Hyundai has hit a line drive right into the gap
2024 Hyundai Santa Fe review by The Road Beat
Words and pictures: Mitchell Weitzman
While other automakers are building the same boring crossovers with dull, committee-designed styling, Hyundai has sneakily produced a unique and beautiful new mid-size SUV. The fact that it's still called the Santa Fe, a nameplate several decades old and attached to embarrassing previous iterations, is just formality, as this new model shares next to zilch with the outgoing model. You can throw away old predispositions and see the Santa Fe for what it really is: one of the most exciting, attractive, and practical SUVs under $50,000.
Looks are subjective, but they need to be accounted for when the vehicle in question looks this hot. Owing homage to the Land Rover Defender, this is a modern box executed so right. And it's not just me, I write this because of how many compliments it garnered, asking with intrigue what the heck it is followed by disbelief that it was a Hyundai. The stylistic offensive continues inside, with a bold and modern interior that's built and furnished to a surprisingly high level of quality and even luxury. With few other ways of saying it, this top-end Calligraphy model is a properly nice car. The windows also feature double-pane glass, meaning it's whisper quiet inside the cabin even on the freeway. If there's anything that could be done better here, it's that too many controls are integrated into a digital display screen, lacking the haptic feedback that enables easy muscle memory. A shoutout must be given to the thoughtful packaging, with consideration given to convenience, like the twin wireless cell phone chargers upfront, and a myriad of USB ports for occupants to use while they binge Yellowstone for the third time. One annoying criticism is the lack of touch and proximity-sensing locking/unlocking for the rear doors, with this popular and advantageous feature reserved only for the front doors.
Because this is a Santa Fe, there's a third row of seats in the very back that you can either utilize or fold neatly back into the floor when not required. Space and leg room are not quite as an important objective back here, with it best reserved for children, but they're present when needed in a pinch. It must be said that, at the same price, you can have a Honda Pilot with a significantly roomier third row, but the tradeoff is a relatively chintzy interior. So, a third row may be there, but be warned that this is not a super-sized SUV, and I'd also recommend looking at Hyundai's own Palisade if desiring something truly mammoth.
Power comes from a turbocharged, 2.5-liter four-cylinder that pumps out 280 reasonably smooth horsepower, which does help to give it more kick than the similar (albeit weaker) 2.4L turbo-four engine that comes in a new Toyota Highlander. But, and this is rather important given how unique an application it is, the transmission here is an eight-speed dual clutch automatic. While most all other options of this class use conventional torque converters, the Hyundai offers an easily more advanced system that delivers quicker and sweetly seamless shifts. It's also rather intelligent, so when combined with a healthy dosage of midrange turbo torque, the Santa Fe is rarely lost hunting for gears and is rapidly responsive to sudden throttle changes. I did notice, however, that the natural idle of the car is reduced, so you have to reacclimatize yourself to the lack of initial 'creep' when you release the brake from a stop. Fuel economy stood at 24 MPG after a week, which is no doubt helped by the fewer cylinders and intelligent shifting; Hyundai's six-cylinder vehicles are easily more thirsty in my experience.
An SUV of this size and class is never going to win awards for handling nor set records in the canyons, but I was surprised how competent and confident the Santa Fe feels in daily, everyday driving. Offering more involvement and willingness than some competitors, it's still a lumbering SUV, but at least it's one where the engineers and boardroom execs actually cared about how it drove. The result is a steady proficiency across the spectrum, ranging from the accurate steering and weighting, to a front end that's keener when changing direction. The ride quality can still have too much bouncing oscillation (think like a pogo stick) following larger impacts, but this a comfortable and refined vehicle in most situations. For the most in driver involvement and enthusiasm, Mazda still reigns supreme with their CX-9 and CX-90 SUVs.
For me, looks can play a large role in what kind of vehicle I may want, and the simple truth is the new Santa Fe scores absolutely huge on this front with its unique aesthetic that also looks positively expensive. Opening the doors and climbing inside the exciting cabin does not disappoint either. Growing companies, of which Hyundai very much is, need explosively bold designs to stand out and have a chance at drawing customers away from legacy brands like Toyota, Honda, Ford, and more. And it's here that the Santa Fe easily does enough to warrant a serious look or even two. The fact it drives decently nice, has a luxuriously quiet and hospitable interior, and boasts a decent powertrain further prove this Santa Fe is one of the most deservedly ambitious vehicles yet to come from Hyundai.
2024 Hyundai Santa Fe Calligraphy
As-tested price: $49,905
Pros: Tons of style and quality interior with great packaging
Cons: Nearly $50,000 for a Santa Fe; Touch controls offer no feedback
2024 Hyundai Santa Fe review by The Road Beat.
Photos by Mitchell Weitzman of mitchellweitzmanphoto.com