The New Hyundai Santa Fe Doesn't Have to Struggle This Hard

Stanley Kubrick knelt at the pearly gates as a gleaming monolith rose from the desert of soulless crossovers. It was the 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe. Finally, an SUV that didn’t look like any other SUV. The crowd cheered and cheered.

Honestly, it’s ridiculous that we’ve had to wait this long for a modern, popular SUV that looks this good. Sure, there are exceptions, but the Santa Fe is the first SUV in a long time that really wows me.

The dimensions are Crazy straight up; Like, 'How did this get approved?!' crazy. The surface of every panel is flat and every corner meets at a near-perfect 90-degree angle, as if carved from a single piece of aluminum. Drop your bone-chopping bat and run your hairy monkey hands over the Santa Fe's metal surfaces. You'll be hard-pressed to find a crease.

The H-shaped, figure-of-eight headlights help define the front end while the flared, pentagonal wheel arches tuck the tires like finely crafted origami. The blacked-out C-pillars give the impression of a full-length greenhouse, and the Earthy Brass matte paint is a perfect complement to the brutalist aesthetic (+$1,000); you’ll never see this color on a Honda CR-V.

Of course, looks are subjective. My brothers have made fun of Hyundai’s “Minecraft-like” design. Not every line and detail in the Santa Fe is perfect, I’ll admit. The taillights should be a little higher on the tailgate (although, Hyundai says that’s mandatory for the larger tailgate support), and if you don’t get the largest wheel option, the Santa Fe looks like a block of cheese on Hot Wheels tires. Not good.

Pros: Bold design, Beautiful interior, Quiet cabin, Affordable price

While the exterior is controversial, the cabin is truly remarkable. In this Calligraphy model, there are more Nappa leather accents and aluminum trim pieces than most BMWs. In this case, matte, textured faux wood trim lines the dashboard, nestled amid more leather and unique H-shaped air vents—a nice homage to the headlights.

Two 12.3-inch touchscreens sit beneath a single piece of glass—one for the digital instrument cluster and one for the center display. Both are crisp and the infotainment system is smooth, easy to use, and quick to respond. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are both standard.

There’s a third touchscreen below that center screen for managing the HVAC controls, and it works well enough. It’s still not as good as hard buttons—I definitely had to look down while driving to use them—but it works well. Above and below that screen are two rows of buttons for quick-access options like turning off auto stop-start, driving modes, and more. It’s handy.

The Santa Fe is full of features you might not have considered. There are two wireless chargers in front of the center console—one for you and one for your passenger. A novel concept. The center console itself opens traditionally for the driver and front passenger, of course, but it also has a rear-opening hinge so that those in the second row can access it. Another thoughtful idea.

The second row is a real treat. The Nappa leather captain’s chairs are very comfortable and the roofline makes it feel very roomy. There’s plenty of headroom and legroom up there. The third row is good for two adults on short trips, with 30.0 inches of headroom and 37.7 inches of legroom. Entry and exit are still tight, but the one-button fold-flat second row means you don’t have to wrestle with the captain’s chairs, at least.

You’ll also be very pleased with the way the Santa Fe drives. A turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder replaces last year’s non-turbo version. The upgraded motor produces 277 horsepower and 311 pound-feet of torque. It’s mated to an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission—a compelling choice for a three-row SUV.

Cons: Not Everyone Likes the Looks, Jerky Transmission

The turbocharged engine is actually quite powerful. It will hit 60 mph in about 6.6 seconds. There’s enough torque to move this big SUV around quickly and still have power at highway speeds. The dual-clutch transmission shifts nicely when you’re revving, but it’s not as smooth at lower speeds. It feels clumsy in the grocery store parking lot.

The Santa Fe isn’t keen on going fast in corners, which is fine, but the steering is still light and responsive—it’s easy to maneuver around town at low speeds. The suspension feels soft and absorbs bumps well. And even at highway speeds, the Santa Fe is very quiet. There’s no engine or road noise in the cabin.

In terms of fuel economy, the Santa Fe falls somewhere in the middle. It gets up to 24 miles per gallon when paired with front-wheel drive, but the all-wheel-drive Calligraphy model gets 20 mpg city, 28 mpg highway, and 23 mpg combined. That’s a bit worse than the Toyota Highlander (24 mpg combined) but better than the Jeep Grand Cherokee (22 mpg combined), Honda Pilot (21 mpg combined), and Chevrolet Traverse (20 mpg combined).

For an SUV this nice, $35,365 feels like a small price to pay. The Calligraphy model is the most expensive at $47,895, and the one I drove was $50,905 with upgraded paint and carpeted floor mats. Fifty grand for a near-luxury SUV is still a steal these days. The top-of-the-line Toyota Highlander Limited starts at over $50,000 (and isn’t nearly as nice), and the new 2024 Traverse is nearly $60,000 in RS guise.

The new Hyundai Santa Fe stands out in a segment filled with good but bland alternatives. Its bold exterior, beautiful interior, and reasonable price tag make it hard to pass up. Hyundai has nailed it—again.