2022 Hyundai Santa Fe Calligraphy Review
I love this car tour on deck today! The Hyundai Santa Fe (Hyundai’s first SUV) came out more than 20 years ago, but received a complete redesign just last year. The real question is, can this 2022 model work well for a wide variety of families?
If you’re new here- welcome! I’m Kelly the Car Mom and as a certified child safety tech, mom of three, and overall car lover I review these cars to their fullest family potential. By the end of this post, you’ll know all the details on both the interior and exterior of the 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe.
2022 Hyundai Santa Fe Exterior
The exterior is a really good-looking vehicle. I’m such a fan of all the chrome I’ve been seeing on the market, so this Santa Fe doesn’t disappoint. The chrome mirror grill is such a cool, sporty look. As for the headlights, they’re some of my favorite on the market. Hyundai does a really excellent job in creating really nice looking headlights aesthetically, but also ensuring they’re nice and bright for driving.
The side view gives me mini Hyundai Palisade vibes, which I’m not complaining about as it’s one of my favorite three-row SUVs on the market. Now, the exterior is beautifully designed and really catches your eye on the road, but the real star is the interior.
Trim, Tech, and Safety Options
The Santa Fe comes in five trim levels with Calligraphy being the top option. The Calligraphy trim comes with a ton of upgrades like that Harman Kardon sound system, Napa leather with diamond stitching on the seats, and a suede headliner. Hyundai doesn’t gatekeep their crash prevention technology so you’ll see automatic braking, blind spot detection, rear brake assist, and more standard throughout the Hyundai Santa Fe lineup.
This is one of my favorite five-passenger cars for families that don’t want that third row. I think it’s at a great price point, it’s safe and you don’t have to sacrifice any luxury.
2022 Hyundai Santa Fe First Row Details
For $42,000 I am incredibly impressed by the features on this car. There are luxury cars that cost $25,000 more that don’t offer some of features we see inside. On the door panel we get some really nice contrast stitching and a really pretty Harman Kardon speaker (which also sounds incredible), but the door cup holder falls flat- it’s a personal pet peeve when my Stanley doesn’t fit.
As for the center console, the cup holders are placed a little weird, but they fit do my big Stanley water bottle. We also have a wireless car charger, heated and ventilated seats, USBs, and a cubby space perfect for your purse. Nothing crazy special, but I’m happy with it.
Infotainment System
We have head’s up display, a digital dash, snow mode for driving safer in the snow, along with a blindspot camera for tech within the vehicle. As for the infotainment system itself, I’m neutral about it.
I love Hyundai’s touch screen displays, but I wish this one in the Santa Fe was built in. It looks like an afterthought, but is still super user friendly and offers Apple CarPlay and Andriod Auto. It has some really great family friendly features like passenger talk and quiet mode. And you know I like that the climate and radio controls are pulled out of the screen, so I was really happy to see it here.
2022 Hyundai Santa Fe Second Row Details
For being a small SUV, the Hyundai Santa Fe is pretty spacious. I was able to fit three carseats across the back seat (more on that below) and I have enough clearance with a rear-facing car seat behind the driver, but not much more. If you’re taller than six feet it might be too tight. However, even with two car seats installed I fit next to them in the backseat with great knee clearance and plenty of headroom.
As for second-row amenities we have two USBs, an outlet, sunshades, and cup holders. We are missing heated seats and vents in the ceiling. For having so many other luxury features in this Calligraphy trim level, I was expecting heated seats.
Car Seat Set Up
The Hyundai Santa Fe has three tether anchors across the bench and two sets of lower anchors on the outboard seats. I brought three car seats for this review and I’m happy to say I was able to safely install all three across the backseat. Keep in mind this setup won’t work with all car seats and it’s tight, but I’m impressed I was able to fit them in this small SUV.
If you are buying the Santa Fe with the intention of installing three across I highly recommend talking to a child passenger safety tech to make sure you have the right car seats and they’re installed safely.
2022 Hyundai Santa Fe Trunk Details
I keep saying it, but for being a small SUV the Santa Fe is so spacious and that includes the trunk space. My double Zoe stroller fits with plenty of room to spare. And there are several cubbies under the floor to keep things organized and away. The Calligraphy trim offers a power tailgate with the kick option. I give this trunk a 10 out of 10.
2022 Hyundai Santa Fe Wrap Up
Overall, the 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe is a solid option I recommend test-driving. I really like the car seat compatibility options, along with the tech I’m seeing in the first row. As for the updated trim levels, I don’t know if you have to upgrade- they are nice though. For a more affordable vehicle on the market, I am very impressed.
To see a complete walkthrough of the 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe, click here.
What do you think of the 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe? Let me know in the comments! And to keep up with all things on the blog, check out my latest posts:
