Used 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe for sale 

The 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe is a five-passenger crossover SUV available in GLS, SE, and Limited trim levels. Standard equipment on the entry-level GLS includes 17-inch alloy wheels, privacy glass, roof rails, heated mirrors, keyless entry, cruise control, full power accessories, air-conditioning with rear seat vents, a height-adjustable driver seat, a 60/40 split-folding rear seat, a trip computer, a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, Bluetooth and a six-speaker sound system with a CD player, satellite radio, an auxiliary audio jack and an iPod/USB audio interface.

The midrange SE gets 18-inch alloy wheels, automatic headlights, fog lamps, a windshield wiper de-icer, roof rack cross rails, and a rear spoiler. Inside there's leather and cloth upholstery, an eight-way power driver seat with adjustable lumbar, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, and an auto-dimming rearview mirror. 

The Premium package adds a sunroof, a rearview camera, a touchscreen navigation system, and an upgraded audio system. The Santa Fe Limited adds a sunroof, dual-zone automatic climate control, full leather upholstery, heated front seats, a 115-volt AC household-style power outlet, and a 10-speaker Infinity surround-sound audio system with a six-CD changer. The Navigation package besides the obvious adds the touchscreen and rearview camera.

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Though it's a little short on style, the new Hyundai Santa Fe is a respectable choice for a crossover SUV. The SE trim is promising, almost all the features available are standard in the SE model with a very reasonable price

Hyundai added some new powertrains to the Santa Fe lineup back in 2010--marking improvements to both performance and fuel economy, and those are still looking ahead of the curve even this year. The 2.4-liter Theta II four-cylinder engine in the Santa Fe has direct injection and makes 175 horsepower. 

With it, you'll have enough power to move this tall wagon rapidly, albeit with a little economy-minded indecision from the six-speed automatic transmission. The 3.5-liter Lambda V-6 engine makes 276 horsepower and feels strong and smooth.

The 2012 Nissan Murano earned praise for its nimble handling and potent V6 engine when it was new. Clearly, the winner when it comes to the quickest and the fastest among the three featured SUVs here would be the Honda Crosstour. The Nissan being the only AWD version among the compared models, still fell short behind the Honda in speed, and the Hyundai however is not as slow as the Nissan.

For most crossovers in this class, if you go with the smaller four-cylinder engine you'll get a greener, more fuel-efficient vehicle. But that's not so much the case here; with its base engine, you might eke out a mile or two better per gallon if you drive gently, but with all-wheel drive, the V-6 is actually slightly better on gas, despite its greater power, the fuel economy of the V6 is better than the four-cylinder.

Overall, with EPA ratings of either 19 or 20 mpg in the city and 25 to 27 on the highway, the Santa Fe is about as good on gas as a full-size sedan, typical for a mid-size crossover, though you have to keep in mind that with the Santa Fe you don't get the added flexibility of a third-row seat. The Santa Fe is the most fuel-efficient among the three compared above, followed by the Honda and the Nissan Murano with almost similar mpg figures.

Like the exterior, the Santa Fe's passenger cabin is on the plain side, with clear, easy-to-read gauges and simple, user-friendly controls. The quality of the materials is decent enough, with cheap-feeling hard plastics broken up by strategically placed bits of softer materials. Inside the Santa Fe there's seating for five adults, though having three in the back seat will probably mean that they'll be jostling shoulders (or staving off cooties). 

The seats have odd contouring and rather short cushions, and in front, they're among the least supportive seats in this class for taller folks. But there's a lot of cargo space, especially if you fold the rear seats forward.

Trim and interior materials received an upgrade a couple of years ago, and the steering wheel now tilts and telescopes in all models. Up close, detailing isn't quite at the same caliber as what you find in many of Hyundai's more recently redesigned models. And while you might notice some road noise on coarse surfaces, the cabin, in general, stays pretty quiet, with ride quality on the soft but not queasy side. Some Interior features are listed below for your reference:

• Steering Wheel Controls
• Ambient interior lighting
• Heated Front Seats
• Optional Heated steering wheel
• Leather-wrapped steering wheel
• Adjustable steering wheel column

2012 Hyundai Santa Fe Infotainment System

Because of the way Hyundai sells vehicles—with a very limited number of build combinations, the options list for the 2012 Santa Fe looks disconcertingly limited. But with nearly everything coming standard - including many features that are optional or relegated to top trims in competing models, these models deliver a lot of value for the money. A six-speaker stereo, Bluetooth, and a USB port are standard, while navigation, a 10-speaker Infinity stereo system, and a rearview camera are available. 

• AM/FM Stereo
• Auxiliary Audio Input
• CD Player
• MP3 Player
• 6 - Speaker Stereo
• Satellite Radio
• Bluetooth and USB Port

The Santa Fe compact SUV is a very different creature than the first vehicle to wear the Santa Fe name. Quirky lines and odd-looking grilles have given way to clean flowing lines, flush-mounted headlamps and taillights, and handsome alloy wheels. You won’t find any tacked-on body cladding on the 2012 Santa Fe. Unlike some smaller SUVs, it makes no pretense of being an off-road vehicle. A wide track helps give the Santa Fe a more substantial look that, from a distance, might easily be mistaken for a small Lexus SUV.

Compared to most other vehicles in the Hyundai lineup, the 2012 Santa Fe looks a little blander, a little more dated, and it lacks some of the contemporary, more curvaceous sheet metal that's specially made the brand's newer passenger cars like the Sonata, Elantra, and Accent such standouts. Hyundai has kept the Santa Fe fresh enough to fit right in with other compact-to-mid-size crossovers, with a smooth and functional, if not overly attractive design. 

At last refresh, the bumpers were smoothed over very slightly, and it got a new grille and a new lineup of wheels, but overall this crossover wagon hasn't changed substantially since 2007. However we still do appreciate how the beltline hasn't been brought excessively high, and there's enough of a window greenhouse for good visibility. Hyundai when compared with its rivals, is not the heaviest or the lengthiest, but it sure can almost match up with them in terms of capacity and space to be occupied. 

• Aluminum wheels
• Tire Pressure Monitoring System
• Fog Lamps (optional)
• Auto-Off Headlights
• Reverse camera
• Sunroof/moonroof

The new Hyundai Santa Fe includes a strong list of safety features, and with some top safety scores as well. Once again for 2012, the Santa Fe is an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) Top Safety Pick, and the organization has given the Santa Fe top 'good' ratings in all tests, including the new roof strength test. Results haven't been released from the federal government, but the Santa Fe had done very well under the previous rating system.

Stability control and curtain airbags are standard on the Santa Fe; so is Bluetooth, which we consider a safety device. And Hyundai has added downhill braking control to the stability control system this year.

• Brake Assist
• Electronic Stability Control
• Traction Control
• 4-Wheel ABS
• 4-Wheel Disc Brakes
• Fully equipped airbags

Though it's a little short on style, the 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe is a respectable choice for a crossover SUV. But if you're looking for a crossover with a manual transmission, then keep looking because the Santa Fe, long a holdout, has dropped its stick shift for an all-automatic lineup.