2024 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid Review and Test Drive
This sharp-looking SUV translates newfound hard edges into a comfortable, roomy, and frugal driving experience.
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The weekend road trip is a time-tested way to slip behind the wheel and sample a semi-distant locale, if only for a day or two. In selecting the all-new 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid as my mile-eating companion, I was curious to see how the automaker's boxy take on a midsize SUV would handle the transition between my pastoral country abode and the multilane cacophony that is Toronto's megalopolis traffic.
There's no question the Santa Fe's rectilinear redesign turns heads, particularly among people enamored of its lack of curves. While its visual delights are impossible to ignore, I was even more interested in determining how well its electrically assisted drivetrain lessened the hit at the fuel pump during my 1,100-mile journey and what I would have to give up to enjoy those efficiency gains.
However, before I get to the driving impressions, let me clarify a few things regarding my Canada-spec test vehicle.
Benjamin Hunting
The 2024 Santa Fe Hybrid Is Relatively Affordable
In the United States, the 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid is available in SEL, Limited, and Calligraphy trim levels. Base prices range from north of $38,000 to just above $50,000, including the destination charge to ship the SUV from the Montgomery, Alabama, factory that builds it to your local dealership.
For this Santa Fe Hybrid review, I test-drove a Canadian-market Preferred trim in rural Quebec and metropolitan Toronto, Ontario. The Preferred is the Santa Fe's entry-level trim in Canada.
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However, my tester came with the Trend package, an upgrade unavailable for the U.S.-spec SEL. The Trend package installs 20-inch wheels, a dual-pane power moonroof, additional USB charging ports, and a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster. Those features are standard on the U.S.-market Limited trim, but the Limited also adds equipment my test vehicle did not have.
In addition, my review vehicle had standard all-wheel drive (AWD), an option on all three trims of the U.S.-spec Santa Fe Hybrid. Lastly, note that the Pebble Blue paint shown in the photos isn't available in the U.S.
For comparison purposes, the manufacturer's suggested retail price of a Santa Fe Hybrid SEL AWD is $40,165, while a Hybrid Limited AWD is $47,065, including the $1,415 destination charge. Hyundai provided the vehicle for this Santa Fe Hybrid review.
Benjamin Hunting
The Santa Fe Hybrid Banishes Its Curves
The new 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe embraces a right-angled design ethos, recalling the current Land Rover Defender and the gone-but-not-forgotten Ford Flex. It's an overall success, and to add visual interest, Hyundai incorporates a host of pixelated details at the front and rear of the vehicle, which gain Fibonacci-like complication the closer you get.
The Santa Fe Hybrid's interior skirts complication with actual buttons and real knobs that complement the simple dual-screen display, making it easy to fiddle with the stereo volume, set the cabin temperature, or interact with the infotainment system. Still, I don't like the clunky and half-hidden twist-to-shift transmission stalk jutting out from the steering wheel column.
A final word about detail: My test vehicle's interior materials were mostly modest leatherette and soft plastics, but the door panels and dashboard featured ornamentation that created a more upmarket atmosphere.
Benjamin Hunting
Hyundai's Big Box on Wheels Is Long and Roomy
The armrest is the unsung hero of any road trip, and here, the Santa Fe Hybrid comes through with flying colors. Even after spending close to 8 hours at a stretch behind the wheel, I had no complaints about the comfort of the boniest part of my body or the support offered by the front seats.
The seven-seat Hyundai's second row is roomy, even for my 6-foot-tall friend sitting directly behind me as we cruised Toronto's endless surface streets. Thanks to a rear bench seat that slides forward and back, both of my passengers had more than enough space to stretch out.
The third row is predictably child-oriented but easy enough to get into with a one-touch button press that moves the middle seats out of the way. You could put an adult in the way back, but the cushion is low to the floor and the ceiling is exceedingly close to the top of the head.
Benjamin Hunting
The Santa Fe Hybrid Matches Its Gas-Only Sibling in Practicality
A few small touches in the Santa Fe Hybrid are useful regardless of journey length. For example, the center console armrest is hinged at the front and the rear, which means second-row occupants can easily access the large storage bin. There's also plenty of room on the console for multiple mobile phones.
On the way home from Toronto, I transported a load of comic books. With the third row folded down, the 40.5 cubic-feet of cargo space was enough for at least 700 boxed issues. If I had needed more, folding both rear rows flat would have delivered 79.6 cu-ft.
The Santa Fe Hybrid's appetite for cargo comes up short with all seven seats occupied. Officially, the number is 14.6 cu-ft, but it's almost entirely vertical space, making it awkward to load unless your gear is a particular shape.
All three of the above cargo measurements match the gas-only Santa Fe, which means the Hybrid's battery doesn't take up interior space.
Benjamin Hunting
2024 Hyundai Santa Fe Infotainment Review
Hyundai divides the Santa Fe Hybrid's infotainment system into two discrete displays that live side by side under a curved panel resembling a single screen.
The infotainment system is easy to use, with large tiles and readable menu options on nearly every screen. However, you'll need to upgrade to Limited or Calligraphy trim to get an embedded navigation system with dynamic voice control.
If you use the wireless Android Auto or Apple CarPlay connectivity, you can at least talk your way through either of those systems using the voice-command button on the steering wheel. Android Auto worked well during my time with the Santa Fe Hybrid, although for the final leg of my road trip, it refused to connect wirelessly, requiring me to plug into the center console USB port to launch it.
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2024 Hyundai Santa Fe SmartSense Review
The Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid comes with advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) such as intersection turn assist, adaptive cruise control with lane-centering assist, Safe Exit Assist, and more.
I used the Santa Fe Hybrid's adaptive cruise control extensively on my road trip, and it impressed me with its quick acceleration response after changing lanes to overtake traffic. The lane-centering assistance was also handy when I dropped a hand from the wheel while eating, although I found it a little too intrusive to use when entirely focused on driving. A severe rainstorm had no impact on the functionality of either feature, which isn't a given when dealing with these technologies.
All other systems operated as expected, with nothing unusual to report, save for one white-knuckle experience when braking from 70 mph to a complete stop in a construction zone. The Santa Fe's adaptive cruise control simply wasn't up to the task, forcing me to intervene with my own braking and steering off onto the side of the road to avoid a crash. That only happened once, but it's a reminder that drivers must always be ready to take control when the technology encounters a situation it cannot handle.
My least favorite aspect of the ADAS was the driver-monitoring system, which was overactive in letting me know I wasn't meeting whatever opaque standards Hyundai imposed regarding acceptable driving style.
Regarding crash tests, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety rates the 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe a Top Safety Pick, although the nearly identical Hybrid model has yet to be tested.
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Turbocharging Keeps the Santa Fe Hybrid Peppy
The 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid uses a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder gas engine paired with an electric motor and a 1.49-kWh battery. Together, the setup delivers 231 horsepower and 271 pound-feet of torque.
A six-speed automatic transmission handles the gear-shifting duties for all versions of the Santa Fe Hybrid. Front-wheel drive is standard, with AWD an option.
Benjamin Hunting
Big Comfort Without Big Thirst
Given its generous torque and the ministrations of its electric motor, the Santa Fe Hybrid never underperformed when it mattered most, whether that was passing on the highway, shooting for a gap in traffic on the boulevard, or parsing the ups and downs of the hills in the mountainous areas surrounding my home.
Even better was the composure with which the Hybrid doled out its acceleration. Engine thrash was nonexistent, and I rarely caught the six-speed automatic flat-footed — and even then, only on low-speed hills as it sorted out which ratio would best pull us to the top.
Official EPA fuel-economy ratings for the Santa Fe Hybrid AWD are 35/34/34 mpg in city/highway/combined driving. I saw 29 mpg combined while carting around a load of luggage and passengers, including a respectable amount of in-town driving on either end of my excursion. Even if that shows below the official rating, it's still impressive for such a large, boxy vehicle.
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The Santa Fe Hybrid doesn't stress the "sport" in sport-utility vehicle, and it shows in how the big-boned rig handles corners.
Keep things near the speed limit, and you'll be fine, but be prepared for additional lean on sharper on-ramps. Also, try to avoid braking late and being caught by the vehicle's weight. The upshot is a comfortable ride that calmly passes over uneven roads with a palatably smooth procession.
More so than any of its rivals I've recently driven, the Hybrid's wheel alignment seemed eager to divert this way and that when confronted with road ruts or banked pavement. I was surprised by the pull that asphalt conditions placed on the steering, which was occasionally tiring.
Benjamin Hunting
A Stylish Way to Avoid the SUV Status Quo
It can be easy for automakers to phone it in when designing a three-row SUV because people typically don't buy these vehicles from automotive excitement. Instead, they choose them because they need the passenger space and cargo room, and prefer the look of an SUV over a minivan.
The 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid travels a different path from those of its comparatively staid battery-assisted rivals, such as the Kia Sorento Hybrid and Toyota Highlander Hybrid. Instead, this Hyundai is more similar in attitude to the fashion-first (and more expensive) Mazda CX-90 PHEV.
By pairing striking styling with a useful interior and about 30 mpg in real-world driving, the 2024 Santa Fe Hybrid should be a top choice for budget-minded buyers seeking to puff up practicality while shrinking their fuel bill.
All vehicle pricing includes MSRP plus destination charges (set at the time of publication), and will be rounded to the nearest thousand.
Written by humans.
Edited by humans.
Benjamin HuntingBenjamin Hunting is a writer and podcast host who contributes to a number of newspapers, automotive magazines, and online publications. More than a decade into his career, he enjoys keeping the shiny side up during track days and always has one too many classic vehicle projects partially disassembled in his garage at any given time. Remember, if it's not leaking, it's probably empty.
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