New features of the 4th generation Hyundai Santa Fe make it an impressive family crossover

The 4th generation Hyundai Santa Fe is bigger, taller, longer and exudes a more aggressive road presence.

Nothing on earth prepared us for this stark redesign of the Hyundai Santa Fe for 2019: a square-jawed, in-your-face fascia dominated by a big, black-flecked-with-gold front grille that seems to have been inspired by egg cartons, and huge LED headlamp clusters integrated into the bumper below slim, projector-style LED DRLs united by a chrome strip above the grille.

Those front-end elements make the fourth generation Santa Fe look aggressive, ditto the more upright body panels, larger rear quarter glass and 2.8 inches growth in overall length compared to the outgoing model.

At the back are a more upright, vertical hands-free power tailgate and LED taillights that are stacked in this order: brake lights on top, and the signal lights and reverse lights on the bottom.

Chrome trim around the windows and under the doors is retained, but the body shape is square with bolder and chiseled styling compared to the previous iteration’s curvaceous exterior.

The upright look carries all the way into the roofline, which is squarer and affords rear passengers more windows that are 40 percent bigger this year. Side window shades are available for second row occupants.

But don’t let the new aggressive grille, 19-inch alloy wheels and radical design changes mislead you. The Santa Fe is still a sensible family cruiser with no sporty pretensions.

FAMILY ORIENTED. A 7-seater, front-wheel-drive vehicle 187.8 inches long and weighing 4,000 pounds, it is not an athletic, fun-to-drive SUV ready for off-road adventures. Rather, it excels in transporting families in spacious comfort and leisurely refinement on long road journeys.

Rear aircon vents and a 60:40 split type 2nd row seat whose backrest can be reclined.

Powered by Hyundai’s 2.2-liter CRDi e-VGT Euro 4 diesel engine mated to a new 8-speed automatic transmission, the Santa Fe produces 197 hp and 45 kg-m/1,750-2,750 rpm max torque.

It offers carlike handling and smooth riding comfort with the engine building power relatively low in the rev range, but momentarily hesitating off the line when pressed into action.

To get quicker response off the line, switch the Drive Mode to Sport from the default Comfort which will turn the instrument cluster’s backlight to red. Compared with other midsize crossovers, the 2019 Santa Fe is competitively big and heavy, but it can sprint to 150 kilometers per hour in a jiffy if you use the Sport Mode.

Whether the roads are paved or not, the ride is always quiet, confident and calm due to an adjusted suspension geometry. What’s more, the Santa Fe feels solid since it is built on a brand new Superstructure platform made of advanced high strength steel.

The Santa Fe does not lose balance on twisted roads although handling isn’t the sharpest. Steering is well-weighted, if a bit imprecise.

Light tan leather seats contrast with the gray steering wheel, gearbox and panel below the dash.

SPACIOUS CABIN. The interior is spacious, practical and well-organized with thin A-pillars offering good visibility from the driver’s seat. The cabin is quiet and well-insulated from road and wind noise.

An all-new dashboard design incorporates a 7-inch tablet-style infotainment system display with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and voice-recognition Bluetooth plus a 7-inch TFT LCD instrument cluster.

In the high variant, Heads-Up Display and wireless phone charging are also standard equipment.

The controls and infotainment system are user-friendly, with a screen that is quick to respond, plus volume and tuning knobs instead of fussy touchscreen icons.

Padded dashboard elements, brushed metal accents, faux wood trim and two-tone leather upholstery make the cabin look semi-premium, although the leather is not so supple.

The front seats are the best seats, with the driver’s seat power-adjustable with lumbar support.

The large doors and hip-height seats ease entry.

The cargo area with the rear seats folded. A storage compartment is hidden under the cargo floor.

Due to the 2.6- inch increase in the wheelbase, front seat legroom grew and there is generous legroom, knee room and headroom in the second row seat, whose 60/40 backrest can recline or folds to increase cargo space.

Little cubbies and storage spaces are found in the center console area and in the doors plus two cupholders up front.

Cargo capacity is 35.9 cubic feet with the rear seats up, 71.2 cubic feet with the seats folded. An under-floor storage compartment at the rear makes the Santa Fe even more practical.

The high variant Santa Fe is loaded with safety features and advanced driver assistance systems aside from ABS with EBD: six airbags, electronic parking brake with auto-hold, forward and reverse parking sensors, electronic stability control, downhill brake control, hill-start assist, and rear camera with dynamic guidelines.

At the rear, LED combination lamps and LED turn signals housed at bumper level.

SUMMING UP, the 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe, despite its formidable exterior redesign and heftier dimensions, remains to be a sensible, practical, spacious, comfortable, well-rounded, easy to drive, refined, and pleasant family-oriented crossover equipped with a comprehensive suite of safety features and advanced driver assistance systems, plus the latest infotainment and connectivity tech.

The high variant with all the bells and whistles retails at P2,538,000 while the mid variant costs P2,158,000. If the competitive price does not make you open your wallet, perhaps Hyundai’s 5-year unlimited mileage warranty will.