Hyundai Santa Fe (2024 - )

The all-new fifth generation Hyundai Santa Fe is a full-sized SUV that will tick all the right boxes for any active family. It is available with seven-seats as standard, but can be configured with six if required for an extra £1,000.

The latest model boasts a radical new look and Hyundai has thrown all its technical know-how at the vehicle with over-the-air software updates so everything stays bang up to date.

Customers have a good choice of powertrains with a 1.6-litre petrol hybrid system delivering 215PS and the vehicle is on offer with two- or four-wheel drive. Alternatively, there is a 1.6-litre plug-in hybrid version with 253PS and this features all-wheel drive as standard. All models have a six-speed automatic transmission.

The generously-equipped trim levels are called Premium, Ultimate and Calligraphy and prices start from £46,775. We opted for the mid-grade Santa Fe Ultimate with the hybrid powertrain and 4WD for our test drive.

Hyundai is, quite rightly, proud of the Santa Fe’s boxy silhouette as it creates an image of spaciousness and that’s exactly what this car is all about. In fact, a single glance could leave you questioning whether this is what the Land Rover Discovery should have looked like!

The eye-catching styling was initially created during the Covid lockdown with the Hyundai design team using virtual reality to model their dream car. And it has worked exceptionally well with the designers cleverly creating a vehicle that’s big enough for seven occupants, along with all their luggage requirements, but still looks very easy on the eye.

At the front, you are greeted by a black grille with very distinctive H-shaped light clusters. From the side, the vehicle boasts an attractive silhouette with a longer wheelbase and shorter overhangs than the fourth-gen model, This all adds to the extra cabin space. Distinctive features include shiny black pillars, neat wheel arch cladding (also black), privacy glass and 20-inch alloy wheels. The rear of the vehicle features neat light clusters, along with the SANTA FE name in chrome lettering across the tailgate. 

The interior is spacious, clutter-free and boasts a wealth of on-board technology to explore. Our mid-trim Santa Fe Ultimate boasted leather upholstered seats (Nappa leather on the Calligraphy trim) and they were power-adjustable and could be heated or ventilated. Second row seats also have heating settings for added convenience.

The infotainment system is split into two 12.3-inch screens behind a single curved pane of glass that sits in a slightly curved dashboard. The left screen is where you access most of the on-board tech, including wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a BOSE premium sound system, sat nav, Bluetooth connectivity with voice recognition, a surround view monitor and lots more besides.

The right screen offers all the vital driving data and this can be configurated to taste. There is also a head-up display.

The climate functions are controlled via a separate panel and the gear selector has been moved to the steering wheel to free up extra space.

The rearview mirror has a traditional or digital camera view, while the other main control is a button to switch from drive modes to terrain settings and this can then be toggled between options.

Powering our Santa Fe was a 1.6-litre petrol self-charging hybrid system that developed 215PS and 367Nm of torque, which resulted in respectable performance figures. It could complete the 0-62mph sprint in 9.8 seconds and topped out at 112mph. That’s impressive for a car that can carry seven occupants and also boasts 4WD ability. If you want quicker, the plug-in hybrid model has 253PS and can reach 62mph from a standing start in 9.3 seconds.

A single glance in the Santa Fe’s direction and the words ‘agility’ and ‘nimble’ wouldn’t exactly spring to mind. But this full-sized SUV has a secret USP and that’s its excellent performance ability.

We spend almost eight hours behind the wheel of the Santa Fe in a single stint and the road route was a testing one with little sign of dual carriageways. Instead the car was faced with twisting lanes and demanding hill climbs, all of which it coped with without missing a beat.

The balance through tight corners was confident and there was no sign of body sway through sweeping bends. When a short stretch of faster road appeared, the Santa Fe was confident at 70mph and even on slower roads there was ample zip for quick bursts of pace to overtake slower moving traffic – namely caravans!

Drive modes called Eco, Sport and My Drive alter the dynamics of the vehicle and there are off-road settings called Snow, Mud and Sand too. Steering wheel paddles offer added driver engagement in Sport mode where they are used to change gear manually, but in the Eco setting, they control the level of regenerative braking with four settings to choose from.

On bumpy surfaces, the suspension set-up did an excellent job of smoothing out the ride and the cabin is beautifully well insulated against any noise intrusion.

As the Santa Fe stretches just shy of five metres in length, you will need a large parking space, but there are sensors, cameras and other parking aids to assist with this. And the steering is also perfectly weighted meaning it’s light enough to help manoeuvre through busy town centres, but offers ample feedback on faster roads too.

Special mention to the driver visibility and comfort levels within this car which also excelled on a long road trip.

The Hyundai Santa Fe has a commanding road presence stretching 4,830mm in length, 1,900mm across (including door mirrors), 1,780mm tall and it has a wheelbase of 2,815mm. And with family breaks in mind, the Santa Fe can tow a trailer weighing up to 1.1 tonnes.

The interior is exceptionally roomy with bundles of space up front for a couple of six-footers to sit comfortably. A trio of adults will fit in the second row and, most surprising of all, a further two adults can fit in the pair of back seats too. On most seven-seaters, these rear seats are only ever suitable for children, but the larger-than-life Santa Fe bucks that trend. And with second row seats that slide, tilt and fold, accessing those rear seats is not too difficult.

There is the option to select a six-seater Santa Fe with three rows of two seats. In that configuration, the seconds row occupants benefit from individual seats and this costs £1,000 extra.

The boot, accessed via a powered tailgate, can swallow 628 litres of luggage and this is increased to a generous 1,949 litres with just the front seats in an upright position. 

It can be difficult to picture exactly how big a boot area is with just the storage figure in litres. However, during our time with the Santa Fe, we camped overnight and a double-sized inflatable mattress fitted perfectly in the back of the car.

Storage options throughout the car have been given careful consideration too. Every occupant benefits from a USB-C port and cup holder and there are compartments galore throughout the car, including a double glovebox, deep central cubby that can also be accessed from the second row, practical door pockets, drawers, plus a double wireless charging pad so two phones can be charged at the same time with protection against overheating. 

The Hyundai Santa Fe line-up starts from £46,775 for the entry-level 1.6 Hybrid 215PS model with 2WD and in Premium trim. The range-topping 1.6 PHEV with 253PS and AWD carries a price-tag of £57,635.

Our test car, the mid-range Santa Fe Ultimate, was priced at £52,330 and there were no optional extras to factor in. According to WLTP-testing, it could deliver a combined 38.1mpg with carbon emissions of 168g/km. 

Business drivers may prefer the plug-in hybrid Santa Fe with its lower 38g/km CO2 figure that will bring with it improved Benefit in Kind tax savings compared to the hybrid version. This powertrain is available from £51,885 in Premium grade.

The first-year road tax bill for the Santa Fe Hybrid, as tested, is £670 dropping to the standard fee for hybrids of £180 after the first 12 months.

However, there are extra costs to factor in because the car carries a price-tag in excess of £40k. That means it will be subject to a government premium car tax levy that adds an extra £410 from years two to six.

SUV designers are faced with one of the most challenging tasks in the industry in my opinion. They have to develop vehicles that cover every practicality base, but owners also want the car to look great and drive well. 

Hyundai has cleverly managed to create a great looking five-door family SUV, but it also drives beautifully and has enough space to live in … literally.

It may be in its fifth generation now and been around for 22 years with 450,000 European sales, but this latest Santa Fe is a fresh approach to the full-sized SUV market and one that’s definitely worth exploring.