The 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe was a lot like the other later model year vehicles that were made and shared a lot of the same data, including the maximum towing capacity rating that was set at 3,501 pounds, if you had all of the right equipment. What is even more impressive than that, is that the XL models had a much higher 5,000 pound rating!
Let's dive into the article to see what equipment is needed in order to get the most out of these vehicles!
Be sure that you read through your owner's manual to get familiar with your vehicle and that you abide by all of Hyundai's recommendations and requirements when it comes to anything regarding your vehicle.
2019 Santa Fe Overview
Overall Capacity: The overall towing capacity for the 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe ranged from 1,653-3,501 lbs. for the standard models and for the XL models, the range was between 1,653-5,000 pounds.
There were three main factors that impacted the trailer weight ratings the most and these factors were the engine you had equipped, whether your trailer had a braking system installed and if you had a trailer package installed on your vehicle.
Capacity By Trim Level and Options: We already know what the overall capacity ratings were, but I wanted to go ahead and break down the data by trim level in order to make the data more digestible. I went ahead and listed the trim levels for both the standard and XL models.
- SE: 1,653-2,800 lbs.
- SEL: 1,653-2,800 lbs.
- SEL Plus: 1,653-2,800 lbs.
- Limited: 1,653-3,501 lbs.
- Ultimate: 1,653-3,501 lbs.
- SE (XL Models): 1,653-5,000 lbs.
- Limited Ultimate (XL Models): 1,653-5,000 lbs.
Engine Options: For the standard model Santa Fe's, there were two different engine choices that you could choose from and each choice had slightly different maximum trailer weight rating capacities listed in the chart, on the higher end of the spectrum. The two engine choices were between a 2.4 L engine and a 2.0 L turbo engine, with the 2.0 L engine having a 700-pound advantage over the 2.4 L engine.
If we look at the XL models, we can see that there was only one engine choice and this was a larger 3.3 L engine and is why the overall weight ratings were so much higher compared to the standard models.
Trim Levels: There were five different trim levels available for the standard models and the trim level that you had equipped did affect the maximum trailer weight rating that you could achieve, but only indirectly.
Only the Limited and Ultimate trim levels had the ability to have the trailer prep package installed on the vehicle as an additional option, which means that the SE, SEL and SEL plus trim levels did not have the option of having this package installed, so they were limited to the much lower 2,000 lb. capacity rating.
The XL models did have two different trim levels available, but the trailer prep package came standard for both trim levels, so there was no difference when it came to the maximum trailer weight ratings.
Assumed Weight: The trailer weight ratings that were listed in the charts did not specify whether a drivers weight was calculated in these weight ratings, like other manufacturers specify, so I cannot provide any more details on any assumed weight in the vehicle. I will update this post if I find anything out.
The Standard and XL Charts:
There were two different charts for the 2019 Santa Fes and these were divided up into the standard models and then a separate chart for the XL models, which you can see both charts below. The charts are similar in the sense that they provide the same data and have maximum trailer weight ratings listed for trailers that have a braking system installed and trailers that do not have trailer brakes installed.
If we look at the standard models chart, we can see that there is another row that had a standard package and a trailer package with different trailer weight ratings listed next to them.
The trailer package was essentially an optional package that was only available for certain trim levels and if you did not have one of these equipped on your vehicle then you would have the standard package with the specified ratings.
The standard models were only able to achieve a 3,501 pound rating, compared to the XL models, which were able to pull 5,000 pounds.
All Models Except XL
XL Models
Tongue Load Weight Rating...
When looking at tongue load weight ratings, Hyundai recommends that you do not exceed 10% of the trailer's total weight, but they do not give a recommended guideline on what percentage would be ideal. Most manufacturers do recommend a 10% load weight rating, so I would assume that aiming for 10% of your trailer's weight would be ideal in this situation as well.
Trailer Brakes:
The only information available regarding trailer brakes was listed in the chart and if we refer to the data in that chart, we can see that Hyundai recommends trailer brakes if your trailer and all of its cargo weighed 1,653 pounds or more.
This is an unusual number that was specified, as most vehicle manufacturers recommend trailer brakes if your trailer weighs 1,000-1,500 pounds or more. So I guess that 1,653 pound rating isn't too far off from 1,500 lbs.
The Different Trim Level Options:
Standard Models: The standard 2019 models had a choice between five different trim levels in these were listed in the brochure as the: SE, SEL, SEL Plus, Limited and Ultimate trim levels.
If we look at the image below, that I also pulled from the brochure, we can see which options were standard, which were signified by a solid black dot or an upgraded option for these vehicles, which was shown as an open circle. The hyphens in the chart indicate that there was no option available for this model.
The image also shows us that only two trim levels had the ability to have the trailer prep package installed as an optional package and these two trim levels were the Limited in Ultimate trim levels. We can also see that the pre-wiring for trailers was set up for all trim levels, as a standard option.
XL Models: If we look at the XL models, we can see that both the SE and Limited Ultimate trim levels had the same engine equipped, so no variations there. I was also able to find out that the trailer prep package was a standard option for both trim levels, so I'm not sure why the chart that I have posted at the top of this article has two different trailer weight rating specs listed.
How About The GVWR, GCWR and GAWR Figures...
GVWR & GAWRs: If you need to know your gross vehicle weight rating or gross axle weight rating, then you will have to look on the safety certification label that is located on your driver's door pillar or the door itself. It will look like the label that I have pictured above and at the top of the label is where you will find these two metrics listed.
GCWR: I was not able to find the gross combined weight rating anywhere, though, so I will have to update this article when I do find that information in order to keep it as up-to-date as possible.
Do I Have A Trailer Prep Package?
The trailer prep package was required if you wanted to achieve the highest ratings for these SUVs and if we look at the standard models, we can see that this package was only available for the Limited and Ultimate trim levels.
If you had the SE, SEL or SEL Plus trim levels, then you did not have the option of having the trailer prep package installed on your vehicle, in which case you would go with the standard package trailer weight ratings that were listed.
Additional Notes Worth Mentioning:
I was also able to find a couple of other additional notes that I thought were worth mentioning and I went ahead and took screenshots of these and posted them below. These talk about many different things including using a sway control device with these vehicles, recommended driving speeds and other helpful information.
