Hyundai Santa Fe 2022: centre airbag, more tech and higher prices for Sorento rival

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The Hyundai Santa Fe large SUV has been updated for 2022, with Australian pricing climbing by between $850-1700 depending on grade offset by increased amounts of safety tech across the range.

The facelifted ‘TM’ Santa Fe was revealed in 2020, and while the running changes made in 2022 don’t alter the looks of the vehicle, they’re certainly more comprehensive than just adding more USB ports. 

Hyundai has added a centre airbag to every grade, bolstering the fourth-generation Santa Fe’s safety levels. While the Santa Fe currently has a five-star ANCAP rating, it was last tested in 2018 when the protocol did not require a centre airbag for maximum occupant-occupant protection.

Mitsubishi’s Outlander midsize SUV is the most recent vehicle available with three rows to score a five-star ANCAP rating, though with a comment that its central airbag did not meet ANCAP’s requirements for front-occupant protection.

The inclusion of a centre airbag across the Santa Fe range should see it pass any future ANCAP testing with five stars.

Additionally, a multi-collision brake safety system that applies the brakes after the airbags have deployed has been added to the Santa Fe.

Apart from some small tweaks to equipment levels, the structure of the range, which spans from the base grade simply known as the Santa Fe (now $45,550 before on-road costs) to the premium Highlander ($62,550), remains unchanged.

How much does the 2022 Santa Fe cost?

The 2022 range starts with the $45,550 200kW/331Nm 3.5-litre V6-engined front-drive Santa Fe with cloth upholstery, manually-adjustable front seats with power lumbar adjustment and 17-inch alloy wheels. 

Though the price is up $850, the rest of the base car’s spec remains unchanged save for the introduction of a third-row USB-A port. As before, the 148kW/440Nm 2.2-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder with its AWD system adds $3500 to the sticker price across the range.

Moving up to the $49,750 Active grade adds leather upholstery and rotary gear-selector inside, while outside there are 18-inch alloy wheels. For 2022, the Active gets additional chrome trim on the skid plates, door-handles and grille.

Where the 2022 model really benefits is the mid-spec Elite ($56,000) which gains a 12.3-inch digital driver’s display, seat-heating and LED taillights on top of the already-standard Harman Kardon stereo, 10-way electric seat adjustment and 20-inch alloy wheels for $1700 more than last year.

As for the range-topping Highlander, it already has the third-row USB port, so it only benefits from multi-collision braking and the centre airbag.

The ability to get the Camel Beige Nappa leather-appointed heated and ventilated front seats as well as the inclusion of paint-matched body cladding, a panoramic sunroof and 20-inch alloy wheels bring the Highlander’s starting price to $62,550 before on-road costs.

Hyundai Santa Fe 2022: prices in Australia

All prices listed are before on-road costs.

• Santa Fe (base model) V6 FWD: $45,550 (up $850)
• Santa Fe (base model) 2.2D AWD: $49,050 (up $850)
• Active V6 FWD: $49,750 (up$1450)
• Active 2.2 AWD: $53,250 (up$1450)
• Elite V6 FWD: $56,000 (up $1700)
• Elite 2.2D AWD: $59,500 (up $1700)
• Highlander V6 FWD: $62,550 (up $850)
• Highlander 2.2D AWD: $62,550 (up $850)