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AUTO REVIEW: 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe Ultimate 2.0T

NNPA NEWSWIRE — “…the Santa Fe crossover that I test drove had a bolder design, new safety, comfort and convenience technology, and better sight lines and cabin storage space. All of that is a long winded way of saying the Santa Fe has been reworked for the better.”

Published

6 years ago

February 28, 2019

Oakland Post

By Frank S. Washington, AboutThatCar.com

DETROIT – There have been some big changes for the 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe. The five-passenger Santa Fe Sport is now called Santa Fe. The current long wheelbase three-row, seven-passenger model called Santa Fe has been renamed Santa Fe XL. And an all-new three-row, eight-passenger SUV is currently under development and will carry an all-new name.

What’s more, the Santa Fe crossover that I test drove had a bolder design, new safety, comfort and convenience technology, and better sight lines and cabin storage space. All of that is a long winded way of saying the Santa Fe has been reworked for the better.

The first thing I noticed about the 2019 Santa Fe was the quiet smoothness of the engine. Its ride was silky, much like an all-round air suspension. Instead, the 2019 Santa Fe had a multi-link with gas shock absorber and 24 mm stabilizer bar w/self-leveling suspension.

I had the top-of-the-line 2.0-liter direct injected turbocharged four cylinder engine that made 235 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque at a low 1,450 rpms. In other words, the Santa Fe 2.0T could get up and move from just about any speed. It had an EPA rating of 19 mpg in the city, 24 mpg on the highway and 19 mpg combined.

The engine was mated to an all-new eight-speed automatic transmission. Despite having two extra gears, the new eight-speeder, which was designed in-house, was lighter than the outgoing six-speed model. The automatic transmission added ratio range at both the top and bottom of output speeds allowing for extra thrust off-the-line and a quieter, more fuel-efficient dash down the interstate.

My test vehicle had an all-wheel-drive system that Hyundai called advanced. It was developed as a multi-mode scheme that provided an electronic, variable-torque-split clutch with active torque control between the front and rear axles.

The 2019 Santa Fe had an overview camera and a stop start system that was so smooth I never turned it off because of irritation. That’s rare.

The driver-selectable normal, sport and smart drive modes aided traction control in all weather conditions. Given that we got bunches of snow, followed by warmer temperatures and the accompanying slush and wet pavement and then followed by refreezing during the test drive, I left the drive mode in smart and I don’t think there was even any wheel slippage much less wheel spin.

Still, I could sense the slick ride, comfort, handling and stability of the 2019 Santa Fe. Hyundai said they were achieved through a change in suspension geometry. The major adjustment came when engineers moved the rear shocks from an angled position to upright, improving the ride and handling no matter the driving conditions.

The Santa Fe featured Hyundai’s cascading grille and composite light design with LED daytime running lights positioned on top of the LED headlights. The midsize crossover had a wide stance and it looked athletic. Hyundai keeps calling the Santa Fe an SUV but I’m not sure it can go off-road.

Its character line went from headlights to taillights and what the automaker called a daylight opening with satin surround that provided better visibility. I called it windows. There was also diamond cut 19-inch wheels. The rear featured a muscular high and taut shape. There was also a panoramic sun roof that of course never got used but I did let the shade back.

Except for the panoramic roof most of the descriptive stuff I pulled from the Santa Fe’s press material. When you are cleaning snow off a vehicle, you’re not checking character lines, trust me.

But the Santa Fe’s interior was quiet, stately and posh. It was like looking at snow, ice and windblown elements through the window from the cozy surroundings of a den. There was even the feel of a fireplace. Well, okay, that might be a bit much. But it was comfortable.

The 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe had a floating touch infotainment screen. Climate controls were underneath it and there were USB, auxiliary and 12 volt jacks and sockets beneath that along the back wall of a small storage bin at the start of the center console.

A large circular TFT speedometer dominated the space in front of the driver. It had digital speed readout within it. The fuel and temperature readouts were combination TFT and analogue gauges on either side. There was also a heads-up-display. Overall this was an uncluttered look.

This 2019 Santa Fe could be locked into four-wheel-drive. It also had a hill descent control which I thought laughable since this area is about as flat as a billiard table. But other parts of the country have hills and mountains galore.

Anyway, I climbed into the backseat and was really surprised. First, there wasn’t much of a drop off in the quality of the rear seats. They were comfortable and maintained the sleek styling of the front seats.

They were also heated and the panoramic roof covered the rear seats as well. There were privacy shades on the side windows and the green house had an airy feel because of the expansive windows.

And those seats were movable — manually. They slide forward and the backs tilted. They were also 60/40 split seats. There was a latch on the back cargo floor. I pulled it and it revealed three cargo bins under the floor.

Hyundai engineers did a number of little things to enhance the driver and rider experience. The audio/visual/navigation system screen had been tilted and positioned to reduce glare. The window switches and grab handles had been moved forward for more elbow room. The door map pockets had been reduced in size for more legroom and cup holders in the center console had been re-positioned for ease of use and the height and length of the center armrest has also been increased. None of this stuff would you necessarily notice but it makes the experience more satisfying.

There was the usual equipment. These days that includes blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, implicit is a rearview camera, smart cruise control, satellite radio, Bluetooth, premium audio system, etc.

What impressed me most was the back seat monitor reminding me to check back there every time I got out of the vehicle and the oncoming traffic alert. This wasn’t traffic from in front but vehicles from there rear. If I parked on a busy street and unlatched the door to exit, it would alert me if traffic was coming.

It was a well-equipped crossover and Hyundai continues to hold on to its DNA of offering more for the money; I thought the $39,905 sticker as tested was a pretty good price for the 2019 Santa Fe Ultimate 2.0T.

Pros:

Lots of equipment
Great price: $39,905
Good ride and handling

Cons:

Mileage less than 20 in the city
Only front doors have pushbutton unlock
No fully automatic power windows in rear

Frank S. Washington is editor of AboutThatCar.com

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Chavis and Bryant Lead Charge as Target Boycott Grows

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Surrounded by civil rights leaders, economists, educators, and activists, Bryant declared the Black community’s power to hold corporations accountable for broken promises.

Published

3 days ago

April 23, 2025

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown
BlackPressUSA.com Senior National Correspondent

Calling for continued economic action and community solidarity, Dr. Jamal H. Bryant launched the second phase of the national boycott against retail giant Target this week at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta. Surrounded by civil rights leaders, economists, educators, and activists, Bryant declared the Black community’s power to hold corporations accountable for broken promises. “They said they were going to invest in Black communities. They said it — not us,” Bryant told the packed sanctuary. “Now they want to break those promises quietly. That ends tonight.” The town hall marked the conclusion of Bryant’s 40-day “Target fast,” initiated on March 3 after Target pulled back its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) commitments. Among those was a public pledge to spend $2 billion with Black-owned businesses by 2025—a pledge Bryant said was made voluntarily in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in 2020.“No company would dare do to the Jewish or Asian communities what they’ve done to us,” Bryant said. “They think they can get away with it. But not this time.”

The evening featured voices from national movements, including civil rights icon and National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) President & CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., who reinforced the need for sustained consciousness and collective media engagement. The NNPA is the trade association of the 250 African American newspapers and media companies known as The Black Press of America. “On the front page of all of our papers this week will be the announcement that the boycott continues all over the United States,” said Chavis. “I would hope that everyone would subscribe to a Black newspaper, a Black-owned newspaper, subscribe to an economic development program — because the consciousness that we need has to be constantly fed.” Chavis warned against the bombardment of negativity and urged the community to stay engaged beyond single events. “You can come to an event and get that consciousness and then lose it tomorrow,” he said. “We’re bombarded with all of the disgust and hopelessness. But I believe that starting tonight, going forward, we should be more conscious about how we help one another.”

He added, “We can attain and gain a lot more ground even during this period if we turn to each other rather than turning on each other.” Other speakers included Tamika Mallory, Dr. David Johns, Dr. Rashad Richey, educator Dr. Karri Bryant, and U.S. Black Chambers President Ron Busby. Each speaker echoed Bryant’s demand that economic protests be paired with reinvestment in Black businesses and communities. “We are the moral consciousness of this country,” Bryant said. “When we move, the whole nation moves.” Sixteen-year-old William Moore Jr., the youngest attendee, captured the crowd with a challenge to reach younger generations through social media and direct engagement. “If we want to grow this movement, we have to push this narrative in a way that connects,” he said.

Dr. Johns stressed reclaiming cultural identity and resisting systems designed to keep communities uninformed and divided. “We don’t need validation from corporations. We need to teach our children who they are and support each other with love,” he said. Busby directed attendees to platforms like ByBlack.us, a digital directory of over 150,000 Black-owned businesses, encouraging them to shift their dollars from corporations like Target to Black enterprises. Bryant closed by urging the audience to register at targetfast.org, which will soon be renamed to reflect the expanding boycott movement. “They played on our sympathies in 2020. But now we know better,” Bryant said. “And now, we move.”

Stacy M. Brown

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The Department of Education is Collecting Delinquent Student Loan Debt

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — the Department of Education will withhold money from tax refunds and Social Security benefits, garnish federal employee wages, and withhold federal pensions from people who have defaulted on their student loan debt.

Published

3 days ago

April 23, 2025

Oakland Post

By April Ryan

Trump Targets Wages for Forgiven Student Debt

The Department of Education, which the Trump administration is working to abolish, will now serve as the collection agency for delinquent student loan debt for 5.3 million people who the administration says are delinquent and owe at least a year’s worth of student loan payments. “It is a liability to taxpayers,” says White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt at Tuesday’s White House Press briefing. She also emphasized the student loan federal government portfolio is “worth nearly $1.6 trillion.” The Trump administration says borrowers must repay their loans, and those in “default will face involuntary collections.” Next month, the Department of Education will withhold money from tax refunds and Social Security benefits, garnish federal employee wages, and withhold federal pensions from people who have defaulted on their student loan debt. Leavitt says “we can not “kick the can down the road” any longer.”

Much of this delinquent debt is said to have resulted from the grace period the Biden administration gave for student loan repayment. The grace period initially was set for 12 months but extended into three years, ending September 30, 2024. The Trump administration will begin collecting the delinquent payments starting May 5. Dr. Walter M. Kimbrough, president of Talladega College, told Black Press USA, “We can have that conversation about people paying their loans as long as we talk about the broader income inequality. Put everything on the table, put it on the table, and we can have a conversation.” Kimbrough asserts, “The big picture is that Black people have a fraction of wealth of white so you’re… already starting with a gap and then when you look at higher education, for example, no one talks about Black G.I.’s that didn’t get the G.I. Bill. A lot of people go to school and build wealth for their family…Black people have a fraction of wealth, so you already start with a wide gap.”

According to the Education Data Initiative, https://educationdata.org/average-time-to-repay-student-loans It takes the average borrower 20 years to pay their student loan debt. It also highlights how some professional graduates take over 45 years to repay student loans. A high-profile example of the timeline of student loan repayment is the former president and former First Lady Barack and Michelle Obama, who paid off their student loans by 2005 while in their 40s. On a related note, then-president Joe Biden spent much time haggling with progressives and Democratic leaders like Senators Elizabeth Warren and Chuck Schumer on Capitol Hill about whether and how student loan forgiveness would even happen.

Oakland Post

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VIDEO: The Rev. Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. at United Nations Permanent Forum on People of African Descent

https://youtu.be/Uy_BMKVtRVQ Excellencies: With all protocol noted and respected, I am speaking today on behalf of the Black Press of America and on behalf of the Press of People of African Descent throughout the world. I thank the Proctor Conference that helped to ensure our presence here at the Fourth Session of the […]

Published

3 days ago

April 23, 2025

Oakland Post

https://youtu.be/Uy_BMKVtRVQ

Excellencies:

With all protocol noted and respected, I am speaking today on behalf of the Black Press of America and on behalf of the Press of People of African Descent throughout the world. I thank the Proctor Conference that helped to ensure our presence here at the Fourth Session of the UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent.

The focus on AI and digital equity is urgent within the real time realities today where there continues to be what is referred to as the so called mainstream national and international media companies that systematically undergird racism and imperialism against the interests of People of African Descent.

We therefore call on this distinguished gathering of leaders and experts to challenge member states to cite and to prevent the institutionalization of racism in all forms of media including social media, AI and any form of digital bias and algorithmic discrimination.

We cannot trust nor entertains the notion that former and contemporary enslavers will now use AI and digital transformation to respect our humanity and fundamental rights.

Lastly we recommend that a priority should be given to the convening of an international collective of multimedia organizations and digital associations that are owned and developed by Africans and People of African Descent.

Basta the crimes against our humanity!

Basta Racism!

Basta Imperialism!

A Luta Continua!

Victory is certain!