New Hyundai Santa Fe 2024 review: a tech-filled seven-seat SUV

4.0 out of 5

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And again, the Santa Fe is certainly not lacking when it comes to its ability to carry big loads. Hyundai claims the new car has 725 litres of boot space (91 litres more than before) with five seats in place, and while that’s perhaps hard to quantify, the car had no trouble swallowing a load of bags, cases and camera kit – even with the second row of seats in their rearmost position.

Quality takes a leap in the right direction, as does the general cabin layout. Although plenty of people will bemoan the onslaught of minimalist, screen-heavy interiors, the outgoing Santa Fe was the complete opposite; a sea of buttons plastered to the centre console made it feel dated.

The new car gets a clean-sheet design. There’s a beautiful, panoramic curved display sitting atop the dash, comprising one 12.3-inch screen for the infotainment system and another housing a crisp digital instrument cluster. Beneath the central air vents there’s a touch-sensitive climate control panel, but with rotary dials for the temperature, meaning it’s easier to make minor adjustments on the fly.

This is definitely a car that has been designed with usability at its core. There are two wireless charging pads big enough for the largest smartphones, plus loads of storage areas dotted about the cabin. Also there are USB ports in the seat backs, and climate controls even for seats six and seven. UK specs haven’t been confirmed, but our car was fitted with a dual-pane glass roof that stretches past the heads of those in the middle row.

The high-end but family-focused feel continues on the road, where the Santa Fe takes an unashamedly comfort-oriented approach to transporting you and your loved ones from A to B. Every input feels softened; whether it’s the cushioned ride, or the slightly lazy throttle application, this isn’t a car you’ll want to thrash around in too often.

But for most buyers, that won’t matter one jot – not when the hybrid system is so effective. The HEV we drove (a PHEV will also be available in the UK) doesn’t have a particularly big battery, but it’ll happily move around at low speeds without using the engine at all. And even with a relatively modest 1.6-litre petrol engine at its core, the system transitions from electric to petrol power extremely smoothly, and is all but completely hushed at high speeds.

We drove a car on the smallest 18-inch wheels, as well as one on 21s. The biggest we’ll get in the UK are 20 inches, however, presumably to protect owners from suffering at the hands of particularly deep potholes or rough road surfaces.

That said, even on the chunkiest alloys the Santa Fe felt composed; admittedly, Korean roads aren’t as broken as ours, but nor are they as smooth as silk.

This being a very early drive – European cars aren’t expected until the spring – we’re still awaiting guidance on prices and specs. We’ve been told to expect a slight rise compared with the outgoing car’s, which should pitch the hybrid at roughly £45,000, and the PHEV around £5k more.

Likewise, fuel economy and emissions data hasn’t been released, but based on the current car’s numbers, you can expect a combined figure of around 40-45mpg for the hybrid, and considerably more for the PHEV – providing you plug it in wherever possible. Far lower – and more tax-friendly – CO2 emissions mean that this version will undoubtedly be the fleet favourite.

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