2025 Hyundai Santa Fe

At the rear, the Santa Fe has big taillights with another H design element, but they’re positioned awkwardly low, which gives the tail end a droopy appearance. 

The off-roady XRT versions have 18-inch alloy wheels with all-terrain tires that look a bit chunkier. All versions have integrated grab handles to make loading the roof rack a bit easier.

The boxy, modular appearance continues inside. This is a clever, well-organized cabin with two 12.3-inch displays curved subtly toward the driver. A host of buttons (many of them haptic) sit below for climate and audio functions, and the center console is perfectly arranged to store two wireless devices. The Santa Fe’s cabin is at its best in a warm brown hue that is, unfortunately, only available in certain configurations. 

How fast is the Hyundai Santa Fe?

It’s decent but not quick with the 2.5-liter turbo-4 that pushes 277 hp and 311 lb-ft of torque to the wheels through an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. This is a fairly hefty SUV, though, so that engine has to do a lot of work. Figure around eight seconds to 60 mph, though the gearbox can struggle to select the right cogs in city driving. Selecting Sport mode lets it hang onto gears for longer, which helps—but will inevitably use more fuel, too.

There’s also a Santa Fe Hybrid with a 1.6-liter turbo-4 coupled to a 1.5-kwh battery pack, a 44-kw electric motor, and a 6-speed automatic gearbox. It’s not likely to be as quick as the turbo-4, but this setup is bound to be quite smooth and frugal. We’ll update this space when we drive one. 

Underneath, the Santa Fe has a pretty conventional suspension with high-end hydraulic bushings that help smooth out the road below. Even the Calligraphy’s 21-inch alloy wheels barely make their short sidewalls known into the cabin. 

There’s no disguising the Santa Fe’s heft, though. It’s not nimble, and it can wallow when pushed down a curvy road. Reasonably quick steering works in the Santa Fe’s favor, though, giving it decent stability at highway speeds. 

The Santa Fe can tow 2,000 pounds in most trims, though the XRT’s extra transmission cooling beefs that up to 3,500 pounds. 

Row two is similarly spacious, offering a hefty 42.3 inches of legroom with the movable bench or captain’s chairs shoved rearward. Note that hybrids are a bit less spacious due to their battery pack, but they’re fine. 

The third row serves up just 30.0 inches of legroom, which makes it a tight fit for full-size people. Size mediums will be fine, though. The third row’s cushions are light on padding, making them best for around-town jaunts. If you need a third row capable of accommodating adults, look to the bigger Palisade.

At least the third row is fairly easy to access. A button forces the second-row seat to tilt and slide forward. 

The cargo area expands from a modest 14.6 cubic feet behind row three to 40.5 cubic feet with it folded down. With the middle row folded down, that nearly doubles to almost 80 cubic feet, which is good for the segment.

The Santa Fe has nice interior trim, particularly in high-end models. Then again, this is no longer a bargain SUV, and its interior is outfitted accordingly with leather and fake wood. Look closely and you’ll find some hard plastics, though. 

The Santa Fe does come with an impressive suite of tech, though, including automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise control, active lane control, blind-spot monitors, rear cross-traffic alerts, parking sensors front and rear, and a driver-attention monitor.

Some models have an upgraded driving assist system that will operate the brakes, steering, and accelerator particularly well, so long as the driver keeps a hand lightly on the steering wheel. Other assistance options include a surround-view camera system, blind-spot monitors with steering support that can nudge a driver attempting to merge into another car, and a remote parking system useful in tight spaces. 

All-wheel drive costs $1,800 more. 

Which Hyundai Santa Fe should I buy?

The extra $2,500 for the SEL trim buys a wireless charging pad, dual-zone automatic climate control, and synthetic leather seats with power adjustment and heating up front, plus a host of minor tweaks. 

Better yet, the Santa Fe Hybrid SEL is just another $500. (There’s no Santa Fe Hybrid SE, unfortunately.) 

At about $42,000, the XRT tempts with its rugged styling, sunroof, and upgraded infotainment tech, but note that its fuel economy is worse. A better buy for some might be the $45,000 Limited. Sure, it’s a good bit pricier, but it buys leather seats, 20-inch alloy wheels, an upgraded instrument cluster, cooled front seats, heated second-row seats, a heated steering wheel, a garage door opener, a surround-view camera system, and a few other niceties. 

How much is a fully loaded Hyundai Santa Fe?

The Calligraphy tops the lineup at $48,000 or so; yes, with all-wheel drive, Hyundai will want more than $50,000 for one. This model is the only version with second-row captain’s chairs, and it also has black-finish 21-inch alloy wheels, nappa leather seats, an extra device charging pad, a rearview camera mirror, and a few trim upgrades inside and out.