Millennial Mom’s Review: 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe

Article content

On a random Thursday night — though all days, evenings, and nights seem to feel the same in a pandemic — we decided to have ice cream for dinner. And really, what better time to review the 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe than when you’ve got everyone together, loaded with all essentials (masks, diapers, wipes, and throw-up buckets), and there’s sure to be a mess. There’s no time like the present.

Article content

We put the two bigger car seats on the two ends and the booster seat in the middle and it fit perfectly. Sure, a tiny bit more room would have been sweet, but I’ll take whatever space I get in anything that’s not a minivan. Each back row seat has the individual ability to tether a car seat into place, though it’s probably worth noting that if you’ve got three little kids, I don’t think three big car seats could fit side by side.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

Try refreshing your browser, or
tap here to see other videos from our team.

Millennial Mom’s Review: 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe Back to video

As everyone started piling in, I noticed the open stroller in the garage, still set up from a walk with the youngest earlier in the day. I didn’t need the stroller since we were just going to get ice cream and probably not actually getting out of the car, since we’re still in the heat of the pandemic — and when I say heat, I mean it’s boiling hot outside. Anyway, back to the stroller; the trunk looked so large that I decided to put it to the test. If you’re wondering just how big the Santa Fe’s trunk actually is, well, it fits an open stroller. I had to turn it on its side but nevertheless, it fits, and that earns major bonus points in my books — not that I’ll ever need to do that again.

Article content

It’s a short drive to Dairy Queen, but in an effort to try out a few of the many features that the tested top trim — called Ultimate Calligraphy — has, I punched in the directions to the closest Dairy Queen, less than five minutes away. Then we waited, because I didn’t realize that once you click on your destination, you need to hit another button that shows “Set as Destination,” before your route actually begins to calculate.

The head-up display (HUD) is actually pretty fancy and extremely useful. As I once described the Palisade’s HUD (which is almost identical to this one), it’s like the perfect summary of a book. Instead of looking in several different areas and at various screens, the HUD shows you all the important things without having to move. Obviously, there’s the actual speed, but also updated speed limits that show up, and if you happen to go one teeny-tiny kilometre over the limit, the speed changes from white to orange. There are also options to view radio stations while clicking through, guided lane assistance, and even the actual directions coming from the navigation system.

Article content

The drive was pretty uneventful, which is just the way I like it. I pulled into to an empty parking lot and my husband gathered our orders. The ads on the windows work — the advertised cotton candy Blizzard was the winner, for each kid, which made this ice cream trip instantly easier and cheaper. We ordered one large Cotton Candy Blizzard and asked for two extra cups, one Skor Blizzard for my husband and one Royal Oreo Blizzard for me.

Toggle full screen mode Previous Gallery Image

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

7. 

8. 

9. 

Next Gallery Image Toggle gallery captions

View All 9 Photos

1 of 9

All 9 Photos for Gallery

1. 
2. 
3. 
4. 
5. 
6. 
7. 
8. 
9. 

Function Not Available

Full Screen is not supported on this browser version.

You may use a different browser or device to view this in full screen.

OK

Article content

Then we drove over to an empty parking lot — empty parking lots are still pretty common with non-essential stores being closed, though I suppose by the time this gets published, stores should be slowly reopening (fingers crossed). The drive over was smooth — no rocky road in sight (see what I did there?). In addition to this ice cream trip, I did take the Santa Fe for a longer drive sans kids. It’s a really nice drive that picks up and slows down with ease. I appreciate the simplicity of the drive.

I parked the car in no particular parking spot because almost no one else was around. In fact, the only other car in sight seemed to be a dad teaching his kid to drive in circles of a nearby parking lot. We unbuckled the kids, pressed the button to open the trunk, and split up the large cup of ice cream.

Article content

The kids sat extremely comfortably in the Hyundai’s trunk (which is also perfect for changing diapers, but don’t worry, I didn’t), and if you’re wondering, I didn’t travel with the open stroller in the trunk; I put it back in the garage before we left. And just when we thought the trunk couldn’t get any bigger or better, we found not one, but two hidden storage compartments. It’s a great spot to store toys, extra clothes, emergency diapers and wipes, or tools and whatever else you might prefer to keep handy in your vehicle.

The kids quietly ate their ice cream because ice cream has that effect; the calm before the sugar storm. They actually played in the trunk for a little while and pretended they were hiding from something outside. It’s moments like those that make me remember why I despise technology so much (pretend play is so much more enjoyable and they get to use their imagination), and why it’s so important for us to get out of the house, even if it’s just for an hour to get some ice cream and play in a different setting.

Article content

The top trim of the Santa Fe isn’t equipped with any kind of entertainment for kids, there are no screens in the back seat, no games or movies. But that’s awesome! On the short drive back home, the kids played “I spy…” and pointed out five different coloured Jeeps — yellow, green, purple, grey, and blue — which was very odd, but also exciting for them.

As I backed into the driveway, the reverse camera, as well as a bird’s eye view popped up on the screen. Quite frankly, it’s an amazing camera, and it’s almost impossible to not park properly. I sent the kids into the house. There are two buttons on the key fob for Remote Start Parking Assist. I pressed one and the car started backing up. It did what it’s supposed to do and stopped before hitting the garage, but my heart can’t handle that type of excitement and anxiety over the thought that I might smash a $50,000 car that doesn’t belong to me.

Toggle full screen mode Previous Gallery Image

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

7. 

8. 

9. 

10. 

Next Gallery Image Toggle gallery captions

View All 10 Photos

1 of 10

All 10 Photos for Gallery

1. 
2. 
3. 
4. 
5. 
6. 
7. 
8. 
9. 
10. 

Function Not Available

Full Screen is not supported on this browser version.

You may use a different browser or device to view this in full screen.

OK

Article content

If you have kids, you probably know what happens next. The sugar rush slowly starts to fade, and everyone’s got something to complain about again. The excitement of the ice cream outing has passed and the world is back to normal. They scream, I scream, no one’s screaming for ice cream — we all just need a nap.

After a pretty great ice cream trip, all that’s left to say is that I thoroughly enjoyed the Santa Fe. I can’t say that it’s the right vehicle for me, but that’s mainly because I would prefer a bit more space for my three kids and car seats — perhaps its bigger sibling, the refreshed Palisade. However, as far as SUVs go, this one gets top marks from me and I’d recommend it to anyone with less than three chunky car seats.

If you’re still on the fence about the Hyundai Santa Fe, or you’re interested in how it compares to a similar SUV, Driving ‘s Brian Harper and I compared it to the Toyota Venza. Check out the full comparison — with video — next week, and let us know your preferred SUV.