Hyundai Santa Fe 2021 Tow Test

The 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe we’re reviewing here is the top-of-the-line, diesel-powered Highlander 2.2 CRDi AWD model.

That means it is decked out with just about every luxury item Hyundai could throw at it, including Nappa leather upholstery, heated and ventilated front seats, heating for second-row outer seats, a heated steering wheel, a Harman Kardon premium sound system, 20-inch wheels and a panoramic sunroof.

The list doesn’t stop there. It’s impossible not to be impressed by other convenience features such as the powered front passenger seat that can be operated by the driver as well as the passenger, power-operated second-row seats for third-row seat access, a speaker system for the driver to communicate with rear occupants and a gesture-control power tailgate.

The Highlander even has a remote engine start function and a remote park assist mode. While seemingly a novelty more than highly practical, the latter allows you to park the vehicle while you’re standing outside, using the key fob.

There are multiple USB charging points inside (five in total) plus air vents and air-conditioning fan controls for those sitting in the third row.

You’ve probably gathered already that this isn’t the most affordable large SUV going around, with the Santa Fe Highlander diesel priced at $65,200 plus on-road costs.

The test vehicle also had the optional Hyundai 50mm receiver-hitch tow bar kit ($1290 fitted) and roof cross bars ($439 fitted), which brought the as-tested price to $66,929 plus ORCs.

There is no shortage of safety or tech features in this range-topping model of the 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe range.

Standard driver assist systems include autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with cyclist and pedestrian protection and oncoming vehicle detection, plus adaptive cruise control with stop and go, a head-up display, rear cross traffic alert, lane following assist, lane keeping assist, safe exit assist and driver attention warning.

There’s even blind spot view monitors within the instrument cluster that provide a live feed of the vehicle’s left or right side blind spot when the indicator is activated.

The Santa Fe features trailer stability assist within its electronic stability control suite. This basically means that if the vehicle and trailer starts to sway, the ESC system should cotton on to the fact quickly and move to correct it.

However, it’s not all perfection with the Santa Fe’s safety credentials. Shortfalls include side curtain airbag protection that does not extend to the third row and, because Hyundai describes the latest Santa Fe as an update rather than a new generation, its five-star ANCAP safety rating dates back to 2018.

Infotainment features are extensive, running to (wired) Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, digital radio, native sat-nav and wireless phone charging. There’s also a 12.3-inch TFT colour LCD infotainment display plus a full LCD instrument cluster. 

The top-spec Santa Fe’s infotainment system proved to be glitch-free on test, but it has to be said that it takes a while to easily use it all. The multitude of ‘bridge’-style console buttons not only look a little old-school, they’re hard to find without taking eyes off the road at first.

The 148kW/440Nm 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine in the 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe runs through an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and an on-demand all-wheel drive system.

While not perfect, in the main it is a very good powertrain with mostly smooth, accessible performance.

The engine is very smooth and quiet for a turbo-diesel, not at all a slow-revving clattery thing you might be expecting. There is a pause off the line, but that turbo lag is momentary.

The dual-clutch transmission (DCT), a design once much-maligned for its lack of subtlety with standing-start and/or high load manoeuvres, is much improved. On the move, its shifts are appropriate and decisive.

Driving solo, the Hyundai returned 6.8L/100km mostly on the freeway. With the 2100kg caravan behind it, it achieved an average of 12.2L/100km.

The 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe has increased towing capacity over the previous model, now towing up to 2500kg with a maximum of 200kg on the tow ball.

With a gross vehicle mass (GVM) of 2610kg and a gross combined mass (GCM) of 5110kg, the Santa Fe can be laden to capacity while also towing at its maximum capacity.

Our Hyundai Santa Fe Highlander 2.2 CRDi AWD was hitched up to a 2100kg Millard MFLOW (with 160kg tow ball download), loaned to carsales for our towing test by RV Connection in St Marys, New South Wales.

The rear-view camera screen depicted an accurate view for lining up the tow ball with the coupling, and the 360-degree view was also useful for spotting low obstructions when backing up with some lock on.

With the van hitched up, the rear of the Santa Fe drooped 21mm and the front rose 6mm. When you see a difference of around 25mm (especially at the front), it would tend to suggest a balance problem. So these figures looked promising.

However, on the road it became clear that the rear suspension is on the soft side for towing duties.

While it wasn’t obvious on our (smooth) freeway run, on undulating secondary roads the rear suspension felt too soft. It was close to bottoming out on some of the big bumps.

Despite this, lack of stability didn’t appear to be an issue with the Santa Fe during the tow test, with no yawing evident up to speeds of 100km/h on the freeway.

That said, the Hyundai’s turbo-diesel engine wasn’t always settled at 100km/h. It would shift regularly between seventh gear (where the engine was spinning at about 2100rpm) and eighth gear (sitting at 1600rpm) when you wanted to maintain speed where there was any hint of an incline.

Speaking of inclines, the Santa Fe’s ability to climb an ascent was quite acceptable, if not stunning. Climbing the 90km/h test hill, the Hyundai was motoring along at 84km/h at the peak at full throttle.

Engine braking was good, if not perfect, with a peak speed of 73km/h showing while descending a steep hill that was approached at 70km/h.

As we’ve described elsewhere, the diesel-powered, top-spec 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe Highlander is an enticing proposition as a family SUV for its extensive features, performance, economy and comfort.

While it was stable and economical with a van behind it, it could do with a firmer rear suspension set-up to be a more resolved tow hauling proposition.

How much does the 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe Highlander 2.2 CRDi AWD cost?
Price: $65,200 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 148kW/440Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 6.1L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 160g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2018)