Stanley Kubrick falls to his knees on the pearly gates as a gleaming monolith rises from a desert of soulless crossovers. It’s known as the 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe. Lastly, an SUV that does not seem like each different SUV. The lots hoot and holler.
Actually, it is ridiculous we needed to wait this lengthy for a contemporary, mainstream SUV to look this good. Certain, there are just a few exceptions, however the Santa Fe is the primary SUV in a very long time that genuinely wowed me.
2024 Hyundai Santa Fe Calligraphy
Engine Turbocharged 2.5-Liter 4-Cylinder
Output 277 Horsepower / 311 Pound-Toes
Transmission Eight-Velocity Twin-Clutch Automated
Effectivity 20 Metropolis / 28 Freeway / 23 Mixed
Base Worth $35,365
As-Examined Worth $50,905
The scale are insane in particular person; Like, ‘How did this get permitted?!’ 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 metallic surfaces. You may have a tough time discovering creases.
The eight-bit wanting, 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 proper cherry on high of the brutalist aesthetic (+$1,000); You’d by no means see this coloration on a Honda CR-V.
In fact, 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 am going to give them that. The taillights must 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, Lovely Inside, Quiet Cabin, Reasonably priced Worth
Controversial as the outside is perhaps, 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, simple to make use of, and fast to reply. Wi-fi Apple CarPlay and Android Auto each come commonplace.
There is a third touchscreen beneath that middle show for managing HVAC controls, and it really works properly sufficient. It is nonetheless inferior to having laborious buttons—I undoubtedly needed to look down whereas driving to make use of them—however the touchscreen does the job. Above and beneath that display screen 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 most likely by no means even thought-about. There are two wi-fi chargers forward of the middle console—one for you and one to 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 de facto 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 quick 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 way in which the Santa Fe drives, too. A turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine replaces the non-turbo model from final 12 months. That upgraded motor makes 277 horsepower and 311 pound-feet of torque. It’s joined to an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission—an attention-grabbing alternative for a three-row SUV.
Cons: Not Everybody Loves The Appears, Jerky Transmission
The turbocharged engine is definitely fairly punchy. It’s going to 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 whenever 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 little interest in shifting shortly round corners, which is ok, however the steering continues to be light-weight and responsive—simple for maneuvering round city at low speeds. The suspension feels tender and absorbs blows properly. 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 financial 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 looks 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 ground mats. Fifty thousand {dollars} for a near-luxury SUV continues to be an absolute steal today. A top-end Toyota Highlander Restricted begins at greater than $50,000 (and it isn’t almost pretty much as good), and the brand new 2024 Traverse is sort of $60,000 in RS kind.
The brand new Hyundai Santa Fe is a standout in a phase plagued by good however bland options. Its daring exterior, lovely inside, and affordable price ticket make it laborious to cross on. Hyundai nailed it—once more.
14 Photographs
Jeff Perez / Motor1
