Whatever happened to the Hyundai Veracruz? You might remember the seven-passenger SUV that debuted in 2007. It was produced through 2012 when it was discontinued.

Why was the Veracruz discontinued? How is the Hyundai Santa Fe doing as its replacement?

The Hyundai Veracruz

According to Jalopnik, you very likely don’t remember the Hyundai Veracruz. The midsize SUV didn’t really stand out in any way. Jalopnik pointed out the positioning of its badge and grille was the only thing that was really distinct about the ill-fated SUV. And very few changes were made to it during its run.

The Veracruz had a 3.0-liter V6 engine under the hood and it got 240 horsepower. It was paired with a six-speed automatic transmission. You had a choice of front-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive. Again, nothing new to see here.

While the Veracruz had an inviting interior and a reasonable price, weak fuel-efficiency ultimately did it in. While it was EPA-rated at 17/22 mpg city/highway, industry experts got worse results. Cars.com got an average of 16 mpg when they tested it.

In 2012, a senior manager in Hyundai’s PR department announced that production would stop after production of the new long-wheelbase Santa Fe seven-passenger began.

A better SUV

The Hyundai Santa Fe was released as two models in 2013. There was the Santa Fe Sport which was actually a redesign of the five-seater that helped put Hyundai on the radar of American car owners. The other was simply called the Santa Fe and it was a three-row, seven-seater SUV to take the place of the 2012 version and the Veracruz.

There was more to love than not about the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe. According to Cars.com, there was no power-seat memory function and no blind spot monitoring system. It did have a number of good safety features and was named a Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

On the good side, the interior was well-designed and of good quality. It had driver-selectable steering modes and third-row air controls. There were available features like a power liftgate, captain’s chairs, and a huge panoramic sunroof. The captain’s chairs in particular were of interest to those with families for the convenience they offered.

The 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe

After getting a redesign in 2019, the Hyundai Santa Fe offers no big changes in 2020. And that’s okay because the 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe is a top-rated midsize SUV. 

The latest generation of the Santa Fe is stylish, inside and out, and loaded with standard features. That those same features cost extra with the competition is one thing that’s given Hyundai an edge in the market. You get a rearview camera, adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, forward-collision warning, driver drowsiness monitoring, lane-keep assist, and pedestrian detection.

The Santa Fe offers an impressive SUV in its class. The interior is spacious and quality materials are used. The ride is comfortable and it has the right tech to keep everyone connected and happy whether you’re running errands or taking a long road trip. 

U.S. News named the Santa Fe the 2020 Best 2-Row SUV for the Money. They found both its quality and value to be exceptional. Thanks to its high safety ratings, overall quality, and predicted reliability, they also named the Santa Fe as the 2020 Best New SUV for Teens $35k to $40k. Finally, they named the Santa Fe as their 2020 Best 2-Row SUV for Families for its family-friendly features, safety and reliability ratings, cargo and passenger space, and more.

The 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe has everything you’re looking for in a two-row midsize SUV. It offers a smooth, comfortable ride with low cabin noise and great gas mileage. It should definitely be on your SUV shortlist.