autoevolution
 

2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Aces Small Overlap Crash Test

Introduced in 2012 for the 2013 model year, the third generation of the Hyundai Santa Fe soldiers on all high and mighty.
2017 Hyundai Santa Fe IIHS crash test 8 photos
Photo: IIHS
2017 Hyundai Santa Fe IIHS crash test2017 Hyundai Santa Fe IIHS crash test2017 Hyundai Santa Fe IIHS crash test2017 Hyundai Santa Fe IIHS crash test2017 Hyundai Santa Fe IIHS crash test2017 Hyundai Santa Fe IIHS crash test2017 Hyundai Santa Fe IIHS crash test
For MY 2017 (as in cars produced after March 2016), the South Korean manufacturer treated the sport utility vehicle to a facelift which also brings additional protection in the event of a crash. The biggest downside to model years 2013 through 2016, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, is the protection the Santa Fe offers in the small overlap crash test.

Now, though, the three-row SUV is rated “good” as opposed to the “marginal” rating of the former model years. As per the IIHS, “the earlier version of the Santa Fe had extensive structural damage to the driver's space, with intrusion measuring as much as 10 inches at the lower door hinge pillar. The dummy's head barely contacted the frontal airbag before sliding off the left side, as the steering column moved 5 inches to the right.” You can check for yourself how bad the situation was by watching the second video below.

For the 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe (and Santa Fe Sport), the manufacturer had reinforced the occupant compartment, modified the driver safety belt, and strengthened the door hinge pillar. Maximum intrusion in the cabin? 4 inches, that’s all. Besides that, the dummy’s movement was well-controlled during the 40 mph (64 km/h) driver-side corner crash test.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety also highlights that the facelifted Santa Fe is worthy of the “good” rating in all other tests: moderate overlap front, side, roof strength, and head restraint. As for the optional front crash prevention system, the 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe avoided collisions in the 12 mph (19 km/h) and 25 mph (40 km/h) IIHS track tests.

However, there’s a bad point to be made on this occasion. With the optional high-intensity discharge headlights included in the Santa Fe’s Tech package, the low and high beams provide mostly good visibility and do not create excessive glare for oncoming drivers. With the standard halogen headlights, however, the Insurance Institute tells that these units don’t provide adequate visibility on straightaways, on curves, and create excessive glare.

If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories