The 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe Delivers Family-Friendly Practicality and Land Rover Looks

The Hyundai Santa Fe has achieved quiet cult status as an affordable parent car. It’s very much an “if you know you know” type thing. know this because, over the past few years, I’ve been one of those fortunate enough to be in the know. 

My wife and I first leased a Santa Fe back in 2021. She wanted a crossover that was pleasant to drive, spacious enough for our growing family, fuel-efficient and reasonably fancy — nice enough to easily transition to an (exceedingly rare) date night. The Santa Fe Hybrid checked off nearly every box we had. 

What the Hyundai Santa Fe has never been, however, is mainstream cool … at least, until that changed with the all-new 2024 model. Hyundai gave the midsize crossover a striking and futuristic new look — like a boxy Land Rover from the future. As a result, what had been a staid crossover is now an exciting new car that even enthusiasts have been geeking out over. 

But talk is cheap. Is the new 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe worth the hype? Hyundai brought me to the Nashville area to drive it for a day and find out. 

Photo by Tyler Duffy

The 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe: What We Think

Hyundai killed it with the all-new Santa Fe. It was already one of the best affordable family SUVs around, and Hyundai has only enhanced it. The brand made the Santa Fe look and feel more modern, upscale and unique. It addressed even the smallest quibbles I had as an owner.

As a result: the 2024 model Santa Fe is currently a front-runner for when our lease on our ’21 version runs out this year. And I suspect it’s a party a lot more parents will be joining. 

That said, I have yet to drive the Santa Fe Hybrid (it arrives in April) — but I would probably wait for it. You can’t get the off-road-focused XRT trim on that model, but you can now get the hybrid with the Calligraphy trim. With the efficiency gains — potentially around 10 mpg combined — it’s likely to be worth the added outlay and giving up the XRT option, in my book

Photo by Tyler Duffy

The Santa Fe’s looks have transitioned from bland to bold

First impressions matter, and the Santa Fe’s new looks raise the bar. Hyundai took what it describes as a “chess piece” approach with the design. It got a whole new style instead of being a Russian doll-like take on the Tucson or Palisade. And it all just works.

Like the new Land Cruiser, the 2024 Santa Fe looks boxy, lending it a more rugged appeal than it warrants. (That said, it’s nearly as aerodynamic as the all-electric Ioniq 5.) Hyundai says the choice was a triumph of function over form; a box is the most functional way to store things. But I’d argue the form borrows more than a bit from the Range Rover. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. 

Notably, the Santa Fe is flagrantly proud to be a Hyundai, a testament to how far the brand has come in recent years. Both the front and rear lighting employ prominent pixilated H patterns. And you’ll spy that pattern repeated nearly everywhere within the new cabin. 

The 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe

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But the Santa Fe driving experience hasn’t changed dramatically

Beneath the skin, the 2024 Santa Fe is far more similar to its predecessor. The wheelbase is 1.9 inches longer and the overhangs are shorter, but the 2024 Santa Fe runs on the same platform as before. The engines — a turbocharged 2.5-liter inline-four and Hyundai’s 1.6-liter four-cylinder hybrid — return from the previous model. The significant changes on the mechanical side were what Hyundai nixed: the anemic base gas engine and the PHEV version.

After spending a couple of hours helming the new Santa Fe on Tennessee backroads the Santa Fe felt very familiar — in a good way. It’s still a comfortable, well-balanced family cruiser. The gas version feels decently quick and torquey in real driving (think 0-30 mph). The steering has decent hef; it’s soft around the edges to provide a cushier ride, but it does so without feeling sloppy in corners. It’s not trying to be a sports car. It just fulfills its mission very well. 

One welcome change I appreciated for 2024 is the drive modes. Hyundai isn’t trying to be as cute with them. A toggle switch replaces an illuminated circular wheel. The two main drive modes are Normal and a marginally more aggressive Sport mode. There’s a Snow mode for slicker conditions. There’s no longer a Smart mode that goesleaping around between throttle mappings on a whim, or an Eco mode to try and trick you into fuel savings. 

The Santa Fe is a decent enough off-roader for a family crossover

Hyundai isn’t the most adventurous brand out there, but the Santa Fe XRT sort of moves in that off-road direction. It’s the first Hyundai fitted with all-terrain tires, and it raises the ground clearance from seven inches to 8.3 inches — decent, but still less than a base Subaru crossover. 

I drove the XRT on Hyundai’s reasonably rigorous and hilly Tennessee ranch trail. Think climbs and descents and a few bumps — nothing that would involve Jeep Wrangler-like flex, extreme off-road angles or careful spotting. The Santa Fe XRT handled it gamely. 

Hyundai doesn’t give you a lot of off-road tech or specialized modes; I basically had a 4×4 lock and a hill descent control to work with. The all-wheel-drive system wasn’t up to Subaru’s standard, either. But the overall package feels solid. it should be enough to get you to any trailhead, presuming the Santa Fe is not your intended source of recreation once you get there.

Photo by Tyler Duffy

The 2024 Santa Fe interior is a major upgrade

Hyundai traded its dated curves for clean, straight lines throughout the Santa Fe cabin … except, ironically, the two 12.3-inch integrated displays, which now form a curved screen. The materials — at least in the high-end Calligraphy trim I drove — are plush, with Nappa leather covering the seats seats. The controls are neatly and compactly arrayed. It’s simply a comprehensive upgrade. 

The big shift Hyundai made with the 2024 model is adding a third row, which comes standard. It’s not an option for carting around adults. I was able to shoehorn myself back there at 5’11″… but it required leaving one leg through the gap between the second-row captain’s chairs (only available on Calligraphy). It’s more of a temporary “bringing a couple of your young kid’s friends to a movie” seat than something you would use every day. 

When you fold those third-row seats down, you still get a massive trunk (40.5 cubic feet behind the second row), which is great for throwing bags, strollers and miscellaneous gear without much thought. (Or, potentially, setting up a homey artful marshmallow display, as Hyundai did at our media dinner). The new Santa Fe makes that easier with a much wider opening.

Photo by Tyler Duffy

What are some 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe alternatives?

Nailing down an exact rival for the Santa Fe is difficult. It’s bigger than most two-row crossovers, and smaller than a lot of three-row midsize crossovers. The closest direct options for small-ish three-row crossovers are probably the Kia Sorento and the Toyota Highlander.

That saud, most buyers aren’t as militant about segment. So the Santa Fe customer is likely cross-shopping down to a Tucson or up to a Palisade within the Hyundai portfolio — not to mention the myriad of competitors for those cars too. 

Hyundai

Hyundai Santa Fe

The Santa Fe is Hyundai’s smaller midsize crossover. It has three rows of seats and slots between the Tucson and the Palisade.

Specs

Powertrain	Turbocharged 2.5-liter I4 / turbocharged 1.6-liter hybrid
Horsepower	277 / 231
Torque	311 lb-ft / 271 lb-ft
EPA Fuel Economy	20 mpg city / 28 mpg highway (gas AWD)
Seats	Up to 7

Pros

• Revamped Land Rover-like looks
• Comfortable driving dynamics
• Spacious interior and cargo area

Cons

• No more PHEV option
• Third row seats not adult-friendly
• Only 7 inches of ground clearance in non-XRT spec

• Starts at $33,950

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