The New Hyundai Santa Fe Didn’t Have to Go This Hard

Stanley Kubrick falls to his knees on the pearly gates as a gleaming monolith rises from a desert of soulless crossovers. It’s referred to as the 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe. Lastly, an SUV that does not appear like each different SUV. The lots hoot and holler. 

Truthfully, it is ridiculous we needed to wait this lengthy for a contemporary, mainstream SUV to look this good. Positive, there are a number of exceptions, however the Santa Fe is the primary SUV in a very long time that genuinely wowed me.

The size are insane in individual; Like, ‘How did this get authorized?!’ insane. The surfacing of every panel is flat and each nook meets at a near-perfect 90-degree angle, as if it was sculpted from a single piece of aluminum. Drop your bone membership and rub your bushy ape palms over any of the Santa Fe’s steel surfaces. You may have a tough time discovering creases.

The eight-bit trying, H-shaped headlights assist outline the entrance finish whereas flared, five-sided wheel arches fold over the tires like well-crafted origami. The blacked-out C pillars give the looks of a one-piece greenhouse, and the Earthy Brass matte paint job is the right cherry on prime of the brutalist aesthetic (+$1,000); You’d by no means see this colour on a Honda CR-V.

After all, seems are subjective. My siblings scoffed on the Hyundai’s “Minecraft-ass” design. Not each line and element of the Santa Fe is ideal, I will give them that. The taillights ought to be a titch greater up on the tailgate (though, Hyundai says it was necessary for bigger struts on the liftgate), and if you aren’t getting the most important wheel possibility, the Santa Fe seems like a block of cheese on Scorching Wheels tires. Not nice.

Professionals: Daring Design, Stunning Inside, Quiet Cabin, Reasonably priced Worth

Controversial as the outside could be, the cabin is straight-up stellar. On this Calligraphy mannequin, there are extra Nappa leather-based accents and aluminum trim items than most BMWs. On this case, a faux-textured matte wooden trim traces the sprint, perched between extra leather-based and quirky H-shaped air vents—a pleasant nod to the headlights.

Two 12.3-inch touchscreens dwell collectively beneath a single piece of glass—one for the digital instrument cluster and one other for the central show. Each of them are crystal clear and the infotainment system is seamless, straightforward to make use of, and fast to reply. Wi-fi Apple CarPlay and Android Auto each come normal.

There is a third touchscreen beneath that middle show for managing HVAC controls, and it really works nicely sufficient. It is nonetheless not so good as having arduous buttons—I undoubtedly needed to look down whereas driving to make use of them—however the touchscreen does the job. Above and under that display are two banks of buttons for quick-access choices like turning off the automated stop-start, drive modes, and extra. That is helpful.

The Santa Fe is wealthy with options you in all probability by no means even thought-about. There are two wi-fi chargers forward of the middle console—one for you and one in your passenger. A novel idea. The middle console itself opens historically for the driving force and entrance passenger, in fact, however it additionally has a rear-opening hinge so individuals within the second row can entry it. One other considerate concept.

The second row is basically the place to be. The Nappa leather-based captain’s chairs are extremely cozy and the roofline makes it really feel extremely spacious. There is a ton of headroom and legroom again there. The third row is ok for 2 adults over brief journeys with 30.0 inches of headroom and 37.7 inches of legroom. Ingress and egress are nonetheless tight, however the one-button-push folding second row means you do not have to wrestle with the captain’s chairs, a minimum of.

You may be lots proud of the best way the Santa Fe drives, too. A turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine replaces the non-turbo model from final yr. That upgraded motor makes 277 horsepower and 311 pound-feet of torque. It’s joined to an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission—an fascinating selection for a three-row SUV.

Cons: Not Everybody Loves The Appears to be like, Jerky Transmission

The turbocharged engine is definitely fairly punchy. It will get you to 60 miles per hour in about 6.6 seconds. There’s sufficient torque off the road to maneuver the big-bodied SUV shortly and nonetheless loads of energy at freeway speeds. The twin-clutch gearbox rips off nifty shifts once you’re hammering it, however it’s not as refined at low speeds. It was clunky across the grocery retailer parking zone.

The Santa Fe has no real interest in shifting shortly round corners, which is ok, however the steering remains to be light-weight and responsive—straightforward for maneuvering round city at low speeds. The suspension feels smooth and absorbs blows nicely. And even at freeway speeds the Santa Fe is whisper quiet. Not a peep of engine or highway noise enters the cabin.

When it comes to gas economic system, the Santa Fe falls someplace in the midst of the pack. It will get as much as 24 miles per gallon mixed with front-wheel drive, however this all-wheel-drive Calligraphy mannequin will get 20 mpg metropolis, 28 freeway, and 23 mixed. That is barely worse than the Toyota Highlander (24 mixed) however higher than the Jeep Grand Cherokee (22 mixed), Honda Pilot (21 mixed), and Chevrolet Traverse (20 mixed).

For an SUV this good, $35,365 seems like a small value to pay. The Calligraphy mannequin is the most costly at $47,895, and the one I drove prices $50,905 with the upgraded paint and carpeted flooring mats. Fifty thousand {dollars} for a near-luxury SUV remains to be an absolute steal as of late. A top-end Toyota Highlander Restricted begins at greater than $50,000 (and it isn’t almost nearly as good), and the brand new 2024 Traverse is almost $60,000 in RS type.

The brand new Hyundai Santa Fe is a standout in a section suffering from good however bland alternate options. Its daring exterior, stunning inside, and cheap price ticket make it arduous to cross on. Hyundai nailed it—once more.

14 Images

Jeff Perez / Motor1