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2021/2022 Performance with 5 passengers

5K views 33 replies 21 participants last post by  Bookworm 
#1 · (Edited)
How does the 2021/2022 perform with 5 adults in the car? Is 191 hp enough?I did a test drive with only 2 passengers and it felt pretty zippy compared to 2019 rav4 gas model.
 
#3 · (Edited)
How does the 2021/2022 perform with 5 adults in the car? Is 191 hp enough. I did a test drive with only 2 passengers and it felt pretty zippy.
I guess it all depends on what you're used to. I test drove an SEL, and I thought the naturally aspirated 191 HP engine was pretty sluggish with two adults in the car. The turbo version, on the other hand, felt nice and peppy. I ended up going with the Hybrid, which falls somewhere in between the two. To be honest, I wish it was faster, but it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make for the better fuel economy.
 
#4 ·
I guess it all depends on what you're used to. I test drove an SEL, and I thought the 191 HP engine was kind of sluggish with only two adults in the car. The turbo version, on the other hand, felt nice and peppy. I ended up going with the Hybrid, which falls somewhere in between the two. To be honest, I wish it was faster, but it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make for the better fuel economy.
Owner of a 2021 SEL here and I concur. Forget about 5 passengers, i find my (well, my wife's daily driver) car sluggish when i am the only one in the vehicle. SEL AWD weighs around 3960 lbs, and i feel it is atleast short by 30 bhp .
 
#7 · (Edited)
Warning: Well thought out answer follows! ;)

I had the opportunity of owning a '18 Ultimate Sport 2.4 AWD with the Turbo, a '21 FWD 2.5 SEL and currently a '21 Calligraphy 2.5T AWD all within about 15 months.

When I went to the 21 SEL and didn't think the turbo would be that much of a difference. I was wrong.

Granted, it's not the only reason I traded the 21 SEL back in for a 21 Calligraphy, as I missed the other features that I should have known better that I would have missed, like the surround 360 view, ventilated seats and a couple of others. I also grooved on the HUD and blind spot cameras but that's neither here nor there for this conversation. That was all between me, my wallet and my wife! o_O
All I'll say is there is a new Ford Explorer sitting next to my SF! 😫😫😫😫

But I can definitively tell you that there is a world of difference between the NA 2.5 SEL and the 2.5 Turbo.

Even when you factor in the extra overhead of the AWD and the power that it takes, the turbo charged version is basically night and day. I also had a Stormy Sea SEL so no one in my neighborhood knew I traded in the car in under 2 months, so to me (other than the beige leather interior, big woop) it seems I was driving the same car and I would not say that it normally seemed sluggish. In normal driving (myself and my wife) it was perfectly acceptable.

I decided to take the depreciation hit and trade it in on the Cali. The HUD, and all the other features not-withstanding as they are not performance related. The only three performance related features were:
  1. The Turbo
  2. The H-TRAC AWD with the DCT
  3. The 20" Continentals versus the 19" on the SEL.
To that, I can only give you a few test data points. Going backwards through my list above:
  • Even though the sales person told me when I asked him if the 20" tires would run rougher and louder, that they would not. Well, you know how much to trust sales people. 👎
    The 20" Continentals are louder, rougher and more stiff than the 19" tires. Very noticeable, at least by me although maybe not as much as by others. The fact that the Santa Fe does not have the 'AIR' suspension that the Palisade does is painstakingly shown when you don't have the sidewall cushioning. So even though the 20's are supposed to be better in cornering, steering, etc. They are not so hot in ride, sound and from what I've read, they don't put as much rubber on the road for rain and winter driving. Potatoes / Potaøts each his own. I have what I have.

  • The AWD is comforting, being I live in snowy winter Ohio, and based on the Savage Geese reviews putting the power of the turbo (just look at the SF review) behind just a FWD, just spins the left front tire every time you heavy accelerate. Not so hot in snow. With the NA engine, there is not enough torque to break the tire free so I never noticed it.
Finally, the answer to the question:
  • On my drive to the dealer to swap cars, a definitive personal test, I really tried to drive it like I stole it as I knew I was trading it in. The result was (compared to my 19 Ultimate) shall I say dismal. Acceleration was, to say the least, a bit disappointing. To get any acceleration at all required at least 2-3 gear down shifts. This was both in automatic mode (flooring the pedal) to my having to use the paddle shifters to down shift. I had to downshift 2 or 3 gears, causing a 1000-2000 rpm jump, to get it to give up any acceptable level of acceleration or power.

    This in stark contrast to my current 2.5 Turbo AWD Calligraphy. I babied it for the first 600 miles, just like in the manual but then started to use it normally. Even without the purposeful drive it hard test that I did on my SEL, the Calligraphy even with the AWD, just leaps off from a standing start, if I'm as highway or double lane speeds and want to accelerate to pass, it's one gear down and the response is instant and I feel pressed against the seat! I also have the AWD power distribution panel up on my center console which shows which wheels are getting power. In normal flat or freeway driving, only the front wheels show that they are getting power. When I go to pass or it starts to go up a hill, the display shows that the more power is transferred to the rear wheels. Either way, the car doesn't have to down shift to go up a hill while the SEL did.

    Update: After the break-in, I went out with a friend on a straight stretch of road. Warmed her up and decided to see if the specs were on the mark. With three different runs, and him controlling the stop watch and watching the speedometer. Me just concentrating on the road, the 2.5T AWD Cali averaged 0-60 in 6.05 seconds! Amazing the torque and raw acceleration once the turbo kicked in which was almost instantly.
    So yes, the 0-60 numbers that Hyundai and others throw around were verified by myself and at no time did any of the tires break free. The full time AWD just works!
So IMHO, there is a significant difference in the power between the 2.5 NA and the Turbo. I know that I am both talking horsepower and torque in my comments above. Both, of course, are much greater on the Turbo.

As to if I know if it will haul 4-5 people? With Covid, I didn't have the opportunity to test that in my SEL. But I am rather confident that I wouldn't notice a thing with the turbocharged version. I noticed in the comments above that some people may concur with my conclusions.

I honestly cannot say that the NA is under powered. All I can say is that there is a significant and noticeable difference of the extra power in the Turbo. So if you test drive both, find out if you have FWD or AWD. If the Turbo and FWD, just take it and accelerate around a corner and you'll see the tire break that Savage Geese talks about and demonstrates. If non-Turbo, go for a test drive and then insist on a test drive of a Turbo version. Of course, the Limited comes with the Turbo and you can get it FWD. So it's up to you to mix and match and determine just what is important to you and your wallet.

Hope this helped some.
 
#14 ·
Update: After the break-in, I went out with a friend on a straight stretch of road. Warmed her up and decided to see if the specs were on the mark. With three different runs, and him controlling the stop watch and watching the speedometer. Me just concentrating on the road, the 2.5T AWD Cali averaged 0-60 in 6.05 seconds! Amazing the torque and raw acceleration once the turbo kicked in which was almost instantly.
I'm guessing you meant 6.5, not 6.05?
 
#8 · (Edited)
I do miss the peppiness of my 13 Sonata. And really I am scratching my head because these SUVs have the same engine in their sedans slapped in them. And they weigh more, and now some of them have to power an AWD system. Will it last? time will tell...

The 2.5NA is in a weird place. I think it performs a lot better than what I expected but disappoints when I need to be a little more aggressive.

Right now I am filling it with 4 bodies and it's okay. But 2 of them are lightweights. I'm heavy, the other is mid. If it's 4 heavy then I would look to the turbo. They honestly should have just thrown in a V6 in all of them.

If you're looking at a SEL AWD, then I'd look into the Palisade base FWD. Honestly if I didn't want AWD, I would have gotten that instead.

I complain but it's just my honest opinion. I'm overall satisfied with the performance. I don't need a speed demon and value comfort far more than performance.
 
#9 · (Edited)
Driver is usually not considered a passenger. So your thread-title should read... Performance with four passengers.

I have the 19' SEL 2.4 GDI. It's adequate with three adult passengers. It does require a heavier gas pedal and more passing gear engagements to accomplish quick thrusts with the engine.

Our destination would have to be short distance, should I ask a fourth adult to sit in the middle portion of the back seat.
The best remedy for including a vehicle-load of passengers on a more regular basis, is to purchase one with a (V6) six cylinder.

Personally, I would never-ever buy a (2012+) Hyundai / Kia with a four cylinder turbo engine. Premature engine failure rates are just too high. These engines need special TLC to survive a long life-time (200k+). Many struggle to reach 100k these days.
 
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#10 ·
Personally, I would never-ever buy a (2012+) Hyundai / Kia with a four cylinder turbo engine. Premature engine failure rates are just too high. These engines need special TLC to survive a long life-time (200k+). Many struggle to reach 100k these days.
Not sure you can make a blanket statement like that. The 21+ doesn't come with the 2.4 which has shown the problems The 2.5 is a brand new engine with different technology and out of the multiple thousands sold not a single complaint or mention of an engine problem either here or on the Facebook forums. As you know, it's only the problem people that even bother to join and post.

So, in almost an entire year of the new generation 2.5's being out not a single solitary complaint of a blown or problematic engine. Sweeping generalizations such as this are what turn people off in accepting generational improvements. Give Hyundai some credit for owning up and making changes.
 
#13 ·
Seems to me Bookworm had the definitive answer above, which I'll just add a footnote to. Earlier this month I brought in my SF Calligraphy to have Opticoat Pro-Plus applied, a 2 day job. The detail shop gave me a Tuscon loaner, with the NA 2.5 engine. The Tuscon's a bit smaller and lighter than the SF, so it isn't a perfect comparison, but if anything should have been peppier.

I was sorely, sorely disappointed in the Tuscon. Nice aesthetics to be sure, but the car had no oomph. I am used to driving the 2.5T and honestly it almost felt dangerous to me to be in the Tuscon with its lack of power when you might need it - getting out of the way of a car, or merging onto a fast freeway, etc. I can't see how it could be trusted to merge onto any fast moving road - all you can do is floor it and hope the car responds. With the 2.5T I have complete confidence that unless there's a Ferrari coming up behind me, I'll be able to hold my own in traffic situations. Certainly getting up hills or carrying lots of passengers, or both, is a non issue; it has power to spare. It isn't "fast" like a sports car, but when that turbo kicks in, you've got a lot of power on tap that you can put to use.

Having had four mid size SUVs now cause it's just a strong preference of mine to always have a mid-sized SUV, I've concluded 250 hp and comparable torque is my cutoff. Less than 250 and I'd need to see it proven under my own right foot that it can handle its own under pressure, on freeways, in traffic, not just moseying down a country road. My X3 had 240 and was pretty much ok but occasionally lacked oomph. The SF Calligraphy/Limited's 277hp easily gets the job done. Between 200 and 277 hp something magical happens.
 
#25 ·
I was sorely, sorely disappointed in the Tuscon. Nice aesthetics to be sure, but the car had no oomph. I am used to driving the 2.5T and honestly it almost felt dangerous to me to be in the Tuscon with its lack of power when you might need it - getting out of the way of a car, or merging onto a fast freeway, etc. I can't see how it could be trusted to merge onto any fast moving road - all you can do is floor it and hope the car responds.
Utter nonsense.

Per Motor Trend, a 2019 Santa Fe with the 2.4 (which has slightly less power than the 2.5 NA) does 0-60 in 8.6 seconds.

For comparison:
1953 Corvette: 11 sec
1955 Corvette: 8.7 sec
1975 Camaro: 11 sec
1982 Camaro: 9.2 sec
1991 Ford Explorer: 10.8 sec

Amazing how we didn't all die on highway on-ramps through the 70s and 80s.
 
#15 ·
Our 19 Ultimate 2.4L NA works fine for us and it lives in the mountains of Colorado. Very few flat roads. Have had 4 passengers quite a few times. I won't have a turbo if I can avoid it because of oil dilution. Our situation is the worst for a turbo. Short drives to town, 7 miles and cold temps. 25 here this morning.
To the question the OP asked, like asking what's your fav oil.
 
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#18 ·
All we could do is three runs as we had to go around the block and then traffic started picking up. Had about 1/2 tank of gas and not much else loaded in the car other than the two of us. Being manually timed, one can dispute a tenths or two. But yes, I was pleasantly surprised. When I get a couple thousand more on it and the transmission settles in, I'll try it again. Will only cost me a burger! ;)
 
#22 ·
@Bookworm
The 2.4 NA definitely falls short in the "drive it like you stole it" test. Very smooth, just doesn't have much punch. Feels good to drive until you start stepping on it.
Yup, one of the items that made me trade in my 21 SEL on the Calligraphy. I had the 18 Sport Ultimate and Turbo to non-Turbo back to Turbo is night and day.
 
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#23 ·
You need to define “perform”.

Will the vehicle drive? Sure it will. But with 4 additional adults in the car, you’re going to be lugging around an extra ~600 lbs. (plus any luggage for them if traveling on vacation), so the car will be noticeably more sluggish. It will require more throttle input to get up to speed, it may downshift more to get to a higher when going uphill with cruise control on a highway, etc.

I had a 2019 2.0T that we traded in to get a 2021 2.5T. Back when we bought the 2019, we test drove the 2.4 and 2.0T, and I didn’t feel that there was a big difference in power delivery between the two. I can absolutely say that there is a big difference between the 2.0T and the 2.5T, which means that difference between the 2.5T and regular 2.5 will be noticeable, especially when the vehicle is loaded up with people. The extra torque from the turbo motor makes a big difference.

If I were you, I would test drive the 2.5 and 2.5T back-to-back to get a good idea of the difference in power.
 
#24 · (Edited)
This is an old thread but I thought I'd weigh in here again, because this past weekend, I had 4 people in the '21 Callig (not small people - let's call it 800 lbs total) and at least 100-150 pounds of gear, food, etc., as we were going into the mountains. So I would say we were coming pretty close to 1,000 lbs of total cargo/people weight. We were on some pretty steep upgrades, but I never noticed any struggling whatsoever. It zipped right up and down the mountains at will and was very satisfying in that sense. I have had powerful crossovers and weaker crossovers, and the 2.5T is definitely on the stronger end of the continuum, as far as hauling weight around and up steep hills and such. Not quite as punchy as an X5 I had long ago, but that was a 6 cyllinder with something like 350 hp. Not a fair comparison. But compared to the other SUVs I've had, I thought the Callig did better.
 
#30 ·
I guess everyone's experience is different. I recently visited family in Kentucky & Tennessee, and driving through the Appalachians on I-75 was an absolute hoot. No issues keeping up with traffic at any point, with 800+ lbs of people and cargo on board. Slide over to manual shift and put the pedal down.

"It is more fun to drive a slow car fast, than to drive a fast car slow" -Abner Perney
 
#34 ·
And I was also shocked when I saw this. Shocked because whenever I fill up guess what my range to empty always shows?? Yup, 391!!!

Driving range(km / miles on tank)
extra-urban (up to 62 mph /100 km/h):695-835 km / 430-520 miles
city:450-540 km / 280-335 miles
highway (up to 87 mph / 140 km/h):650-780 km / 405-485 miles
average combined:631 km / 391 miles
 
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