2015 Hyundai Santa Fe XL: A Test Drive In My (Snowy) Backyard

Considering that this winter I’ve driven SUVs in Iceland (Land Rover Discovery Sport) and Sweden (Porsche Cayenne GTS and Turbo S), I was really happy to test the Hyundai Santa Fe XL closer to home in Quebec’s gorgeous Charlevoix region. 

The Santa Fe line is split down the middle with the Sport on one side and the six- or seven-seater XL on the other. The base trim comes with front-wheel drive but all others are now equipped with an super small hydraulic all-wheel drive system developed jointly by Hyundai and Magna for the brand’s FWD models. In regular conditions, 97% of torque is sent to the front wheels, but when the system detects the front wheels slipping, it can direct up to 50% to the rear wheels. Just like the Genesis’ HTRAC system, the Santa Fe XL’s all-wheel drive boasts a reaction time of 30 thousandths of a second. 

• Also: 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe: Balance From Top To Bottom
• Also: 2015 Hyundai Genesis: All-Wheel Drive Now Comes Standard

On the (snowy) road

The Santa Fe XL comes with a V6—3.3 litres and 290 horsepower—mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. With all-wheel drive, its towing capacity is 5,000 lbs. Since the Santa Fe XL weighs 1,840 kg, you’d think it would be sluggish in sudden accelerations, but that is not at all the case. This SUV proved self-assured in accelerations. The automatic gearbox takes its job seriously and changes gears smoothly. On the mountainous roads in Charlevoix, I never felt like the vehicle lacked power and it handled predictably in all circumstances.    

The Santa Fe XL isn’t the most dynamic vehicle in its category. It tends to understeer in sport driving, despite the fact that there are three modes to regulate the firmness of the steering. No matter what mode you set it to, the feedback doesn’t change. As for fuel consumption, we recorded an average of more than 13L/100 km during our test drive. 

Inner beauty?

We’d love it if Hyundai would use the Genesis as inspiration and update the presentation of the Santa FE XL’s old-school dashboard. We’d also like the heated seats to be as effective as those in the brand’s luxury sedan, but sadly this is not the case. Surprisingly, the Santa Fe XL has no blind spot warning system, even though the Santa Fe Sport models do. That said, the Santa Fe XL scores big points for versatility thanks to its six- or seven-passenger configuration and excellent value for money. Speaking of which, the price bracket ranges from $29,999 for a FWD base model to $43,099 for the fully loaded model with panoramic sunroof, heated leather steering wheel, heated rear seats, a high-end sound system, and so on. 

The Santa Fe XL is a practical car that offers good value for money. Its dynamism is nothing to write home about, but there’s no denying that its comfort and versatility make it one of the best picks in its category.