Hyundai Santa Fe (2024) Review

Are we seeing a 2004 Land Rover Discovery here? No, it’s the new Hyundai Santa Fe, which is quite bold, based on the brand’s recent designs. And yet it also has its practical aspects. Yes, that Land Rover, yes this reminds me. A body that is quite small in structure, but which aims for a high position.

The new Hyundai Santa Fe is an SUV for the whole family, as big as you could wish for (and you wouldn’t want any bigger, with our street and parking spaces). It has seven seats and a luggage compartment, and is particularly suitable as a tow truck. On the other hand, it is definitely a completely different car than the old Land Rover. You can get four-wheel drive, but as an option, with low gear or lockable differentials is something you can write off. Well, most people are better off without the extra weight and stiffness that they all bring.

Smaller than the Guardian, but wider than the church

Although it looks big enough to block the sun, it’s actually 120mm shorter than today’s Defender. But the silhouette, as square as a Lego box, houses the real cathedral of the sky. With a little cooperation from the people in the first two rows of seats (‘can you all move forward a bit?’) seven adults can find a place, with seven of the types of bags still allowed on the plane in hand. baggage behind.

Photo: © Hyundai
Photo: © Hyundai
Photo: © Hyundai
Photo: © Hyundai
Photo: © Hyundai
Photo: © Hyundai

They all have ventilation, lighting, USB and cup holders, so there’s no need to draw leaves. And if you are traveling with only five people, you have no less than 725 liters of free luggage space. If there were any nagging doubts about the Hyundai badge, they have been effectively dispelled by the interior and furnishings of this generation Santa Fe.

The ’rounded squares’ theme of the exterior continues here. The rectangular dashboard is a beautifully finished horizontal sidecar and the center console also has straight lines. The dual-width screen setup breaks that trend a bit: they curve slightly towards the driver. Everything works with the pleasant naturalness we’ve come to expect from the Koreans, and there are plenty of additional standard buttons for things you need quickly: audio, climate, parking cameras, driving directions. Watch and learn, other developers. it’s not that hard.

What is the box on the dashboard in front of the passenger?

The gear selector is a large stalk behind the steering wheel, which provides more storage space in the center console. That’s as deck a case as you can find on an EV. Passengers have not only a glove compartment, but also a small compartment where you can put things and an ultraviolet lamp. No, not with your hands, it only works when the lid is closed. Your phone (have you ever thought how much worse it could be?) will be cooler. How can we live without such a thing? And can’t we get an espresso machine instead?

The center armrest has two parts, so it can be used not only by the front occupants, but also by people in the second row of seats. As mentioned, there are charging mats, ventilation options, lights, speakers and cup holders everywhere in the cabin – and airbags. No cows travel here, everyone stays in business class.

Hyundai Santa Fe powertrain

Not surprisingly, the 2024 Santa Fe body does not do without diesel and the whole thing is electrified. In all powertrains, the main role is played by a 1.6-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine with hybrid support that is placed between the engine and a six-speed automatic transmission. You can choose between front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive. At the top of the line is a plug-in hybrid version of the same system, which only comes with a four-wheel drive.

We are on the plugin version. It has a total of 235 hp and does everything, let’s say, with ease. We do not mean that as an insult. Performance figures are similar to the older model’s four-cylinder diesel SUV, but this hybrid is quieter. At full steam it takes Santa Fe to 100 km / h in 9.5 seconds. There is no rush – just relax, and that’s how you get there.

This is certainly not the most efficient of all hybrid systems available. But it is almost as economical as a diesel and feels very natural, with revs rising and falling in step with your movement of the accelerator pedal. If you take it easy, the gasoline engine sometimes completely hands over control to the electric motor. Then it literally and figuratively stops, even at top speed, and especially when accelerating slowly or going downhill. However, any petrol engine will be very quiet in those conditions, so it’s not very noticeable.

Does he drive a building on wheels?

Suspension and damping are adjusted for comfort and are generally a little on the soft side. But that doesn’t mean the Santa Fe goes like a galley. He handles his low weight (no less than 2,295 kg…) with great dignity. The steering is not too light, it works well and it can handle the bodywork well. Which in itself is not so bad, as a habit of diving and diving; that is, if the car is not full of people.

Handling is smooth, mostly getting only a few bumps from the big, heavy tires. No tire noise, but this first meeting took place in South Korea. We’re withholding our final judgment until we’ve driven it on the not-always-friendly European roads.

For many potential Santa Fe customers, its towing capacity will be most important: 2.25 tons. We haven’t tried driving the car off-road, but judging by its road tires and lack of low gearing, that probably won’t be its success. However, the all-wheel drive system has electronically controlled torque distribution between the driven wheels, traction control offers settings for snow, sand and mud, and downhill assist is also available. So it won’t be the case that he doesn’t care at all if the road ends.

How much does the new Hyundai Santa Fe cost?

It will be a few more months before the new Santa Fe sets wheels on European soil, and we still can’t say anything about the price. As an indication: the current version starts at 48,000 euros and goes up to 63,000 euros (in Belgium from 59k to 64k, but the range is slightly different there).

This new one has been a beautiful and attractive car, although so it may not be suitable for people who prefer to stay under the radar; Even in the dark, it can be spotted from miles away thanks to the ‘H’ in the LED lights. However, he is not there just to give information. You may buy it for its looks, but you will really appreciate it for its many other qualities.