How do you take your best selling vehicle and squeeze a few more sales out of it? Why, you add a trim line that will lure more buyers into your showrooms. That’s what the Santa Fe XRT is all about.
Call it the macho trim line. It’s got an array of pieces to make it look more rugged. That includes a stylized skid plate, blacked out fascia and mirror housings, rocker panel steps, dark-tone wheels and roof rails.
Altogether it kind of gives the XRT the look of a chunky running shoe for off-road trails.
Mechanically, the XRT is identical to the SE and SEL trim lines. It’s powered by the same naturally aspirated 2.5 liter engine and 8-speed automatic. And it comes in both front drive and all wheel drive. The AWD is rated at 24 miles to the gallon, but I managed to get 26 mpg during my week-long test drive.
The front drive version starts just under $34,000, while the all wheel drive one is about $1,700 above that. And each of them are priced about $3,300 above the SEL line.
Seems like the XRT line is working for Hyundai. Despite a big drop in car sales in April for both Hyundai and the auto industry, the Santa Fe managed to post a 6% gain. That’s what happens when you manage to lure more people into your showroom.
By: John McElroy
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John McElroy is an influential thought leader in the automotive industry. He is a journalist, lecturer, commentator and entrepreneur. He created “Autoline Daily,” the first industry webcast of industry news and analysis.
