hyundai recently announced that its Santa Fe SUV lineup would expand in a very green way, with hybrid and plug-in hybrid models joining the gas-only powertrain for the 2021 and 2022 model years, respectively. Now, the automaker has announced the hybrid model will start at $34,835 (all prices include destination); that’s $6,800 more than the base, front-wheel-drive gas-only Santa Fe, though the hybrid powertrain won’t come in that base trim or driveline.
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Blue, SEL Premium and Limited trims will be available for the 2021 Santa Fe Hybrid — all with standard all-wheel drive. Other standards include a long list of safety features from Hyundai’s SmartSense suite: forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking and pedestrian and cyclist detection, blind spot warning with collision avoidance assist and rear cross-traffic alert, and lane-centering steering. Also standard is Hyundai’s ultrasonic rear occupant alert, which can use sensors to detect if something or someone was left behind in the vehicle.
Convenience standards include push-button start, Hyundai’s 8-inch touchscreen multimedia system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, heated front seats, wireless device charging, power-folding second-row seats and a hands-free power liftgate with an automatic opening function.
The SEL Premium ($38,785) adds leather seats, a Harman Kardon premium audio system, a larger inch touchscreen (10.25 inches) in place of the standard one, a panoramic moonroof and LED interior lighting. Highway Driving Assist is standard on SEL Premium trims; it works with the adaptive cruise control system and can make automatic speed-limit adjustment on certain highways.
The top trim, Limited ($41,135), adds LED headlamps, power-folding side mirrors, ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, a heated steering wheel and rain-sensing wipers. The Limited trim also adds more advanced safety features, such as Hyundai’s blind spot cameras, front and rear parking sensors, a 360-degree camera system and Hyundai’s remote smart parking assist.
Power for all trims comes from a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder and a 60-horsepower electric motor that pair with a six-speed automatic transmission. The motor runs off a 1.5-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack. Hyundai estimates the entire system produces 225 hp total.
EPA estimates for the 2021 Santa Fe Hybrid are 32 to 34 mpg combined, depending on trim — that’s about 10 mpg more than the gas-only Santa Fe AWD. It trails the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid in fuel economy, however, which has an EPA combined rating of 40 mpg. The new Santa Fe Hybrid is also rated slightly lower than the Honda CR-V Hybrid, which has an EPA combined rating of 38 mpg.
The Santa Fe Hybrid is larger than these compact SUVs, but it also doesn’t fare well against larger hybrids: The three-row Toyota Highlander Hybrid SUV, for example, has EPA combined ratings of 35-36 mpg, depending on trim.
Hyundai says the 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe is hitting dealerships now; a plug-in hybrid model will arrive later in 2021 as a 2022 model.
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