Except for the addition of one more trim i.e. XRT trim the 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe comes with no change. With this addition, the trim level has gone up from four to five trim namely SE, SEL, XRT, Limited, and Calligraphy. There are two engine choices the naturally aspirated inline-4 unit is available till XRT trim while the Limited and Calligraphy trim is powered by a turbocharged inline-4 engine. The price for the 2022 Santa Fe ranges from $27,200 to $42,660.

The features seen on the 2021 Santa Fe trims have been carried over this year too. While the new XRT trim slots between the SEL and Limited trim and is positioned as the rugged version of the regular Santa Fe with chunky cladding all around the body, cross roof rack, special alloy design, and a few more. While its features are carried over from the SEL trim plus all the equipment of the Convenience package.

Apart from the standard features listed above, the 2022 Santa Fe offers two optional packages namely Convenience and Premium package available on the SEL trim while the same is part of the standard features list on Limited and above the trim. The Convenience trim gets you a hands-free power liftgate, power-folding rear seats, 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster, rear sunshades, dual-zone automatic climate control, and digital key. The Premium package on the other hand gets a panoramic sunroof, leather upholstery, power-adjustable front seats, 10.25-inch touchscreen, 12-speaker Harman & Kardon sound system, navigation, and Highway Driving Assist.

The 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe offers two engine options a 2.5-liter naturally aspirated inline-4 engine mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission that puts out 191 hp and 181 lb-ft of torque. While available on Limited and Calligraphy trim is a 2.5-liter turbocharged inline-4 engine mated to an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission that cranks out 277 hp and 311 lb-ft of torque. Both the engine can be had with either FWD or AWD drivetrain. The latter costs $1,700 extra over the FWD version of the same trim. That said, the base engine can tow up to 2,000 pounds while the turbo-four motor raises the bar with a max towing capacity of 3,500 pounds.

The base engine is mediocre in terms of performance and quickly runs out of breath when pushed hard. While the turbo-four motor has all the oomph to be called a cracker. But it is let down by its dual-clutch transmission which gets jerky at slow speeds while on the highway it tries to quickly reach for the topmost gear. Hyundai seriously needs to retune this transmission or it's best to replace it with the base engine's eight-speed gearbox. The standard motor pushes the 2022 Santa Fe from 0-60 MPH in a lousy 8.9 seconds while the turbo-four motor drops that time to around 6.0 seconds.

The 2022 Santa Fe has a very supple ride as the suspension feels softer than usual. This setup is so good that there is hardly any jerk felt while going over bad roads inside the cabin. Talking about handling, the SUV feels good while doing high speeds and the steering reacts quickly to inputs. But being a heavy SUV riding on a softly sprung suspension setup it does exhibit body roll while going around corners. The braking of the 2022 Santa Fe feels satisfactory and it stops in a decent 175 feet from 70-0 MPH under panic braking.

Except for the Honda CR-V, all the other SUVs offer a naturally aspirated motor while the CR-V is powered by a turbo-four motor. Yet the maximum power and torque figures are from the Toyota RAV4 followed by the Hyundai Santa Fe. Although when it comes to performance the CR-V is the fastest to hit the 60 MPH mark followed by the Nissan Rogue. 

The 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe has an EPA estimated gas mileage of 25 MPG in the city, 28 MPG on the highway, and 26 MPG combined. With AWD you see a drop of 3 MPG across all three driving conditions. Moving on, the 2022 Santa Fe when powered by the turbo-four engine returns 22 MPG in the city and 28 MPG on the highway. While with the AWD there is only 1 MPG drop in the city gas mileage. 

The big and bulky Santa Fe is the least efficient among the rivals and for the same reason, Hyundai has given it the biggest fuel tank to ensure it still has a decent range from a full tank of gas. That said, the CR-V is the most efficient when driven around town while out on the highway the RAV4 and the Rogue return better gas mileage.

The cabin of the 2022 Santa Fe has been kept same as the last year. The dashboard features a floating touchscreen with a lot of curves and gradients which are surprisingly well executed and look pretty good and modern. Everything around the cabin feels well built with soft-touch material used at prominent contact points. Being an SUV coupled with wide opening doors the ingress and degree in both the rows is fairly easy while the big glass area and smaller blindspot provide excellent visibility.

Besides that, the seating surfaces are wide and comfortable and there are quite a few convenience features like heated front and rear seats, ventilated front seats, power adjustment for front seats, dual-zone automatic temperature control, wireless charging, and a few more options available across the lineup. 

The infotainment on the 2022 Santa Fe is an 8-inch touchscreen unit which is standard while the Limited and above trim gets a 10.25-inch touchscreen. The smaller unit gets wireless smartphone connectivity via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto while the bigger one gets wired connectivity.

Santa Fe offers the best room when compared to its rivals. While the closest to match Santa Fe's cabin space is the Honda CR-V. Practicality wise the CR-V offers the biggest cargo space of 39.2 cubic feet followed by the RAV4 offering 37.6 cubic feet of space. The Santa Fe on the other hand offers slightly lower 36.4 cubic feet of cargo space.

Interior features:

• 8-way power driver seat (optional)
• Ventilated front seats (optional)
• Leather-wrapped and heated steering wheel (optional) 
• 12-speaker Harman & Kardon premium sound system (optional)
• Leather upholstery (optional)

The Hyundai Santa Fe during its lifespan has got several facelifts but for 2022, the last year's design has been carried forward with no change on the standard trims. Although the new XRT trim added this year has distinct visual cues like chunky body cladding, XRT specific exterior trims and alloy design, cross off rack, etc to make it look more rugged than the regular Santa Fe.

Talking about the design the headlights with the signature T-shaped DRL look striking. The big grille that neatly integrates with the pilot lamp gets a dark chrome finish. Moving to the sides there are a couple of lines and creases with a blacked-out A and B-pillar. 

The rear design also has a few touches and the one to be noticed is the center light bar that runs across the tailgate, connecting the taillights. While the body color rear bumper with chunky chrome surround (available on Calligraphy trim) increases the visual bulk of the Santa Fe.

All in all, the Hyundai Santa Fe with its large dimensions seems to have the most striking road presence. While being the heaviest and the biggest of the lot it is not only slower and less fuel-efficient but also a bit difficult to maneuver in tight spaces without driver aids.

With the longest wheelbase and biggest width among all the SUVs, Santa Fe liberates a spacious cabin space. While the RAV4 with the highest ground clearance among all is the most confidence-inspiring while taking big bumps, going over broken roads, or off-road trails.

Exterior Features:

• LED headlights with LED Accents
• Chrome accent front grille
• Roof rails
• Rain-sensing windshield wipers (optional)
• Panoramic sunroof (optional)
• Rear Spoiler

One section that remains the same is safety and Hyundai provides the best of it. The base trim comes with some advanced systems like forward-collision assist, stop-and-go cruise control, lane-keeping assist, driver attention warning with several other passive safety features. As one climbs up the trims, blind-spot collision avoidance, rear cross-traffic collision avoidance, smart parking assist, and surround-view monitor are a few driver-assistance safety techs that are either optional or standard, depending upon the trim.

Talking about safety ratings, the 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe has got the perfect score of 5 out of 5 stars in overall safety ratings from NHTSA whereas, in IIHS ratings, it has scored “Good” in all the six parameters and has been chosen as the “Top Safety Pick+”.

Safety Features:

• Rearview camera
• Driver attention warning
• Front parking sensors
• Surround-view monitor
• Smart Parking Assist

2022 Hyundai Santa Fe vs 2021 Nissan Rogue

Both the vehicles compete very closely in the midsize affordable SUV segment. Nissan's approach towards this segment is with a simplified and peaceful design language on the inside whereas the exteriors have sharp curves and dynamic styling. The seating is quite comfortable whereas it is more compact than the Hyundai. Moreover, there are enough safety and infotainment features provided in the Rogue for its price.

The lighter Rogue performs better with higher MPG figures than the Santa Fe. But the interiors are much more attractive in the Sanat Fe whereas the exterior design has only been better with every facelift it has had in the past. The seating is more comfortable and the Calligraphy trim also comes with Nappa leather. Safety and infotainment are far better in Santa Fe and those extra bucks are indeed worth spending on a Hyundai rather than the Nissan.

2022 Hyundai Santa Fe vs 2021 Honda CR-V

The Santa Fe and CR-V are the best-known vehicles in the world of midsize SUVs and compete for neck-to-neck against each other in the segment. But a major difference is seen in the powertrain itself where Hyundai uses a powerful engine naturally aspirated engine while the Honda liberates itself with a smaller turbocharged motor. Although the lighter Honda is quicker and far more efficient than Santa Fe. The interiors on the CR-V look great but feel a little plasticky and cheap, place a Santa Fe beside it and it will be clear what looks better.

Moving to the safety features, both the vehicles are equipped with a good bunch of them. While Honda offers more standard active safety features, Hyundai focuses on lesser but advanced safety features and not just on the quantity. Moreover, as a practical and family-friendly SUV the CR-V is ahead of Santa Fe but if you only focus on the seating space then the latter triumphs over the former. While both are quite reliable and thus going for either of them will be based on your requirement and preferences.

The 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe is already ahead of most of its rivals. It has a well-appointed interior with a premium feel with great comfort. The midsize SUV has already perfected its exterior design whereas the powertrain options provided by Hyundai also make the vehicle stand out from the others. In addition to this, an impressive bunch of infotainment and safety tech is provided as standard on the SUV, something which is much sought after in an SUV these days. With all that, the 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe is a close to perfect if not perfect family midsize SUV.