2022 Hyundai Santa Fe vs 2022 Lincoln Navigator

Third-row seats add weight and reduce cargo space, so if you know you don’t need one but still want a roomy, midsize SUV, the 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe is a great choice.

This model year, a new plug-in hybrid version is the big news, but the standard 2022 Santa Fe model lineup gains a new XRT trim level that is, in Hyundai’s words, “designed to convey an outdoor lifestyle.” In plain language, that means it gets a mixture of blacked-out exterior details, unique black alloy wheels, additional lower body cladding, fake front and rear skid plates, nearly useless running boards, and roof-rail crossbars that look like basket handles.

More importantly, Hyundai also expands the availability of blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and Safe Exit Assist to the Santa Fe SE trim level, albeit not until later in the year.

Sometimes, only a full-size SUV will do. Among the handful of large luxury models available, the 2022 Lincoln Navigator stands apart with its classically elegant design, robust towing capacity, and soothing comfort in all three rows of seats.

For the 2022 Navigator, Lincoln makes numerous changes to update the SUV’s styling, comfort, technology, safety, and driving dynamics. To experience the changes first-hand, we headed to Scottsdale, Arizona following a cold snap of winter weather. In short, the facelift has revived the aging Navigator, keeping it competitive against newer rivals.