If you were like me before I got behind the wheel of the 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid, you’d assume the experience would be drab. My parents were hard on Hyundai and Kia when I was younger because they were “cheap” and people “treated them like appliances.” They were reliable, but lacked soul, they said.
Well, they were both wrong. The Hyundai Santa Fe hybrid truly opened my eyes to the brand, which has undergone a renaissance in the last decade. I fell so quickly in love with the design, space, visibility, tech, and aura that I called my husband and told him we might be converting from Subaru diehards to Hyundai loyalists.
Driving the Santa Fe, priced from $34,200 for the entry model to $47,250 for the top hybrid model, only solidified my sentiments, and once my husband got a chance to experience it, it only took him a few seconds to say, “Yup, I’d buy this right now if I could. It’s a solid car.”
This story is 100% human-researched and written based on actual first-person knowledge, extensive experience, and expertise on the subject of cars and trucks. No AI was used.
The Hyundai Santa Fe’s Design is Boxy but Tasteful
The first thing my husband and I noticed was that it resembled a Ford Flex. Which, for the record, was a car we both quite liked. The back end left a lot to be desired, but there was one thing I noted: nothing else had a booty like the Santa Fe. It’s immediately recognizable, and I knew if I owned one I would come to love it.
It also distracts from how long the wheelbase is. Most three-row SUVs feel and look like three-row SUVs, but not the Hyundai Santa Fe. From the outside, it looks like what the Flex was trying to achieve—a chic, trendy, wagon-esque SUV disguised as a car.
I loved the “H” style headlights, which are a lot brighter than you’d think they are. The angled wheel wells and chunky mirrors were something I found endearing about the design. It’s different from all the “sleek,” curvy, squinted look most modern cars fall under. It felt fun, bright, and maybe a bit cheeky – which I appreciated.
The Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid is Also Fairly Affordable
The Santa Fe can come with either a 2.5-liter turbo four with an eight-speed transmission or a 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder hybrid setup. The gas-powered version is obviously cheaper, but not by much.
I test-drove the Calligraphy AWD (or “HTRAC”) model, which had a sticker price of $50,465. If you opt for the front-wheel drive version that’ll shave $1,800 off the price. The AWD system has a “4WD Lock” button, which reconfigures the AWD system to distribute power evenly to the front and rear wheels as opposed to its normal 80/20 distribution, almost like it’s simulating the locking of a differential.
Dropping 50-Gs on a 3-row SUV may seem like a lot, but when the top-of-the-line AWD hybrid Toyota Highlander is $53,375 and the cream of the crop Subaru Ascent Onyx Touring is $51,415, the price isn’t that far off base.
The Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid is also more cost-effective than its big sister, the Hyundai Palisade Calligraphy Night Edition with a sticker price of $54,100.
The price was easy for me to justify when you look at how much comes with the cost. It had a fantastic sound system, the visibility was on par with the visibility I always preach about in every Subaru I’ve ever driven, plenty of power in the pedal, comfortable to drive, excellent mileage, and my girls loved it.
Read: The 2024 Chevrolet Traverse Redesign: Why This Family SUV Is the Best Yet
The Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid Mileage Figures Blew Me Away
I live in Bend, Oregon, so a lot of my driving is at slow speeds for very short distances. No matter the destination, there are seemingly hundreds of stop signs and traffic lights in between, too. In my daily driver of a Forester, I’m lucky to get 17 mpg (currently sitting at 15.8 – ouch).
When I test-drove the Hyundai Santa Fe the week we moved, and even with the trunk full of boxes, my girls constantly in it, my husband riding in the passenger’s seat, and all that demanding driving I was churning out an average of 26 mpg. That’s with all-wheel drive and being a fairly heavy vehicle.
Hyundai’s webpage for the hybrid Santa Fe reads an EPA rating of 35 in the city and 34 on the highway, and for the first time, I believe it. The hybrid setup cycles between all-electric, hybrid, and gas modes, and the gas motor charges the battery while in use on top of regenerative braking. Quite genius, if you ask me.
Read: Kia Telluride 3 Row SUV Adds X-Line and X-Pro and It Was Worth The Wait
The Santa Fe Hybrid’s Interior Felt Expensive
Hyundai and Kia’s interiors are slowly becoming my favorite, as they’re gorgeous and tasteful without being ostentatious. I didn’t love the white leather, as two toddlers made quick work of making it more of a grey color, but it can be configured to be beige or black (though white leather is easily cleaned with a Magic Eraser)..
Regardless of the color you pick, it comes with the faux wood paneling, the long, dual-screen setup, not one but TWO wireless chargers, a UV sanitizing compartment, and a crazy cozy driver’s seat. The rear seats had a table that folded out so passengers could eat, as well as manual sunshades that tucked into the door when not being used.
The interior came to life at night, though. The ambient lighting could be adjusted by color and brightness, and it extended into the third row. All it needed was sound-reactive lighting with the 12-speaker Bose system and you’d have your own rolling disco.
I also appreciated the comfort of the rear seats paired with a panoramic sunroof and large windows. For a car that’s on the more affordable end of the cost spectrum, it felt remarkably expensive.
Read More: 10 Things My Family Loved About the 2024 Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness
The Third Row Was Only Sort of Good
The third row of the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid was my least favorite part of the car. It was more comfortable than most as it had more legroom, but the seats were thin and flimsy feeling. They did, however, offer great visibility, their own USB ports, speakers, an AC/heater vent in the wall below the window (with temperature and flow adjusters, too), and cupholders.
The Santa Fe also has a microphone system to amplify your voice in the front seat to the very rear in case the kids are acting up, too.
The cupholders, unlike the seats, did not fold or get tucked away when not in use, so they do eat up quite a bit of cargo space. That was something I kept thinking to myself, was that if those dang cupholders could be removed or moved, it would improve the overall space by a lot.
When the Third Row is Folded, Cargo Space Ahoy
Like most 3-row SUVs, the cargo space when the third row isn’t in use is impressive. However, as I mentioned before, the cupholders do take up a few inches on each side, which was noticeable when using the trunk to move boxes.
Otherwise, when I was just using it to haul my daughter’s stroller, diaper bag, groceries, and anything extra, I had plenty of space. I especially liked the easy access to the trunk if the door was locked and I had the key in my pocket. All I had to do was stand near the trunk for a few seconds, and the liftgate would open for me.
That feature came especially in handy with two always-moving toddlers and arms full of groceries.
Related: 2025 Ioniq 9 Electric 3-Row SUV — Everything Hyundai Does Well, Elevated
The Hyundai Santa Fe Has Some Pep in its Step
The Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid’s 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine, which generates 231 HP and 271 lb.-ft. of torque, is a bit less powerful than the 277 hp and 311 lb.-ft. of torque that the 4-cylinder turbo produces. However, the hybrid definitely surprised me when I put the pedal to the metal. It didn’t have the get-up-and-go of the Subaru Ascent’s CVT, but it was a heck of a lot faster than I thought it would be.
Granted, no one buys a 3-row SUV for the speed or handling, which was very SUV-ish and felt heavy at times, especially on tight corners. You buy it for space and comfort, and a hybrid for the mileage, for all of which the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid scored highly. But, if you did need to pass a slow-going car or merge onto a busy highway, put the Santa Fe into Sport mode and get a taste for speed.
Otherwise, I was more impressed that I was getting such good gas mileage driving around town with a full load.
Like I Said – My Family was Immediately Smitten
With electronically controlled rear seats that recline, installing my oldest daughter’s front-facing car seat was a breeze. All I had to do was move the seat forward, which was simple and quick with the press of a button, and recline it slightly to fit her seat. Attaching the top tether was even easier, as the LATCH was on the back of the seat. Moving it forward, securing the top tether, and moving back took only a few seconds.
It was the same thing for my youngest’s rear-facing seat. I loved the captain’s chair armrests, as they helped keep the seat steadier. Both loved their big windows, and my husband loved that our oldest couldn’t kick the back of his seat.
My husband was the most impressed. He only spent a few minutes as a passenger but was immediately won over by the interior design, visibility, comfort, sound system, and space. He loved that from the outside, it didn’t look “humongous.”
The only thing I didn’t like about it was the cupholders taking up so much space in the trunk. Everything else I adored. My husband and I both agreed if we were in the market for a 3-row SUV, we’d run to our nearest Hyundai dealer and buy one immediately.
And then drive over to my parents to show them how much Hyundai has changed.
