The value-priced, practical Hyundai Santa Fe doesn't get a lot of headlines.

But it made news this year when it beat out the Honda Pilot as the top midsize sport utility vehicle chosen by Consumer Reports magazine for 2008.

What put the Santa Fe amid the magazine's overall Top 10 Picks? A long list of standard safety equipment, roomy interior, decent ride, good reliability record, exemplary crash-test results and the fact buyers get a lot for the money.

One of the noteworthy standard features is a 10-year, 100,000-mile limited warranty on the Santa Fe powertrain. This warranty covers some of the most expensive components in a car, such as the engine, and compares with a three-year/36,000-mile warranty on Honda's Pilot.

Starting manufacturer's suggested retail price, including destination charge, is $21,845 for a base, two-wheel drive, 2008 Santa Fe GLS with 185-horsepower V-6 and manual transmission. With automatic transmission, the retail price starts at $23,145.

The lowest MSRP, including destination charge, for a 2008 Santa Fe with all-wheel drive is $23,545 with a manual transmission.

These prices undercut many other mid-size SUVs, especially so-called crossover SUVs that are built on car-based platforms and provide a more carlike ride than do traditional, truck-based SUVs.

For example, the starting MSRP, including destination charge, for a 2008 Saturn Outlook is $28,995, while a 2008 Honda Pilot has a starting retail price of $28,230. Both the Outlook and Pilot come only with automatic transmissions.

The Santa Fe is built on a modified platform of the front-wheel drive Hyundai Sonata sedan, and the ride in the test Santa Fe Limited with all-wheel drive was a bit more compliant than I prefer.

The softer-than-expected ride combined with numb steering feel for an isolated-from-the-road sensation. It contrasts with other SUVs that have moved to give drivers a sense they're connected to the road and can feel pavement surfaces. The interior of the Santa Fe was quiet, save for wind noise at highway speeds.

Two V-6s are offered, but the base 2.7-liter engine is used in the smaller and lighter-weight Hyundai Tucson SUV and produces only 185 horsepower and 183 foot-pounds of torque.

The test Santa Fe had the more capable 3.3-liter, double overhead cam V-6 that generates 242 horsepower, which is about the same as the 244 horses in the 2008 Honda Pilot.

The engine's torque of 226 foot-pounds at 4,500 rpm moved the 4,000-pound Limited model of Santa Fe quickly forward from stoplights and gave an acceptably peppy performance, even with four seats occupied and some luggage in the back.

Interestingly, the federal government fuel economy ratings don't indicate much loss in gas mileage for the use of the bigger engine.

Santa Fes with the 3.3-liter V-6 are rated at 17 miles per gallon in city driving and 24 mpg on the highway and are mated to a five-speed automatic.

Santa Fes with the 2.7-liter V-6 and four-speed automatic have the same highway rating and only one more mile per gallon -- 18 mpg -- in city driving.

These numbers put the 2008 Santa Fe in the same basic mileage category as the pricier Toyota Highlander and a tad above the 2008 Honda Pilot.

Regular gasoline is fine in the Santa Fe. At today's gas prices, though, it could cost more than $80 to fill the good-sized, 19.8-gallon fuel tank and travel just over 370 city/highway miles at the government's estimated mileage rate.

I enjoyed the high views out of the Santa Fe, though it can be difficult to see what's low and just behind the vehicle as it backs up.

Despite its size, which is about the same as today's Highlander, the Santa Fe drives like a smaller vehicle. I didn't feel as if there was a huge chunk of SUV behind me as I maneuvered through city traffic and into tight parking lots.

And the turning circle is like that on many cars -- 35.8 feet.

Yet, the Santa Fe offers more than 78 cubic feet of cargo space when the back seats are folded down, and the cargo floor is nicely flat. There's a commendable 34.2 cubic feet of space ahead of the tailgate inside if the second row seats are in use.

Hyundai offers the addition of third-row seating for two people, but these seats can be confining for adults, because legroom back there is just 31.3 inches. But in the front and second-row seats, passenger room is comfortable. In fact, legroom in the Santa Fe front seat is a commodious 42.6 inches, which is more than what's found in some large SUVs.

I liked the bright blue hue of the instrument gauges at night. It added a dash of color and excitement in what is otherwise a rather plain-looking vehicle. On the outside, the Santa Fe is pleasant but not memorable.

The leather-trimmed seats in the top-of-the-line Limited model had an exceptionally soft, plush feel, and the navigation display was crisp and easy to see, even on sunny day drives.

All safety items come standard, including electronic stability control and anti-whiplash head restraints for the front seats.

The Santa Fe received five out of five stars in frontal and crash testing.

There have been two safety recalls of 2008 Santa Fes. The first involved 3,387 vehicles from both 2007 and 2008 that had trailer hitch wiring harnesses. The harnesses might malfunction from high current leakage or a short-circuited capacitor.

The most recent recall, last month, was for 88,943 vehicles with 18-inch tires from 2007 and 2008 model years. Hyundai was sending to owners new certification labels to install on the driver-side door jams that would show the correct gross axle weight ratings.