The Santa Fe’s 2024 redesign brings distinctively squared-off exterior styling, a striking cabin thanks to its large, dual-screen display, abundant small-item storage nooks, and a standard (though admittedly small) third-row seat.
In most ways the Santa Fe performed well in our tests, thanks to its maneuverable size, excellent outward visibility, good handling, decent ride, comfortable seats, and generous cargo capacity. If you want something less bulky than a Hyundai Palisade but larger than a Tucson, this could be the right size. But, the Santa Fe’s dual-clutch automatic transmission brings some low-speed hiccups and uneven power delivery.
We also tested a hybrid model (covered in a separate road test), which proved smoother and much more fuel efficient, although it isn’t quite as zippy in terms of acceleration. But the hybrid notched a stellar road-test score.
This fifth-generation Santa Fe has a longer wheelbase than the 2023 model, providing more legroom to second-row passengers. Sizewise, it falls neatly in the middle of most compact and midsized SUVs, putting it right between the likes of the Toyota RAV4 and Highlander, for example.
We purchased a Santa Fe SEL 2.5T AWD—anonymously from an area dealer, as we do with every vehicle we test—for the purpose of this road test review.
The 277-horsepower, 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder in the regular Santa Fe is paired with an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. The engine has abundant verve, enabling a commendable 6.7-second sprint from 0 to 60 mph. It feels spirited out on the road, with plentiful low-end torque along with quick and direct shifts from the transmission. But the powertrain is marred by hesitation during rolling stops, typically followed by an abrupt burst of power right after, together making it tricky to drive smoothly. Even from a full stop you can feel the clutches slipping in an effort to be gentle, and in parking lots the lack of initial “creep” as soon as you take your foot off the brake pedal makes for some jerky, awkward sensations. If you’re on a slight incline, the vehicle will even roll backward as you move your foot from the brake pedal to the accelerator.
The hybrid—which uses a smaller turbo-four with a conventional six-speed automatic—is much smoother, thanks to a shove of electric power off the line. But where the hybrid really outshines the regular model is in fuel economy; it managed an excellent 34 mpg overall vs. the Santa Fe 2.5T’s 24 mpg in our testing.
In most other ways, the two versions mirror each other. That includes confident and capable handling and an absorbent ride. The Santa Fe feels more similar to the smaller Tucson when going through curves than it does the larger Palisade. We appreciate its natural steering effort, along with more than a skosh of feedback about road texture and tire grip when cornering. Body roll is restrained in common driving scenarios, though noticeable when charging hard into a turn. The suspension has a firm feel, but it’s absorbent, and keeps the SUV steady and controlled most of the time. It’s only on rougher roads that some hard hits come through into the cabin. Panic-brake stopping distances proved adequately short, but we found that the brake pedal can be touchy at times, especially when driving at lower speeds or in a parking lot.
Despite the squarish body, the Santa Fe doesn’t suffer from excessive wind noise on the highway. We also appreciate that the engine is fairly cultured among four-cylinder turbos.
Most testers found the front seats reasonably comfortable, and decent overall for the class. But different physiques had different opinions about the bottom cushion; it was either too long, too stiff, or lacked enough side bolstering. The driving position is quite good in most ways, with tons of headroom and plenty of knee space. But many drivers found it difficult to position the steering wheel for both comfort and a clear line of sight to the instrument screen, finding themselves having to compromise one for the other.
The second-row seat is roomy and comfortable. There’s plenty of headroom, lots of foot space under the front seats, and really good under-leg support. The tight third-row seat, although nice to have in a pinch, is best left to children. Although there’s a surprising amount of headroom, the seat’s low position to the floor results in an uncomfortable knee bend, and the seat is flat and unsupportive.
The cargo area is generous, with a wide hatch opening and a low liftover height, which aids loading and unloading. The 45.5 cubic-feet of maximum cargo volume when the second- and third rows are folded down outpacks some larger SUVs.
The Santa Fe’s dashboard features a curved screen that integrates the dual 12.3-inch displays for the digital driver's instrument screen and the infotainment system. Most controls are easy to use, thanks to physical buttons and knobs for functions like adjusting the temperature and the audio volume and tuning. But some icons are small, particularly for the climate fan speed, which makes them a challenge to adjust while driving. We do appreciate that you don’t need to wade into a specific climate menu to activate or adjust the heated front seats, as you do on some other new vehicles.
The odd, unconventional gear-selector stalk takes some getting used to, as we’ve experienced in other recent Hyundais. It’s on the right of the steering wheel, near where the wiper stalk is often located. The driver makes a selection by rotating the tip toward Drive or Reverse. Depending on how you sit, and whether the steering wheel is straight or not, it can be tricky to see the lever from behind the wheel. But, we found you do get used to it with practice.
Standard active safety and driver assistance features on the Santa Fe include automatic emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, along with automatic emergency braking that operates at highway speeds, blind spot warning, rear cross traffic warning, reverse automatic emergency braking, lane centering assistance, lane departure warning, lane keeping assistance, adaptive cruise control, and automatic high beams. Rear occupant alert and rear belt-minder systems also come standard.