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Comparing The 5 Trims of the 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe and Reviewing The Limited AWD

There are many reviews already published in the media about the 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe. But this review of the 2020 Santa FE will mainly focus on the configurations, trims and price. Torque News had a chance to test-drive the Limited 2.0T AWD trim of the 2020 Hyundai Santa FE and here is what we think about this fine vehicle.

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Unlike the majority of the vehicles in the Asian market Hyundai Santa Fe has a local name and this is probably one of the factors that has contributed to its success in addition to reliability, safety and quality. In this story we are looking at the trim levels of the 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe and few other impressions that we got when test-driving the 2020 Santa Fe Limited 2.0T AWD.

Before test-driving the 2020 Santa Fe I test-drove the 2020 BMW X4 M Competition (rigid) and the 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 Coupe (fit and less expensive). BMW and Mercedes are great cars. They are reliable and consistently good in quality. But if my eyes were closed and I drove all of these 3 cars mentioned above, I would choose the 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe. it's soft, comfortable, provides a smooth driving experience and comes loaded with technology and features.

2020 Hyundai Santa FE Trim Levels

The 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe is available in five trim levels. Those trims are Santa Fe SE, SEL, SEL 2.0T, Limited and Limited 2.0T. The two trims out of these five, that have the "2.0T" in the name come with the optional turbocharged engine.

Now, let's take a look at the pricing of these trims and what each trim offers.

2020 Hyundai Santa FE side view2020 Hyundai Santa Fe SE Trim: The price of the 2020 Santa FE SE trim is $25,400. This trim has 185 HP and comes with a 2.4 liter 4-cylinder engine. The average mileage is 25 miles per gallon and the city/highway is 22/29 MPG.

The SE trim comes with Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (FAC) with Pedestrian Detection. The touchscreen display's size is 7-inch. It warns the driver with using the Driver Attention Warning system and comes with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

2020 Hyundai Santa Fe SEL Trim: The price of the 2020 Santa FE SEL trim is slightly higher than the SE Trim at $25,900. The MPG, engine and the horsepower are the same as the SE trim. But for paying $500 more you get a blind-spot Collision-Avoidance assist (BCA), rear cross-traffic collision-avoidance assist (RCCA) and an 8-way power driver seat with heated front seats. Also, you get a proximity key with push button start.

2020 Hyundai Santa Fe SEL 2.0T Trim: The estimated price of this trim is $32,750. As you can see there is a substantial price jump from the previous SEL trim. But you get 235-hp and a 2.0L Turbocharged 4-cylinder engine. They key word there is turbocharged engine. The average MPG is 24 and the city/highway is 20/27.

At the SEL 2.0T trim you get a panoramic sunroof, leather seating surfaces and you can also charge your smartphone wirelessly through the Wireless Device Charging. This trim also comes with integrated memory system for the driver's seat.

2020 Hyundai Santa Fe Limited Trim: The estimated price of this trim is $33,400. The average mileage is slightly better than the SEL 2.0T at 25 (City/Highway is 22/29), but you get less horspower. At this trim you get 185-hp and a 2.4L 4-cylininder engine.

The 2020 Santa Fe Limited trim offers surround view monitor, 8-inch touchscreen navigation and heads-up-display in addition to all the features you get in the previous trims. It also comes with a dark chrome exterior trim.

2020 Hyundai Santa Fe Limited 2.0T Trim: The fifth and the top trim of the 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe is the Limited 2.0T with an estimated net price of $35,250. The MPG is slightly lower than the previous Limited version at 24 MPG (city/highway 20/27), however you get 235-hp and 2.0L Turbocharged 4-cylinder engine.

The 2020 Santa Fe Limited 2.0T top trim also comes with 19-inch alloy wheels, surround view monitor and blind-spotview montir (BVM). It also has 8-inch touchscreen navigation.

If there is one element in which Hyundai is ahead of the competition, it is in terms of technology. It's not only a question of the type of gadget or system that is not found anywhere elsewhere. In fact, the Hyundai Santa Fe offers exactly the same technologies as its competitors, but they are simply better, more efficient and more intuitive.

The Infotainment and the Digital Gauge Cluster of the 2020 Santa Fe

The infotainment system is very easy to use. Upper trims come with Andoid and Apple CarPlay. You just need to connect your phone and navigate through the system. You can also stream your Pandora songs through the infotainment touch screen.

2020 Hyundai Santa FE front interior, touch screen and digital cluster gauge

One of the coolest feature that the Limited trim offers is the blind-view monitor. I first noticed it when I started to drive the car. It activates when you turn on the right-turn or the left-turn signal. Basically as you turn on the left or right turn signal it displays a blind-view monitor directly in the middle of the digital gauge cluster. This is a pretty cool feature I haven't seen in other cars.

2020 Hyundai Santa Fe Limited AWD Blind-View Monitor

The 2020 Santa Fe is comfortable, sporty, and a technological marvel. The seats are overly comfortable, drive modes are great and the car comes with a great warranty. Speaking of the drive mode. The 2020 Santa Fe has a drive-mode button directly behind the shifter that is going to give you 3 different drive mode options, including Comfort Eco and sport.

In my opinion the 2020 Santa Fe is a vehicle that won't disappoint its owner based on what we tested. It is a vehicle that offers one of the best value for money in its class and even on the market. The more equipped versions are worth their weight. The turbocharged engine is certainly the best choice to make mechanically and there is no need to pay the big price to get it as is the case in competition.

Armen Hareyan is the founder and the Editor in Chief of Torque News. He founded TorqueNews.com in 2010, which since then has been publishing expert news and analysis about the automotive industry. He can be reached at Torque News Twitter, Facebok, Linkedin and Youtube. Armen's other Hyundai stories can be found at Torque News Hyundai news coverage. Check back again and search for Torque News Hyundai news for more Hyundai reporting.

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Comments

Digitaldoc (not verified)    January 10, 2020 - 10:16PM

I applaud Hyundai for offering a turbo in the Santa Fe. However, the base engine is so underpowered for the size/wt of the vehicle, that upgrading to the turbo is more of a necessity, than an upgrade. Furthermore, the 2.0T is somewhat underpowered with 235 hp. In fact, the 2.0T in the previous 2.0T in the previous gen Santa Fe had more HP, and it was detuned for better driveability. I am still scratching my head how a vehicle can get less HP, and somehow drive better at the same time, as it seems somewhat paradoxical, and this was more likely done for fuel economy. Still, at least Hyundai is offering a 2.0T in a more mainstream offering, and it does have more power than the Q3 (228 hp), or the Tiguan (184 hp), which both also use 2.0T's.

Theresa Lynskey (not verified)    October 2, 2020 - 10:31PM

Looking for turn by turn instructiond on the gayge cluster 2020 santa fe sel 2.0T Android Auto