Safety galore

Hyundai also packs the Santa Fe with lots of safety features, such as six air bags, electronic stability control, tire pressure monitoring and brake assist, which will apply maximum brake force if it detects an emergency.

All in all, the Santa Fe isn't a bad vehicle. But Hyundai has raised the bar on itself, and when you get into this vehicle, there's very little that makes you say, "Wow, I really want one of these."

Hyundai doesn't even feel like the value vehicle in this segment, which is ground the carmaker often holds over the competition. It takes $23,000 to get a base model with an automatic transmission, and the top-of-the-line model cost more than $30,000.

With so much attention being paid to compact crossovers, the expectation has become that every vehicle needs to be the very best in the bunch.

    See also:

    INTERIOR
    Roomy and a step above casual, the Sonata's interior is attractive. The seats' cloth upholstery was thick and nice looking with a checked pattern. Some cars have bizarre shapes and prints in the u ...

    Radial-ply tires
    Radial-ply tires provide improved tread life, road hazard resistance and smoother high speed ride. The radial- ply tires used on this vehicle are of belted construction, and are selected to comple ...

    Instrument panel light control (rheostat)
    The instrument panel lights can be made brighter or dimmer by turning the instrument panel light control knob. ...