Hyundai

Santa Fe

Hyundai has really raised the bar in the seven-seat SUV sector with the launch of its practical, stylish and dynamic fifth-generation Santa Fe.

Test Drive

Hyundai Santa Fe – Fifth Generation first drive (2024)

It has been around for more than two decades and sold in excess of 450,000 models across Europe, but the all-new Hyundai Santa Fe really raises the bar in the full-sized SUV market.

With prices starting from £46,775, it’s not the cheapest seven-seater out there, but few can match this car for practicality, on-board tech and overall appeal.

There is a choice of two powertrains – a hybrid and plug-in hybrid, along with the option of two- or four-wheel drive. Customers also get to choose between three generously-equipped trim grades called Premium, Ultimate and Calligraphy and there is the option to select a Santa Fe with six rather than seven seats which costs £1,000 extra.

We opted for the mid-grade Santa Fe Ultimate, driven by the Hybrid powertrain and costing £52,330, for our test drive. The first thing to say about this vehicle is just how striking it looks when approached from any angle. It’s a car that boasts a commanding road presence without looking overly-aggressive or garish in any way.

The side profile offers an indication to the Santa Fe’s practicality with an increase in wheelbase and shorter overhangs compared to the fourth-gen car. And that translates into extra cabin space – something that all SUV designers strive for.

It stretches almost five metres in length with eye-catching features including black pillars, protective wheel arch cladding, privacy glass and smart 20-inch alloys. From the front, the Santa Fe looks powerful and ready for any adventure with its blacked out grille, chunky bonnet and signature H-shaped light clusters. Then, moving to the rear, there are bright LED lights with the SANTA FE name sitting proudly across the tailgate in chrome letters.

Step inside and the cabin oozes charm with high-end fixtures and fittings at every turn. The seats on our test model were crafted from quality leather (upgrading to Nappa leather on Calligraphy grade) and these seats were powered and offer heating and ventilation settings. The seats in row two can also be warned against the winter blues.

Your attention is quickly drawn to the twin 12.3-inch screens that merge seamlessly behind a single curved glass panel and these are the nerve centre of the Santa Fe. The left unit is the access point to most of the on-board tech, while the right screen is where all the vital driving data is clearly displayed, along with a head-up display.

Creature comforts are plentiful and include a pitch perfect Bose sound system, sat nav, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connectivity along with two wireless charging pads that protect against overheating. There is Bluetooth connectivity with voice recognition, a surround view monitor and lots, lots more besides.

The rearview mirror can be clicked from a traditional view to a digital one that offers a camera view of what is going on behind the vehicle. And, on the latest car, the gear selector has moved to the steering wheel which frees up some extra space and also makes the car look less cluttered.

Our vehicle was powered by a 1.6-litre hybrid set-up that delivered 215PS and 367Nm of torque. It could complete the 0-62mph dash in a respectable 9.8 seconds, topped out as 112mph and, according to WLTP-testing, could achieve a combined 38.1mpg with carbon emissions of 168g/km. For any business drivers considering the new Santa Fe, the plug-in hybrid version would probably prove the most attractive due to its lower CO2 emissions figure of 38g/km which results in improved tax savings.

When it comes to performance, the ride and handling of the Santa Fe certainly belie its stature. It is beautifully balanced on twisting country lanes and there is little sign of body movement no matter how enthusiastically tighter curves are attacked.

There is a constant stream of power on tap which helps make light work of overtaking caravans or the likes, and the vehicle is also deceptively nimble in busier town centres, where the excellent driver visibility is an added bonus.

Drive modes called Eco, Sport and My Drive alter the driving dynamics of the car and steering wheel mounted paddles can be used to change gears manually in the Sport setting, or adjust regenerative braking in Eco mode with four levels to choose from.

The steering is perfectly weighted with ample driver feedback and the driver benefits from excellent all-round visibility too. We should also mention the excellent suspension set-up that smooths out all but the most severe road bumps while the cabin is well insulated against any noise intrusion along the way too.

A key selling point of any SUV, especially full sized ones, is practicality and space and this in another area where the latest Santa Fe truly excels. It is a ‘proper’ seven seater with room in all seats for a grown-up to fit. The seats in row two slide, tilt and fold flat making it easy to get in or out of the back seats, and all occupants get their own cup holder along with a USB-C port.

The boot is accessed via a wide, powered tailgate and it can swallow between 628 and 1,949 litres of kit with plenty of practical storage compartments scattered throughout the vehicle.

These include a double glovebox, a deep cubby that can be accessed from front or second row occupants, door pockets, trays and a drawer.

It’s easy to get bewildered by boot sizes when hearing the capacity in litres, so Hyundai decided to make its point about space by offering us the chance to sleep overnight in the vehicle. It can accommodate a double-sized inflatable mattress and there were lots of places to hold items such as phones, glasses, a torch and water etc.

When you also factor in the wealth of on-board safety features and driver assistance aids, that will protect occupants and other road users alike, the all-new Santa Fe is quite the all-rounder in the full-sized SUV sector.

In fact, if Father Christmas’ sleigh should experience some technical issues in December, this latest Santa Fe could be the perfect ‘Santa Sleigh’ with ample room for all the pressies!

Test Drive

Hyundai Santa Fe 2.2 CRDi Premium 7-seat 4WD

The SUV market is fiercely competitive with dozens of vehicles vying for top spot, so manufacturers really have to up the ante to make their models stand out from the crowd.

Buyers want a vehicle that is versatile, practical, economical and fashionably stylish – after all, if it’s going to be used on the school run, it needs to keep up with the Joneses!

The modern-looking and feature-rich Hyundai Santa Fe ticks all the right boxes. It boasts eye-catching good looks thanks to its beefy yet sporty and athletic stance, tinted windows, 18-inch alloys, front and rear skid plates, rear spoiler, body-coloured mirrors with integrated indicators, roof rails and chrome effect door handles.

The interior features heated leather seats, a soft-touch dashboard, leather steering wheel and plenty of techno treats such as sat nav, air conditioning, a rear parking camera, parking sensors and a premium 10-speaker sound system with CD and MP3 player.

There is a simplistic, uncluttered feel to the Santa Fe’s interior with driver-focused styling throughout. Even the instrumentation read-outs face the driver and are shielded by two circular hoods.

The high-seated driving position means there is excellent all-round visibility and all those parking aids are a real bonus when trying to squeeze into a tight parking bay.

The Santa Fe is very versatile and can be quickly and easily transformed from a five to seven-seater as and when required. Comfort levels are good although the third row of seats are really only suitable for children as leg room is a tad limited.

Storage options are thorough too with plenty of handy compartments scattered throughout the cabin, including a deep central bin, double cup holder in the front, sunglasses compartment, handy shelves and large glovebox.

The boot’s capacity depends on the seat configuration but even with all seven seats in use; there is ample room for the weekly shopping.

And when it comes to performance, the Santa Fe delivers on all counts.

The 2.2-litre diesel-driven engine provides plenty of oomph and acceleration through the automatic transmission is nice and smooth powering the vehicle from 0-62mph in just 10.1 seconds.

According to Hyundai figures, it can achieve combined fuel economy of 41.5mpg, although during my week-long loan which included a mixture of motorway and busy city centre driving routes, I was seeing in excess of 43mpg albeit in ECO mode for most of the journey time.

The ride quality was impressive with next-to-no body roll and cornering was also very solid.

There is some engine noise, but it’s fairly minimal.

The Santa Fe boasts a comprehensive list of safety features, including hill-start assist, vehicle stability management, electronic stability programme, trailer stability assist, anti-lock brakes, brake assist, downhill brake control and seven airbags as standard.

And never forget that added bonus of on-demand 4WD so the children will never have an excuse to stay home from school in those cold, winter months.

All in all, the Santa Fe is an excellent vehicle and very capable of standing up for itself in the SUV field. It looks great, is very functional, offers good economy and is reasonably priced too. The test car was priced at £32,375.

Test Drive

Hyundai Santa Fe 2.2 CRDi 5-seater Premium manual

In a day and age where every penny has to count, car manufacturers need to offer outstanding value for money – and that’s exactly what the Hyundai Santa Fe does.

Boasting great looks and an incredible list of quality features, it’s sometimes hard to believe that you can get this top-of-the-range vehicle for less than £25k.

And when you take into consideration Hyundai’s excellent five-year, unlimited mileage warranty, the asking price seems even more attractive.

First impressions are all important and the Santa Fe doesn’t disappoint with its strong shoulders, bold lines, 18-inch alloys, tinted windows and roof rails.

And the quality of design is just as apparent once you take your seat behind the multi-function steering wheel.

Creature comforts include dual zone climate control, cruise control, two-stage heated leather seats, electric folding mirrors and a great audio system compatible with all today’s musical devices.

Comfort levels are exceptionally good with ample leg, head and elbow space in the back. And with a very generously-sized boot and numerous smaller storage compartments there is never any limit on the amount of luggage people can take.

As far as sports utility vehicles go, the Santa Fe can certainly hold its head up and be proud with 0-62mph stats of just 9.8 seconds and a top speed of 118mph. And the combined fuel figure of 41.5mpg is also pretty impressive.

Although some of the interior is a little plasticky in design and doesn’t quite match up to the materials used in the Mercedes or BMW equivalent models, the Santa Fe’s price by comparison is a gentle reminder to those watching their bank balance.

When it comes to handling, the Santa Fe is also very impressive. Despite its size, it proved agile and very manoeuvrable in busy city centre traffic and parking sensors were another bonus.

Out on the faster roads and motorways, acceleration through the six speed manual transmission was responsive and the 2.2-litre, diesel-driven engine provided ample power when required.

Road holding was also good for such a high-sided vehicle and the cabin noise relatively quiet.

Hyundai has packed plenty of safety features into the Santa Fe, including anti lock brakes with electronic brake force distribution, traction control, electronic stability programme, numerous airbags and plenty more besides.

All in all, the Santa Fe is the perfect all-rounder for the active family that demands value for its money.

Test Drive

Hyundai Santa Fe 2.2 CRD1 5-seat Manual

School runs these days seem to be awash with giant sports utility vehicles, but every so often one stands out in the crowd – and that could well be the Hyundai Santa Fe.

Very reasonably priced at £21,620, the Santa Fe is kitted out with some very classy features and there is always that extended Hyundai warranty for peace of mind.

From the outside, the Santa Fe has real “ready-for-business” looks with a rugged front end, 17-inch alloys, colour-coordinated heated side mirrors and door handles, plus and the reassurance of four-wheel-drive.

The interior is very neatly designed and all controls, dials and buttons are ideally positioned for ease of use. There is leather trim in places and the front seat occupants have bags of storage facilities including a massive glove box and central storage compartment.

Hyundai has even put some thought into the cup holders which are sized slightly differently to accommodate different drinks containers.

The Santa Fe can easily carry five people (a seven-seater version is available) and even the back seat passengers benefit from ample leg and head room and thanks to the large windows, the cabin has plenty of light flooding in from all directions.

Creature comforts include a very efficient air con system, electric windows front and rear, an Eco Drive indicator, an excellent sound system with USB connections and iPod compatibility, reversing sensors and plenty more besides.

In and around town the Santa Fe was surprisingly agile for its size and was easily manoeuvred into tight spaces.

Then out on the more open, faster roads, the 2.2-litre diesel-driven engine provided ample power. Admittedly, the Santa Fe is not exactly the fastest vehicle to sprint from the lights, but that aside it seems to have everything else – after all, what’s the hurry when you can travel in such comfort?

Hyundai has packed plenty of safety specifications into the Santa Fe including anti-lock brakes, electronic stability programme, traction control, numerous airbags including full length curtain airbags with rollover sensor and lots more.

All in all, the Santa Fe is the perfect all-rounder – it’s great fun to drive, offers comfort and safety for all occupants, is packed to bursting with great features and it’s price tag is very reasonable compared to many rivals too.