2024 Santa Fe & Santa Fe Hybrid Review

Praising the Hyundai Santa Fe redesign, Car and Driver calls the new look “boldly boxy.” Indeed the main design cues are squared off rather than rounded. Still, the sleek exterior has all the right aerodynamic tweaks to ensure the best wind resistance. Edmunds notes the angular, aggressive look resembles the luxury Land Rover Defender.

Apparently designers and engineers were encouraged to design from the back to the front, basically refocusing their energy on both utility and spaciousness inside. This approach had a big effect on how the exterior looks as well as functions. For instance, there's a retro feel to this very modern H-shaped rear lights. They are low, just above the bumper, to allow for a bigger tailgate opening.

Since this Third Row Hyundai Santa Fe is meant for more action, the redesign shortens the front overhangs. This allows for better approach angles. However, since it is meant for more people, the wheelbase is lengthened.

Whether it’s the regular powertrain or the hybrid powertrain with its helpful electric motor, passengers will enjoy excellent ride quality. A new suspension provides better dampers and hydro-bushings to handle the bigger load. of the third row Santa Fe. The improved shocks and springs are designed to help off road as well. To ensure stability, special attention was paid to chassis rigidity during this Hyundai Santa Fe redesign.

How many seats does the new Santa Fe have? It has seven!! Or six, if you prefer center captain's chairs.

To accommodate a third row of seats, the 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe redesign includes a bigger cabin than the 2023 model. The interior is also stylistically unique with an H-shaped theme showing up on the dashboard and more angular elements throughout the cabin.

The new driver’s chair offers special features like a special leg rest. Of course both seats offer power-adjustment and -- perfect for our Arizona summers -- power-ventilation.

The second row is offered as a three-person bench or center captain’s chairs. It has significant, adult-ready legroom and headroom. This is due both to the size of the vehicle and to the way designers utilized the space.

It’s nice to have a third row Santa Fe SUV again. To achieve this, the design allows for headroom and legroom that can accommodate adults even if they are seated in the back. Another nice feature for Phoenix AZ summers is the third-row HVAC control knob. There are plenty of vents to keep the air flowing to everyone who needs it.

The 2024 Santa Fe price starts at an affordable $34,200 MSRP, including the long list of dash tech and driver assistance discussed in this review. Adding excellent fuel economy, the Santa Fe Hybrid price starts at $37,400 MSRP.

If you prefer all-wheel drive, the Santa Fe price starts at $36,000 MSRP. The Santa Fe Hybrid AWD price starts at $39,000. For the luxury-level Calligraphy, the Santa Fe price starts at $46,750. That's sure to save you $10,000 or more over the cost of a similarly equipped 3 row SUV from a so-called luxury brand.

Santa Fe interior organization was clearly emphasized by the designers. There are extra large door bins and a large enough pass-through for the center console to hold a purse easily.

This ride has the largest tailgate opening in its class. That large mouth of the cargo hold allows for storing big adventure gear. As critics have noted, this change is not only helpful when you are having fun, but it has practical everyday uses for busy families and others on the go.

Ready for camping duties, an inflatable bed could easily fit with just the third row folded. Plus the roof was designed to accommodate a rooftop tent..

The 191-horsepower engine, standard on the 2023 model, has been discontinued in this comprehensive Hyundai Santa Fe redesign.

In its place, Hyundai utilizes a 277-horsepower turbo to propel this midsize SUV. Imitating a V6 without the fuel penalty, this turbo four turns out 311 lb-ft of torque.

An 8-speed dual clutch automatic transmission and front-wheel drive ensure easy car-like handling. Shoppers can choose all-wheel drive if they want more all-weather, all-terrain capability.

The 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid combines a hybrid battery pack with a turbo powertrain for the best fuel economy. The result is a new 226 horsepower and 195 lb-ft of torque.

EPA ratings for the front-wheel drive Santa Fe Hybrid show 36 mpg city and 31 mpg highway while using regular unleaded fuel. That’s 34 mpg combined. The all-wheel drive model is excellent, earning 35 mpg city and 34 mpg highway.

With this total reboot, the driver cockpit goes high tech in this 3 row SUV. There are two 12.3-inch displays that provide everything a driver needs and more. Behind the steering wheel, the digital gauge cluster adds a racy touch.

The large touchscreen system has advanced voice recognition. Despite all the digital connectivity, the screens are augmented by volume and HVAC knobs. As usual, Hyundai likes to make things easy for users.

Android Auto and Apple CarPlay make it easy to move your smartphone apps to the screen. With all of these standard features, the Santa Fe price provides value as well as savings.

A new dual wireless smartphone charging pad can be part of the center console. It even has fans to keep phones cool. This is in addition to the USB-C ports on board for charging. In the glovebox, there’s a UV sanitizer.

When the SUV is packed to the rafters, the driver can still see behind them. Standard on the Limited trims, the digital rearview mirror uses a camera to eliminate the blind spot at the push of a button.

Demonstrating its mettle, the new three row SUV drove away with a Top Safety Pick from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Parents of young children will be interested to know that the Santa Fe now has five possible positions for carseats. There are four full sets of LATCH tethers and anchors plus the middle seat has a tether.

Driver assistance keeps evolving, and the Hyundai Santa Fe redesign takes full advantage of that. It has the most advanced forward collision avoidance technology. This extends to traffic dangers, cyclists, pedestrians and junction dangers. An autobrake may be triggered or it may trigger a steering assist.

The adaptive cruise control is one of the best. Curve control is an advanced feature that works with the system’s navigation. This allows it to anticipate the times when it needs to slow slightly, such as going into a big curve at highway speeds.

A blind spot monitor can trigger an avoidance assist. This directs braking to the wheels on the left or right based on where the danger is. The rear cross traffic alert may try to brake the SUV’s progress if traffic is coming from either side. On most rivals, these safety features do not include an active avoidance assist.

A lane keeping assist and a lane follow assist offer two ways to help the driver maintain the best trajectory. Highway Driving Assist, available on the new Santa Fe, can combine smart cruise control and other features to achieve semi-autonomous travel under specific conditions. This is an awesome way to handle long lonely stretches of our Southwestern highways.

If you are on the lookout for a new 3 row SUV, this one is definitely worth your time and attention. Schedule a test drive of the new Santa Fe at your Earnhardt Hyundai - San Tan dealer in Phoenix AZ.