If beefier looks matter to you, the 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe XRT may be up your street.
Pretty much every mainstream crossover these days has a more rugged, off-road-inspired variant. SUV buyers with more adventurous ambitions can choose something like a Toyota RAV4 Adventure, a Ford Explorer Timberline, a Subaru Outback Wilderness — or now a 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe XRT.
Building on the updated Santa Fe’s new styling, the XRT appearance package goes a step further with a matte black grille, more robust-looking cladding, new 18-inch wheels, and bespoke side steps. You also get dark silver front and rear “skid plates” — and we’ll cover why I have that in quotes in a moment. Finally, black mirror covers, side and cross rails round off the rest of the XRT package.
Under the hood, the Santa Fe XRT brings the entry-level 2.5-liter Smartstream four-cylinder engine to the table. You get a reasonably punchy 191 horsepower, mated up to an 8-speed automatic transmission with either front- or all-wheel drive.
Inside, the Santa Fe XRT brings the same sort of kit as the SEL trim with the Convenience package added on. That means you get Hyundai’s smartphone-tied Digital Key functionality, an smart liftgate, power-folding rear seats and a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster.
Pricing and availability
What you won’t get as part of this package is major off-road capability, as you probably already worked out. This is an appearance package at its core, though Hyundai’s HTRAC all-wheel drive system has proven capable in light off-roading situations. That said, Hyundai isn’t charging an arm and a leg for this package over the normal SEL with Convenience, either. Front-wheel drive models start at $33,485, while the all-wheel drive version comes in at $35,185 — a $600 premium.
The 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe XRT is hitting dealers now, so you should be able to check one out in the near future, if you’re so inclined. Check out the video below to get a better sense of how the current (pre-facelift) model copes in the dirt:
