2019 Hyundai Santa Fe Packs A Lot Of Features

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2019 Hyundai Santa Fe

2019 Hyundai Santa Fe Ultimate AWD: The Ultimate Family SUV

I was pretty astounded when I saw the list of options that were included in the 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe Ultimate – in other words – NOT options that will add to the price of the vehicle. After all, when you are traveling out-of-state to visit relatives far-far-away, you want a vehicle that has safety, technology and convenience covered.

The 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe Ultimate All-Wheel-Drive vehicle checked all the boxes. We were bringing our own precious cargo with us – ten year old McKenzie and eight year old Hunter – so we were very pleased that the ‘ultimate’ in advanced safety technology is included. Forward Collision Assist, Side Collision Assist, Blind Spot Avoidance Assist, Rear Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist, Lane Keeping Assist, and a rear occupant alert (as if they would ever not let you know they are back there!), as well as smart cruise control, stop and go and a surround view monitor. By the way, surround view monitor is one of our favorite and “must have” features on any vehicle.

2019 Hyundai Santa Fe

One of the kids favorite features: the panoramic sunroof. Sometimes riding in the backseat can feel stuffy, but Hyundai’s panoramic sunroof gave the kids extra light and expanded their viewing area. They enjoyed seeing the coastal sunsets and even noticed the stylish headliner.

From my point of view, I like a vehicle that is well aware of when I want it to “take off.” The Santa Fe Ultimate did not hold back in that department, as we were always the first off the line in Charleston, S.C. traffic, thanks to the turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with 235 horsepower paired to a new 8 speed transmission.

Technology Equals Convenience

The weather was such that I didn’t need nor use the heated seat feature, which I have found a must while driving at home in Texas traffic, where the weather has been abnormally cold all year. I really appreciated the leather eight-way power seats with integrated memory features. Wireless charging for our cell phones ACTUALLY WORKED even with our cell phone cases on. With many vehicles, I have found that the charging is only something you can depend on if you take the case off, which is extremely perilous if you are a little clumsy with your phone handling techniques. We’re becoming addicted to the wireless charging feature, since it means no longer moving cords from home to car and back again.

2019 Hyundai Santa Fe

When one is in a city where they don’t know the way to virtually anything, it’s always helpful to have a great navigation system. This is true, even if you are carrying your phone. After all, what if you get a call when on your way to the nearest Costco (Yes, there is a Costco thank heavens!) and yes, we did visit it as well as a number of fine restaurants serving the best of southern cuisine. Oh, and the destination search is a neat feature that allows you to search for points of interest. On this trip we were guided by locals, but what a useful feature when exploring new areas.

Ultimate Santa Fe, Ultimate 5 Passenger SUV

A constant debate in our family revolves around “what’s the right size vehicle for our needs?” Kristin feels like we need a three row SUV so we have room to transport the kids and their friends, or extra luggage when taking road-trips. The Hyundai Santa Fe is a five passenger SUV, with a spacious cabin and plenty of cargo space. I’d say its the perfect size for a family of four. But Kristin is eyeing the 2020 Hyundai Palisade that debuted at the LA Auto Show, arguing we’d have room for eight people.

I have to extend a warm and heartfelt thank you to Prestige and to Hyundai for making the visit to Charleston and surrounding communities a real joy. We had plenty of legroom, ample space for our luggage, and safety technology to keep us safe on unfamiliar roads. The newly designed 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe is an Ultimate SUV for the Ultimate Adventure –its easy to see why its the best-selling SUV in the brand’s 32-year history. The model we tested had a sticker of $39,905 but the base SE 2.4 FWD model starts at $25,500.