subject: The 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe Se 3.3 Liter V6 Engine [print this page] The Hyundai Santa Fe may not quite live up to its name of Holy Spirit in Spanish, but it does have a pair of spirited V6 engines that can be chosen. Unlike other cars where the higher-powered engine gives a decline in fuel efficiency, the bigger Santa Fe engine doesn't reduce fuel efficiency much at all.
The basic GLS version of the Santa Fe is a 2.7 liter, 185 horsepower engine that has a compression ratio of 10, a 86.7 mm bore and a 75 mm stroke. The SE version has 3.3 liter, 242 horsepower of muscle under the hood that ups the compression ratio to 10.4 and has a 92.0 mm bore and 83.8 mm stroke.
However, the SE doesn't have any fuel economy downsides, as both the GLS and SE engines are rated at 17 MPG city and 24 MPG highway in all-wheel drive mode. The GLS moves its city numbers to 18 MPG in front-wheel drive mode, but that is the only spot where the GLS has any advantage in mileage.
So, other than the added price tag associated with the SE, there seems to be no major downside to getting the bigger engine for the Santa Fe. You get an extra 30% in horsepower without any loss in efficiency with the SE; either the Hyundai engineers hit a home run with the SE or the EPA testers might have been off their feed when testing the GLS.
If you're buying a crossover, you're probably going to want to have some power under the hood, and the SE engine seems to deliver that without sacrificing mileage.
