The all-new Hyundai Santa Fe is as big and bold as the Australian landscape with its robust design featuring rectangular surfacing that’s equally at home in the urban jungle and the great outdoors. It has an extended wheelbase compared to the outgoing Santa Fe and H-shaped design elements are incorporated inside and out of the new Santa Fe are draw inspiration from the new flat-profile Hyundai logo.
This is the Calligraphy variant and features a blacked-out treatment comprising black badging, wheels, and body cladding that complements this Earthy Brass Matte paint. The Calligraphy variant also has this hidden-type Assist Handle, located in the C-pillar, to improve roof access or for hiding chocolates in.
The all-wheel drive Santa Fe is powered by a petrol/electric hybrid system featuring a 1.6-litre turbo engine and a 44.2 kW electric motor, drawing power from a 1.49 kWh lithium-ion polymer battery. The Hybrid powertrain produces 172kWof power and 367Nm of torque and is paired with a 6-speed automatic transmission with gear selection made using the stalk on the right-hand side of the steering column. The Santa Fe has a 1,650kg braked towing capacity and a 750kg unbraked towing capacity with a maximum towball weight of 100kg.
The electric motor and petrol engine work together seamlessly to deliver a smooth and quiet driving experience. This larger Santa Fe is up to 270kg heavier than outgoing model and despite this Hyundai claim a reduced fuel consumption of 5.6L/100km. For my week I used 6.7L/100km, which was 0.6L/100km more than the older model Santa Fe hybrid that I drove. But this is still much less fuel than the 9.8L/100km that I used when I drove the Santa Fe Highlander powered by the petrol V6 engine in 2021.
There are three drive modes available in the hybrid Santa Fe being Eco – my preferred drive mode for the week, Sport – that I just found annoying as the engine holds the revs higher, and My Mode. With My Mode you can adjust the Powertrain between Eco, Sport, or Smart, and the Steering between Normal or Sport. I found that the Santa Fe steers nicely and was comfortable even driving on the bumpy dirt track.
For off-roading there are two Terrain modes, Snow/Mud and Sand, but for the dirt track we went on we didn’t need to engage Terrain mode at all. The Sanat Fe also has downhill decent control and to further flex its off-roading muscles the Santa Fe even boasts a full-size spare tyre under the rear of the vehicle.
The Santa Fe seeks to connect the inside with the outside with a spacious cabin that matches the bold exterior. Premium comfort and convenience features in all-new Santa Fe include a first for Hyundai Bilateral Multi-Console storage space, which is easily accessible for both front and rear occupants, an intuitive 6.6-inch climate control display, and high-speed, dual wireless smartphone charging. The keyless entry system requires you to push a button on the front door handles to unlock the vehicle and it has keyless start, so your key can remain in your handbag at all times.
Calligraphy variants also feature First-row Relaxation Seating with Leg Rests in Nappa leather appointed trim, power-reclining second-row captain’s chairs in the six-seat option, heated steering wheel, head up display, and an innovative UV-C Sterilisation Tray that eliminates bacteria from personal items, which is located on the passenger side of the dash. The panoramic curved display, which incorporates 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and infotainment displays, features a dedicated hybrid information display for both the multimedia unit and the instrument cluster. I liked that the Santa Fe had separate buttons and dials for climate and infotainment controls.
In addition to the UV-C Sterilisation Tray there is also an upper and lower glove box located in front of the passenger. The wide centre console has two large cup holders with grippy sides and a removable plastic mat at the base of them for easy cleaning and there is good-sized drink bottle storage in front door cubbies. The ledge under the centre console is large enough for your handbag and also has a removable plastic mat for easy cleaning with one 12V socket here. The front and rear passengers stay connected with a convenient, dual-opening arm rest providing ample space for books, tablets and more and the ability to pass items to the second row passengers via the pull-out storage bin located here.
I not sure about the Forest Green interior colour selection and use of materials used in this Santa Fe’s cabin as the light-coloured seat trim was already showing signs of discolouration after only 7,000km on the odometer. In addition to the relaxation mode the front seats have power adjustment for recline, forward/back, seat height front and rear, and front leg extension. The driver’s seat also gets 4-way lumbar support and two memory positions and the passenger seat has buttons on the side of the seat so the driver can adjust the passenger seat, which is handy when my elderly mother is in the car. Both front seat are also heated and cooled, but the cooling was noisy and did not work that well, so pretty much the same as most vehicles that have this feature.
The high-performance Bose premium audio system can help drown that noise out though and includes an external multi-channel amplifier, a front centre midrange speaker, and a subwoofer. Media sources include AM/FM radio, DAB+, USB, Bluetooth and Smartphone. Wireless and wired Apple CarPlay/Android Auto come as standard and the latter worked well for me. There are two wireless phone chargers on top of the wide centre console or two USB-C ports with the ability to select either charge only or charge and multimedia input.
This is the six-seat version of the Santa Fe and has two heated Captain’s chairs in the second row that have ISOfix and rear tether child seat restraint points and ample head and leg room for me, but the seats lacked under thigh support. The seats have powered adjustment for recline and seat height front only and manual adjustment for forward/back, but if you press the button on the side of the seat you can slide without using the lever under the front of the seat.
The second-row passengers are well equipped for with B-pillar air vents with manual direction and open/close controls, manual blinds on the windows, and a powered blind over the large fixed rear sunroof with the controls for this at the front of the vehicle. There are two rigid drink holders in the door arm rests and one large drink holder lower down in each door. Two hooks on back of front seats and a USB-C port on the side of each seat are there for devices and I like the single mat across the entire second row floor for easier cleaning after off-road adventuring.
To access the third row, you press the button on the shoulder of the second-row seats and that seat automatically slides forward. To exit you can either push the seat forward or exit from between the two seats thanks to the gap between the second-row seats and there is another carpet mat across the entire third row floor. The third row had ample head and leg room for me to sit back there, but my knees were sitting up very high. There are also ISOfix and rear tether child seat restraint points on each of the third-row seats. ANCAP noted that the convertible (Type A/B) restraints could not be fitted safely using the ISOfix anchorages in the third row (forward or rearward facing).
Third row passengers get two rigid drink holders in each wheel arches and one USB-C port adjacent to these. There are air vents on each side with individual direction control, but the air can only be turned off using the fan speed controller that is located on the next to the seat on the driver’s side or it can be controlled from the front as well. The other more significant issue that has always been the case for the Santa Fe is the air vents in the third row only blow cold air.
The tailgate opening is 145mm wider than that of the preceding model and complements a larger cargo capacity, so there is ample space for everyday items as well as bulky sports equipment and camping gear when the 50:50 split third row seats are laid flat. This is done manually using the straps on the rear of the seats and you can raise and lower the second row seats using the button in the boot. With third row seats in place there is room in the boot for school bags.
To raise the third row, you need to remove the cargo cover and with the tyre changing tools located under the small boot floor at the back of the vehicle there is no space for the cargo cover so it must be left at home. I was not able to make gesture open boot work, but according to Hyundai you simply need to stand next to the Santa Fe with the key fob and the boot will open. The powered tailgate can also be opened from the button on the exterior, on the key fob, and in the cabin. The main boot space has four plastic tie down points, two hooks and one 12V socket. There are an additional two hooks moulded into the back of the Captain’s chairs as well.
The Hyundai Santa Fe has a 5-star ANCAP (2024) safety rating that applies to hybrid variants only and the Petrol variants are unrated. The Adult Occupant Protection score is 84% and the Child Occupant Protection score is 86% with dual frontal, side chest-protecting and side head-protecting airbags, as well as a driver knee airbag being standard. A centre airbag to provide added protection to front seat occupants in side impact crashes is also standard.
The Hyundai SmartSense active safety features include Blind-Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist, Blind-Spot View Monitor (displayed in driver’s dash when indicating), Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist including; Car / Pedestrian / Cyclist Detection, Lane Following Assist, Lane Keeping Assist – Line/Road-Edge, Adaptive Cruise Control, Parking Collision-Avoidance Assist – Reverse, and Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist.
ANCAP tests of the autonomous emergency braking (AEB) (Car-to-Car) system showed GOOD performance with collisions avoided or mitigated in test scenarios, including in AEB Junction. MARGINAL performance was seen in the AEB Crossing scenarios where the test vehicle can autonomously brake to avoid crashes when turning across or into the path of an oncoming vehicle. ANCAP tests of the AEB Head-On system functionality showed GOOD performance. Tests of lane support system functionality showed GOOD performance, including in the more critical emergency lane keeping test scenarios with the overall Safety Assist score being 80%.
The Santa Fe has a standard rear-view camera and a 360-degree camera with 3D view and front and rear parking sensors and the Calligraphy also has a a Digital Centre Mirror. Auto lights with auto high beam and auto wipers are also standard and when you change the settings for these it is displayed on the driver’s dash, which I always find very handy to know what setting I am in.
All new Santa Fe models come with a five-year unlimited km warranty and an 8 year/160,000km warranty on the hybrid’s lithium ion, with Hyundai iCare that includes a 1,500km complimentary first service, a dedicated Customer Care centre, and myHyundai – an exclusive owner’s website. The hybrid Santa Fe service interval is one year or 10,000km and the first five services are capped at $459 each. A Premium Roadside Support Plan is available for the lifetime of your vehicle when you continue to service with Hyundai.
The rugged looking all-new Hyundai Santa Fe has successfully merged a refined interior design with outdoor adventure capabilities, in a spacious and well-equipped family SUV. Pricing for the Santa Fe Hybrid Calligraphy starts at $75,000 plus on-road costs and as tested in the six-seat configuration ($500), Matte premium paint ($1,000), and the Forest Green interior ($295) this Santa Fe was $76,795 plus on-roads. Your can Build and Price your Santa Fe online or visit your preferred Hyundai dealer for more information.
| Pros | Cons |
| The hybrid powertrain | Noisy operation of cooled seats |
| The versatility of the cabin design | Only cold air blows from third row air vents |
| Full length carpet floor mats on second and third rows | No on-board storage for cargo cover when not in use |
Photographs by Driven Women Magazine.