I drove Hyundai’s rugged new $40,000 family SUV. It’s packed with useful tech but rough around the edges
Hyundai’s lineup of crossovers and SUVs is pretty extensive these days, running from the subcompact Venue and Kona at the bottom to the range-topping Palisade, with the top-selling Tuscon sitting squarely in the middle.
But that’s not all.
Squeezed in between the compact Tucson and the midsize Palisade is the Santa Fe.
In years past, the SUV offered consumers a stylish midsize crossover for those who wanted something bigger than the Tucson but without the Palisade’s third-row (or higher price tag.)
In 2024, however, it got a major makeover featuring rugged looks, new tech, and room for seven passengers. The new model bears zero resemblance to its predecessor. If this were an episode of the Maury Show, there would have to be a paternity test.
I recently spent a week behind the wheel of a 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe in the new rugged XRT trim.
The 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe XRT
I was impressed by the new Korean-Land Rover aesthetic, strong suite of tech and safety features, and a roomy and easy-to-use interior.
However, I was let down by its powertrain’s lack of responsiveness off the line, louder-than-ideal road noise, and an annoying attention-alert system.
My test car clocked in at $42,205.
The 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe XRT
The base front-wheel-drive Santa Fe SE starts at $33,950, while the fully loaded all-wheel-drive Santa Fe Calligraphy Hybrid starts at $48,800.
My all-wheel-drive Hyundai Santa Fe XRT test car starts at $40,600. However, freight fees and a set of floor mats pushed the SUV’s as-tested price a bit higher.
The new Santa Fe makes functionality stylish.
The new Santa Fe is bigger and more aggressive.
Gone are the car-based crossover looks. In their place is a square-jawed SUV ready to tackle the outdoors. In fact, it looks more like a Land Rover than anything else in the Hyundai product range.
Designing a family SUV is usually a tug of war between form and function. For example, sloping rooflines give SUVs a sleek, coupe-like look but compromise passenger headroom and cargo space.
Both inside and out, it feels like Hyundai’s design team chose to let form support function. The Santa Fe’s square edges and rectangular body not only maximize its interior passenger and cargo room but also give it a rugged, truck-like presence.
Hyundai’s then added styling touches like H-shaped lights and various front grille designs to give the boxy SUV a bit of flair.
The Santa Fe looks like Hyundai’s take on a no-nonsense outdoor lifestyle vehicle for the family, with a heavy dose of Land Rover Defender and a dash of Ford Flex thrown in.
Up front, the Santa Fe’s is equipped with H-shaped LED daytime running lights.
These H-shaped running lights are a not-so-subtle reminder of who made this vehicle.
The dark green paint easily camouflages the blacked-out Hyundai logo on the hood.
The running lights are coupled with LED headlights and a lightbar across the front grille.
The front bumper is equipped with a set of active air flaps.
The active air flaps.
The active air flaps automatically open and close to help optimize fuel efficiency and engine cooling.
The H-shape theme extends to the back with liftgate-mounted tail lights.
The 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe XRT.
The Santa Fe XRT can tow up to 4,500 lbs.
In addition to blacked-out trim, front grille, and wheels, XRT-grade Santa Fes also get 18-inch Continental all-terrain tires.
The Santa Fe XRT’s black 18-inch wheels.
While the tires that come with the XRT trim are certainly more capable of handling rough terrain, they produce an appreciable amount of excess road noise, especially at highway speeds, compared to traditional road tires.
Other trims have 18, 20, or 21-inch all-season tires as standard.
The new Santa Fe is 6 inches shorter than the Palisade.
The 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe XRT
The increased length comes in handy now that the Santa Fe has a third row of seats. My test car also had a robust 8.3 inches of ground clearance.
Under the hood, it has a 2.5-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder engine.
The Santa Fe XRT’s 2.5 liter, turbocharged four.
The 2.5-liter turbo four, also found on the Sonata sedan and Santa Cruz pickup, produces a strong 277 horsepower and 311 lb.-ft. of torque. It is paired with an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.
Due to its off-road tires and standard AWD, the XRT boasts lower fuel economy figures than other trims, at 19 mpg city, 26 mpg highway, and 22 combined.
The XRT and other ICE variants of the Santa Fe are equipped with automatic start/stop, a common fuel-saving tool that shuts off the engine when the vehicle is stationary.
I appreciate that the Santa Fe’s start/stop function is smart enough to stand down when systems such as climate control require extra juice from the engine. However, I found it slow to react and abrupt when it did kick in.
A button on the center console temporarily defeats the system, but it will reset after the vehicle is turned off.
All-wheel-drive is useful for poor road conditions or off-roading.
HTRAC all-wheel-drive is an $1,800 option on other trim levels.
Hyundai’s HTRAC all-wheel drive operates in front-wheel drive when cruising around but can send up to 50% of the engine’s power to the back wheels when needed. At low speeds, the driver can activate an AWD Lock function that forces the system to send at least 20% of the power to the back wheels.
The Santa Fe was pleasant to drive but needs work to correct its lackadaisical power delivery.
The Santa Fe’s front seats.
The Santa Fe handled solidly. Its steering was relatively quick but numb, which is the standard for a big family SUV.
The engine and gearbox were more than capable of handling the 4,400-pound SUV’s heft in most situations, but dull power delivery off of the line let it down a bit.
The slow power delivery could be due to tip-in lag, which is a delay in throttle response programmed into the vehicle for better fuel economy and a smooth driving experience. It could also be turbo lag, the delay caused by the exhaust gases that drive the turbocharger needing to build up pressure before they can produce power.
Regardless, the lag was considerably more pronounced than I’ve experienced in other SUVs of its type, making acceleration from a standstill more of a chore than it should be.
The delay is even more pronounced when the start-stop system turns the engine off at an intersection or when waiting to make a left turn, at which point the engine has to restart and spool up the turbo before you feel the acceleration.
However, things change quickly once the vehicle is underway. Engine power becomes plentiful, and the Santa Fe quickly powers its way through the gears to highway speeds. I did not experience any power delivery issues while changing lanes or merging on the highway.
According to Car and Driver, the 2024 Santa Fe can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 6.3 seconds.
Inside the cabin, the Santa Fe XRT is all business.
The front dash.
As a mid-tier model geared toward the outdoorsy types, the XRT isn’t equipped with all the luxury bells and whistles of the top-spec Calligraphy trim like a head-up display or quilted Nappa leather seats.
Instead, functionality reigns supreme.
The cabin is roomy and well-designed, with good material quality. It also has a wide array of useful storage nooks for the whole family.
In front of the driver is a new leather-wrapped steering wheel unique to the Santa Fe.
Instead of using the corporate steering wheel design like those found on other SUVs in Hyundai’s lineup, the Santa Fe evokes the look and feel of the British SUV-brand that also inspired its exterior design.
In front of the driver is a configurable 12.3-inch digital instrument display.
The digital instrument display.
The driver attention alert system’s sensor juts out from atop the steering column and can sometimes block the bottom of the instrument display.
It’s great this potentially lifesaving system exists, but in everyday use it’s finicky. If you drive with your hand at the top of the wheel, the system will flash warning messages at you because it can’t see your face. It won’t be happy until you’re back at 10-and-2 or 9-and-3 again.
The shifter is weird but oddly intuitive.
The Santa Fe’s shifter.
The shifter is located on the right side of the steering column where the ignition key lived once upon a time.
To shift into drive, twist the silver part forward. Twist backward to shift into reverse, and press the “P” button at the end of the stalk to put it into park.
Moving the shifter to the steering column opens up the center console.
The Santa Fe’s center console.
The Santa Fe’s center console is massive, with giant cup holders and space for two smartphones lying side-by-side. The smartphone spot closest to the driver offers wireless charging, while the other phone can be plugged into one of the nearby USB-C sockets.
There’s also a storage area with a power plug underneath the Santa Fe’s center console that is perfect for small bags or purses.
Under the armrest at the back of the center console is a drawer that pulls out for rear cabin storage.
The Santa Fe’s center console
The Santa Fe’s center console is massive, with giant cup holders and space for two smartphones lying side-by-side. The smartphone spot closest to the driver offers wireless charging, while the other phone can be plugged into one of the nearby USB-C sockets.
There’s also a storage area with a power plug underneath the Santa Fe’s center console that is perfect for small bags or purses.
Like in other Hyundai products these days, the focal point of the front dash is a 12.3-inch touchscreen.
Unlike the Palisade and Tucson, the Santa Fe boasts a newer version of the Hyundai user interface. The system was fairly intuitive to understand and looked great, with both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto included.
Below the infotainment screen on the dash in a small touchscreen for the climate control.
Like in the Palisade, I found this setup to be terrific. It offered a great balance between digital readouts and physical control for on-the-fly use when driving.
The power sunroof was a nice touch.
The Santa Fe XRT’s sunroof
Pricier trims get a fancy dual sunroof that adds a second, non-opening glass panel over the rear cabin.
The seats are trimmed in faux leather.
The second-row bench.
Most versions of the Santa Fe come standard with a 60/40 folding second-row bench seat.
The Santa Fe offers more second-row legroom than the Subaru Ascent, Honda Pilot, and Toyota Highlander.
Behind the rear doors are a pair of concealed grab handles, which are very handy when you need to reach items stored on the roof rack.
The self-concealing grab handles.
When not in use, these handles can be flipped closed and physically locked.
The Santa Fe’s third-row bench seat has space for two.
The Santa Fe’s third row.
As with most other offerings in this segment, the third row should be reserved for children, small adults, or short trips around town. With only 30 inches of legroom, roughly what you have in coach on some airlines, the Santa Fe offers a couple of inches more space than the Highlanders but falls about an inch and a half short of the Palisade.
The Santa Fe’s second-row seats slide forward with the push of a button, allowing for somewhat easy access to the third row.
On the plus side, the rear cabin climate controls are in the third row instead of the more traditional second-row placement.
The rear cabin climate controls.
Third-row passengers also get access to a 115-volt power outlet.
Open up the hands-free liftgate, and you’ll find 14.6 cubic feet of cargo room behind the third row.
This is where the Santa Fe shorter length comes into play. If the third row is up, you’d be hard-pressed to fit more than one or two carry-on suitcases back there. Its 14.6 cu. ft. of cargo room falls well short of the Palisade’s 18 cu. ft., and the smallish Highlander’s 16 cubic feet.
If you plan to consistently carry seven passengers and their stuff, a larger three-row SUV like the Palisade or Pilot is probably the better choice.
Flip down the third row, and you’ll gain more cargo room.
The expansion makes it roughly 6 cubic feet smaller than the Palisade. Plus, the smaller Santa Fe’s square shape maximizes the usability of the cargo room.
With everything down, the Santa Fe offers a total of 79.6 cubic feet of cargo room.
That’s about seven cubic feet less than the Palisade.
Underneath the cargo area is the Santa Fe’s spare tire.
It’s an increasingly rare feature these days. The spare tire is standard on all ICE variants of the Santa Fe but not available on the Hybrid.
The Santa Fe is packed with safety tech.
The Santa Fe comes standard with blind-spot collision warning, rear cross-traffic collision avoidance assist, park distance warning, ultrasonic rear occupant sensor, forward collision avoidance assist, lane keeping assist, driver monitoring system, highway driving assist, and lane following assist.
The verdict: It’s a cool, distinctive-looking family SUV with great functionality, but still a little rough around the edges.
What an about-turn Hyundai has made with the 2024 Santa Fe.
In one fell swoop, the Santa Fe has gone from anonymous to one of the most eye-catching SUVs on the market.
Hyundai knocked it out of the park with rugged looks, usable cabin, and a comprehensive suite of tech and safety features.
Even though some work is needed to fine-tune its driving dynamics, the Santa Fe is a terrific choice for a family searching for a smaller three-row SUV that stands out from the crowd.
