2024 Hyundai Santa Fe

The Hyundai Santa Fe enters an all-new generation for the 2024 model year. It has a decidedly boxy new design and, thanks in part to a longer wheelbase, a roomier interior. The interior has a minimalist design with sustainable materials and modern technology, looking like something straight out of an electric vehicle.

The new Santa Fe now comes standard with three rows of seats, a change from the outgoing model that was only offered with seating for five. The Santa Fe still slots below the 3-row Palisade in Hyundai’s lineup and is available in a variety of trims that range from the base (yet nicely equipped) SE to the top-line Caligraphy and a rugged XRT variant. Also available is the Santa Fe Hybrid, which we will review separately.

We’ve spent hundreds of hours driving and evaluating this generation of mainstream SUVs, including this Hyundai Santa Fe.

The Hyundai Santa Fe enters a new generation for 2024. It has a boxy new design with a bigger interior, 3-row seating, and more dazzling technology.

The Santa Fe is on the more affordable side of midsize 3-row SUVs. Its starting price is similar to the Kia Sorento and Subaru Ascent, while the rest of this class tends to be bigger and pricier.

Before buying a Santa Fe, check the Kelley Blue Book Fair Purchase Price to know what you should really pay. The Hyundai Santa Fe has a track record of unremarkable resale value (which helps make it an attractive used car), but we expect the new model to perform better in that regard. Recouping more money when you sell a vehicle can mean a bigger down payment and lower monthly payments on your next one.

All 2024 Santa Fe models now use what was formerly the upgrade engine, a turbocharged 2.5-liter 4-cylinder that makes 277 horsepower and 311 lb-ft of torque. That’s good news for Santa Fe buyers, as this is a bigger and heavier vehicle that requires more oomph. We found that the powertrain provides just that and is a fine match for the newly emboldened Santa Fe.

In testing on the outskirts of Nashville (Santa Fe, the city, would have been too obvious), we found the Santa Fe SUV easily tackled rolling hills, narrow streets, and highways with aplomb. It never felt like a rocket, but it also never had us worried about getting up to speed with a group of motorcyclists thundering up behind us. We were also impressed with the 8-speed automatic transmission, which is of the dual-clutch variety like those found in some luxury cars. Sometimes, these units can be rough, but this was smooth as Tennessee whiskey.

Also smooth is Hyundai’s Highway Driving Assist, which we’ve long heralded as one of the best semi-autonomous systems of its kind. Here, it’s available in two versions, with Highway Driving Assist 2 on the Calligraphy models adding functionality like lane-change assist. If you’ve never driven a vehicle with even basic smart cruise control with stop and go — standard in the Santa Fe — it’s an absolute game changer in both open highway and congested traffic situations. Your sanity will thank you.

Most of our testing to this point has taken place in a top-of-the-line Calligraphy model. Still, we must give a shout-out to the Santa Fe XRT, the rugged sibling in the lineup that boasts added ground clearance (8.3 inches vs. 7.0 of the others), more towing capability (4,500 pounds vs. 3,500), and all-terrain tires. On an off-road course that was more challenging than the type of terrain 99.9% of Santa Fe buyers will ever tackle, the XRT proved surprisingly capable. With its all-wheel-drive system set to Lock mode for even torque distribution, the XRT Santa Fe scampered up steep, rutted, and rocky trails and took the fear out of descending said trails thanks to its hill descent control feature. We always find it refreshing when such an off-road-oriented model isn’t just some paper tiger.

Back on pavement, we found the new Santa Fe notably quieter and smoother riding than past generations and outward visibility better than expected.

Fuel Economy

The 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe tops out at an EPA-rated 24 mpg in mixed city/highway driving. The larger and roomier Hyundai Palisade is rated for up to 22 mpg, so the Santa Fe isn’t wildly more efficient. At the other end of the Santa Fe’s fuel-economy spectrum, the rugged XRT model is rated for 22 mpg combined.

The radical new design of the Hyundai Santa Fe yields a roomier interior, which now has 3-row seating. All models except the Calligraphy have a second-row bench and seating for up to seven; the Calligraphy has second-row captain’s seats and room for six total.

The interior offers what Hyundai calls a Panoramic Curved Display, which integrates the infotainment screen and digital gauge cluster in one seamless display. It works well, conveying all the information we need without being overwhelming. This roomy cabin also boasts dual wireless charging pads, available Nappa leather seating, plus recycled plastic in the seatbacks, floor mats, and headliner. If you’re a fan of head-up displays, an HUD is standard in the Calligraphy model, but we found its usefulness limited when wearing polarized sunglasses.

We’re impressed with the new model’s features, roominess, and design. A twist-to-drive column shifter on the steering wheel opens up the center console where a traditional shift gear would reside. Our only nit is that most climate functions, including fan speed, rely on touch-sensing technology rather than a physical button or knob.

Materials are of impressive quality, and we found good room in the second and third rows. Truly impressive is its cargo capacity, which maxes out at 79.6 cubic feet with both rear rows folded. And those second and third rows fold nearly flat, while the huge tailgate is designed for maximum aperture. The result — and intention, according to Hyundai designers — is a rear area where Santa Fe owners can tailgate or even sleep.

This year’s redesign of the Hyundai Santa Fe brings a radical new aesthetic. This major update makes the Santa Fe a boxy SUV while retaining its compact-midsize “tweener” dimensions. It’s about 8 inches longer than the Hyundai Tucson compact SUV, and 6.5 inches shorter than the Hyundai Palisade midsize SUV. It might look like an illusion due to its new shape, but at just over 190 inches, the 2024 Santa Fe is only a couple of inches longer than its rounded, prior self. Sharp angles, straight lines, and a floating roof design give it a rugged yet modern look, and an “H” motif in the light signature is unique to the Santa Fe.

Hyundai designers told us they actually started at the back. And the tailgate is impressively huge. A bigger tailgate means a bigger opening, leading into what Hyundai calls a “terrace-like” space inside. Hyundai seems to have the destination in mind as much as the journey for the new Santa Fe, highlighted by one model outfitted with a large roof-top tent.

Power liftgate
If there’s one feature we always — and we mean always — appreciate in an SUV, it’s this. Even better, this one has hands-free operation and an adjustable height setting. Better still — it’s standard across the lineup.

Built-in grab handle
Hyundai is legit when it says it designed the new Santa Fe to be an activity vehicle, one where you might put stuff on the roof. To help you get up there is an ingenious hidden grab handle in the C-pillar above the rear wheel. It’s flush until you press it and even lockable.

Dual wireless charging pads
What’s better than one wireless pad to charge a phone? Two. Every trim but the base model gets this, so you don’t have to fight the passenger to juice up.

Bi-directional center console
In another case of “How is this not in every vehicle?” the new Santa Fe features a dual-level center console between the front seats, the top of which flips up from either the front or back seats for easy access from both rows. Brilliant.

In-cabin UV-C sanitizing station
True story: The 2024 Santa Fe was being designed four years ago, remotely and during a pandemic when sanitation was a high priority. So, it was birthed with an enclosed sanitizing compartment that is just as useful today for phones and children’s toys. It’s standard on Limited and Calligraphy models.

New tech
Hyundai is debuting some sweet tech with the latest Santa Fe, including a biometric fingerprint reader to lock some functions when valeting, for instance, and a driver monitoring system with an in-cabin camera.

Hyundai Pay
This system has been expanded to let you pay for things such as parking and gas safely inside the vehicle directly from the touchscreen. So, for example, there is no need to swipe a credit card at a nasty gas station keypad or risk your credit card getting skimmed by the reader.

The 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe offers the choice of a 2.5-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine or a gas-electric hybrid using a 1.6-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder. The standard gasoline model uses an 8-speed automatic transmission, while the hybrid is connected to a 6-speed. The 2.5-liter gasoline engine makes 277 horsepower and 311 lb-ft of torque. The Santa Fe Hybrid makes a total of 231 hp/271 lb-ft of torque. Both come standard with front-wheel drive or optional all-wheel drive. While the prior generation Santa Fe was also offered as a plug-in hybrid (PHEV), Hyundai executives tell us there are no plans to offer such a powertrain for the new model here in the U.S.

5-Year/60,000-Mile Warranty

The Hyundai Santa Fe continues to boast a class-leading warranty. Hyundai’s excellent coverage includes a 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, a 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty, and a 3-year/36,000-mile complimentary maintenance plan.

Safety

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) named the new-gen Santa Fe to its Top Safety Pick list for 2024. It brings a full roster of active safety and driver assist features that include forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, and lane-keeping assist.