Had my 23 hybrid limited for six months and love all the features, smoothness and of course the mpg, I can get 36mpg in the city and 32 highway. The vehicle is great and I'm glad I got the last of this generation as I am not liking the look of the incoming version.
I'm glad I was able to pickup a leftover stock 23 SEL AWD with the naturally aspirated 4 cylinder with the 8 speed automatic. I refuse to get mixed up with those horrid DCTs. Hyundai and Kia have years worth of data regarding the reliability and performance problems of DCTs on American roads you'd think they'd do the smart thing and just chuck it. My guess, we'll see a version of the 8 speed automatic-- probably bumped to a 9 or 10 speed available on the Santa Fe again in 2025 or 2026 because of the DCT problems.
I believe that is why the Hybrid might be a popular pick. It retains the traditional 6 speed auto. I would like to see a regular 8 speed paired to the 2.5T over the DCT in applications like this.
I do not get Hyundai’s fascination with the dual clutch. What am I missing? I don’t doubt their engineering, but this seems like such a bad choice for longevity and durability.
So the Santa Fe Hybrid being showing is Premium. Not Limited. If you look at the center there is no ventilated seats, heated steering wheel etc. The limited is a lot closer to Caligrahy.
The Santa Fe Calligraphy trim looks way better than the Limited trim. You can get the wheel arches & body panels painted to match the body color like the Calligraphy & give it a different set of 19’ wheles because the stock ones look ugly (imo) for the Limited trim. You can probably retrofit ambient lighing in the same places the Calligraphy trim has & then the only 3 things you’d be missing are the auto up/down rear windows, puddle lamps under the side mirrors, & the Head-Up display.
The Hybrid is incredibly smooth. This is due to the electric motor and transmission design. The DCT in the 2.5T is smooth but I would say it does have a more direct feeling which sometimes means it has a little jerkiness to it under certain conditions.
what is the MPG of both drivetrains in this car?edit: wrongly asked - what is the MPG of the hybrid version when compared to the stated 21 mixed in 2.5T?
Neither one is going to be substantially different for cabin noise. I would say the Hybrid feels smoother for the transmission. You will feel the transition from gas to electric and vice versa but the DCT paired to the 2.5T is also noticeable.
Thanks for that. I’ve owned a 2008 Prius so I am familiar with CVT and the instant on when the ICE and electric seamlessly switches. We presently own 2 Santa Fe’s 2.0 turbo a 2013 and a 2014, both with tech packages. I don’t want to go backwards and have less power or features. I like the power and the creature comforts our cars have. I would like to get away from the turbo, because my 2014 has had problems in the past. Not a lick of issues with the 2013. I keep going back to what Hyundai offers compared with Toyota, Honda and Lexus. I don’t want to commit to using premium gas for a Lexus.
I agree. It was a little odd to send out this generation of Santa Fe for review when the next generation is right around the corner. I have had this request to do a side by side comparison so I thought this would be a video that could live on for a little while.
