2024 Hyundai Santa Fe

25 October, 2024: By Alex Forrest

The new Hyundai Santa Fe may look as boxy and aggressive as an irritated Mike Tyson, but it’ll never have you on the ropes and it won’t chew your ear.

The interior is among the best finished that we’ve seen on a mainstream SUV, with features that are a mix of useful and slightly obscure. These include a huge curved panoramic display, something called relaxation seating, and a UV-C sterilisation tray. Don’t worry, you’ll be fine.

Watch Alex test drive the 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe through Swan Valley or read the transcript on this page.

When it was launched in May 2024, the Santa Fe was only available with a 1.6L petrol electric hybrid drivetrain. However, as of late 2024, the Santa Fe will also be available with a non-hybrid 2.5L turbo petrol engine.

Interior & Exterior

And of course, you can’t ignore that bold styling. So different is it from the last one, just to make sure you know that it’s still a Santa Fe, they’ve made the Santa Fe badging across the tailgate five times bigger.

Furthermore, the styling is more heavily infused with corporate branding than any other production vehicle. In particular, the letter H. Can you spot them all? There’s a lot. Anyway, let’s see whether that’s a case of style over substance, or if the new Santa Fe really is an SUV for the Hs.

Get past the angular shapes and the letter H being everywhere, and you’ll find that there is indeed much more to the design of the new Hyundai Santa Fe. For example, a key advantage of the Santa Fe’s boxy back end is it gives you so much more space. Especially headroom in the third row, where passengers are typically shortchanged in these sorts of vehicles.

The new Santa Fe has got about 60mm more headroom than the previous model. I’m six foot two, and I’ve still got two centimetres of space above my head, which would make a huge difference on longer journeys. Part of this has been allowed by this big concave section above my head, which most people wouldn’t notice.

Another pretty handy feature is just a touch of a button in the Calligraphy model, and you can get out by yourself without having to worry about second-row passengers letting you out. Another handy feature on the outside of the Santa Fe is the built-in grab handle, which helps you climb up and tend to things on the roof, like your luggage or even your rooftop accommodation. If that’s your in’tent.’ Sorry.

Technology

Up front, there’s a big panoramic display in front of the driver. It’s essentially two screens, one for the driving information and one for the infotainment. There are a number of physical buttons as well to control the ventilation. There’s also a UV-C sterilisation tray, which uses UV-C light to sterilise any small items you might have, like your phone, wallet, or sunglasses. It’s a remnant, really, of the COVID era when these things were being designed into cars, and we’re starting to see it in production cars now.

And of course, the twin charging pads in the centre console. It’s not a new thing Tesla has been doing for some years, but it’s great to see in a large vehicle like this, where there are going to be a number of phones in large families, and to have two charging pads makes a big difference. Hyundai’s luxury brand Genesis is known for its sumptuous vehicle interiors, and the range-topping Santa Fe Calligraphy’s interior is so well finished it would qualify for a Genesis badge.

Overall, it’s clear Hyundai has made the Santa Fe’s interior somewhere you’ll want to spend a lot of time. It’ll have you looking for reasons to take the long way home. And then, of course, there’s the relaxation seating function, which at the touch of a button, can have your passenger reclining and relaxing in no time.

Driving Experience

After its exterior design, refinement is the Santa Fe’s other big-ticket item. As a 1.6L turbo petrol electric hybrid with a six-speed transmission and all-wheel drive, there’s a fair amount going on mechanically and electronically. That’s not unique, and that’s not perfect either, but it is a good result given the Santa Fe’s smooth, quiet, and fuel-efficient power delivery.

Its ride is supple and smooth, and the steering weighting is light but not excessively so. The Santa Fe’s handling is tidy and predictable, but sporty is way too strong a term especially given that this is a 2.1 tonne, 1.7-metre-tall family SUV that’s designed for comfort.

The 2.5L turbo non-hybrid version is set to arrive in late 2024. It will be significantly more powerful than the 1.6L hybrid. The 2.5 will use more fuel than the 1.6, but less than the 3.5L V6 that was in the previous non-hybrid petrol models. There’s been no word yet on whether we’ll see a diesel version of the new Santa Fe, which we reckon will sell well given the popularity of previous Hyundai diesels.

Practicality

The Santa Fe’s format as an SUV already makes it practical, but it’s the numerous little features that make it extra easy to live with. There’s the extra wide tailgate, built-in sun blinds in the rear doors, and clever storage spaces, especially in the centre console area. Even the bottle holders in the doors are backlit with mood lighting.

All the seats in the second and third rows can be folded flat to create an area where you could almost park a Hyundai i20. USB inputs in the back of the front seats are the optimal height for rear passengers needing to keep their devices energised. The USB plug is right next to the buttons operating the electric front seat, which will be handy for mischievous rear passengers.

Across all variants, the Santa Fe 1.6L hybrid comes with a full-size spare tire, a welcome feature especially given the other elements fighting it for space like the hybrid system, all-wheel drive on most models, and a spacious, flat-floored cabin.

Value For Money

There’s no denying that the new Santa Fe costs more. Last year, the cheapest Santa Fe was $46,050 before on roads. This year, the entry-level Santa Fe is $55,500. But that’s not the full picture. For starters, the entry-level Santa Fe has gone from having an old 3.5L V6 that used 10.5L of unleaded 91 per 100km to an advanced hybrid system that uses just over half as much, 5.6L per 100km.

While that’s a great saving, it’ll still take a while to offset that big price increase. Really, the big advantage is just not having to stop and refuel as often. Even allowing for a small buffer of residual fuel in the tank, that equates to a range of well over 1000km.

You get more interior space too, which is thanks in part to the 50 millimetre longer wheelbase and the 45mm longer body overall. And let’s not forget the big step up in interior fit and finish. In this range, topping $83,000 calligraphy, it’s immediately apparent.

The interior is in line with other large SUVs, costing well into six figures. The Santa Fe hasn’t yet been rated by ANCAP, but it does have good safety credentials, such as a centre front airbag, auto braking that can detect pedestrians and cyclists, and, of course, driver monitoring. But we’ll have to wait until the official rating is published.

Other features, such as auto evasive driving assist, which can detect a collision risk and then automatically take action, help make up a comprehensive suite of safety gear.

Likes & Dislikes

So, what do we like about the new Santa Fe? Well, of course, there is the excellent fit and finish inside and out. It’s also very fuel efficient for its size, and the ride quality is right up there with much more expensive large SUVs.

And our dislikes? There’s no diesel option if that’s what you prefer, and the speed monitoring system is still more of a distraction than it is a help. That’s changing soon though. And you might want a less conspicuous looking large SUV. I quite like it, though.

Verdict

So, what’s the verdict? Well, the new Hyundai Santa Fe 1.6 uses less fuel than a Hyundai i30 small car. And yet its thoughtful design also makes it one of the most practical large SUVs out there. It’s pricier than the old one, but you also get a lot more, such as upgraded infotainment and safety tech, interior comfort and refinement. And of course, the number of letter Hs.

So, if you’re in the market for a new large SUV, the Hyundai Santa Fe should absolutely be on your list.

2024 Hyundai Santa Fe Specifications