The 2022 Santa Fe SUV recently won the prestigious Top Safety Pick+ honor, adding another IIHS award to Hyundai’s already-extensive collection.
Shopping for a Hyundai SUV? Here’s what you need to know
Top Safety Pick+ is the highest rating a vehicle can get from the IIHS. The Santa Fe is the fourth Hyundai vehicle to receive the award (following the Tucson, Palisade, and Nexo). Meanwhile, five other current Hyundai vehicles have been named Top Safety Picks.
“Safety is paramount at Hyundai, as evidenced by every vehicle in our SUV lineup earning an IIHS Top Safety or Top Safety Pick+ designation,” said Brian Latouf, chief safety officer for Hyundai Motor North America. He added, “We are extremely proud of the 2022 Santa Fe’s recent Top Safety Pick+ rating and continuing Hyundai’s industry leadership in IIHS awards.”
The Santa Fe’s award from the IIHS applies to models built after July 2021. To win it, the SUV was required to ace a series of six tough crash tests, getting “good” ratings on driver’s side and passenger-side small overlap front, moderate overlap, side protection, roof strength, and head restraints.
On top of those tests, all Santa Fe trim levels had to come with “advanced” or “superior” front crash prevention for both vehicles and pedestrians. The Santa Fe exceeds this requirement by providing superior-rated Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist with Pedestrian, Cyclist, and Junction Turning Detection.
Finally, the Santa Fe had to provide “good” or “acceptable” headlights on all its trims. The SE and SEL trim feature acceptable-rated LED reflector lights, while the Limited and Calligraphy get good-rated LED projector lights.
The Santa Fe supports its crash protection, crash prevention, and headlight technology with an array of other safety features. Standard systems include Lane Keep and Lane Following Assist, Driver Attention Warning, and a Rear View Monitor with parking assistance. The Santa Fe can also be upgraded with technologies like a Blind-Spot View Monitor, Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Avoidance Assist, and Highway Drive Assist.
Learn more about the Santa Fe and other Hyundai SUVs by checking out our coverage here at The News Wheel.
A longtime editor/writer and recently transplanted Hoosier, Caleb Cook lives in Xenia, Ohio. His favorite activities are reading and listening to music, although he occasionally emerges from the heap of books and vinyl records in his basement to stand blinking in the sunlight. Once fully acclimated to the outside world again, he can be observed hanging out with his wife, attempting a new recipe in the kitchen, attending movies, walking the dog, or wandering into a local brewery to inquire about what’s on tap. See more articles by Caleb.