2019 Hyundai Santa Fe: A no-brainer recommendation

The 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe starts at $26,795, including $1,045 for destination.

The top Ultimate 2.0T trim level starts at $38,145.

With optional all-wheel drive, my tester comes in at $39,845.

The Santa Fe comes standard with a 2.4-liter, four-cylinder engine making 185 horsepower and 178 pound-feet of torque. My example uses a 2.0-liter, turbocharged I4 good for 235 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque.

All Santa Fe trims use an eight-speed automatic transmission channeling power to the front wheels. AWD is optional across the board. My AWD tester is EPA-rated for 19 miles per gallon in the city and 24 mpg highway. I observed 23.1 mpg.

There's plenty of space for up to five occupants, but cabin materials are low-rent.

Standard cabin tech includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto on a 7-inch touchscreen. My loaded tester features an 8-inch screen with embedded navigation.

Standard driver assistance features include adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane-keep assist and automatic high beams.

There's 35.9 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats. With the second row folded, cargo room expands to 71.3 cubic feet.

Click or scroll further for more images of the 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe Ultimate 2.0T AWD.