Kudos to Hyundai for daring to make a brazen and blunt-looking sports utility vehicle (SUV), which contrasts well with other softer, rounder SUVs in its segment, with its chief price competitor being the Mazda CX-60.
The previous generation Hyundai Santa Fe was muscular, but noticeably rounder. This new Santa Fe TurboHybrid is still muscular, albeit boxy and butch-looking, and we think all the better for it.
Blunt or rotund, that seems to be the nearly SGD$300,000 question.
Head-on, the Santa Fe TurboHybrid’s sheer frontal area looks ready to indiscriminately bulldoze lesser vehicles out of its way, accompanied by suitably sinister-looking and striking ‘eyes’ courtesy of ‘H’ pattern daytime running lights (DRLs) in the LED headlight assembly.
Everything is really upright here at its bluff nose and contrasts well with the raked windscreen, with the bonnet betwixt serving to look like a mountainous plateau in the process.
Wide haunches mark out the wheel arches, further strengthening this large SUV’s musculature. Meaty 255/45 R20 tyres wrap around black 20-inch multi-spoke rims and make this vehicle look well-planted on the blacktop, especially in the test car’s Earthly Brass Matte hue.
Make no mistake about it – this Santa Fe TurboHybrid is visually and actually spacious, thanks to its now-longer 2,815mm wheelbase, and bodes well for its occupants.
Slab-sided doors further add to the effect of solidity, and the C-pillar cleverly hides an Assist Handle that makes clambering up to access roof-mounted items that much easier, much to the delight of active outdoorsy folks I’m sure.
If at this point it hasn’t yet sunk in, heft is the theme of this new Santa Fe TurboHybrid.
Stern
The gargantuan tailgate swings electrically upwards to reveal 628 litres of luggage space with the third row of seats stowed. Yes, third row. More on that in a bit. Just remember to park a little further away from a wall.
Fold the second row away, however, and you’ve just liberated a cavernous 1,949 litres of HDB flat-moving ability. Be prepared for friends to ask for your assistance when shifting house.
Back to the third row, it’s sufficient to accommodate younger children for longer commutes or squeezing in adults for shorter jaunts to and from the office during lunch. This space gets its own cupholders though, which is a nice touch for the young’uns.
Midship
The second row is generous in its proportions and can be adjusted forward to liberate more legroom at the rear if the third row is in use, or aft for more legroom in the second row itself.
The centre console features a rather deep drawer for storing knickknacks, and no doubt will serve the family with children very well.
As will an aircon vent on either B-pillar to keep second-row occupants cool, and a USB Type-C port integrated neatly into the rear side of each front seat for mobile-device charging duties.
Two cupholders feature on each door just forward of the armrest, while another bottle holder features lower down. Lots of drink storage back here. Manual sunshades for the rear windows serve to keep occupants nice and comfy on boiling hot days.
At this point, the panoramic sunroof in this Calligraphy variant bears mentioning. I think Hyundai has done it rather cleverly.
The sunroof is offset more rearward to allow both rear rows of passengers a direct skyward view, and the shade for this portion of the sunroof is electrically operated.
The forward section has a manual sunshade which is easily operated from the driver’s or passenger’s seat and allows natural light to filter in without reflecting off the trim or screens.
Fore
The front seats themselves are supportive and comfortable. Featuring heating and cooling, as well as electrical adjustments with two memory settings for the driver, getting the seats into one’s preferred position is a cinch.
The steering wheel is also electrically adjustable and features the requisite steering-mounted controls for audio, telephony, adaptive cruise and scrolling through various pages in the instrument screen.
As expected of a modern Hyundai, two large screens sit side by side on the dashboard. The instrument cluster is cleanly laid out and is aided by a Head-Up Display (HUD) showing speed, adaptive cruise and blindspot monitoring information.
Beside it sits the 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system, featuring wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Again, it’s cleanly laid out and easy to get to grips with. The audio system plays nice and loud without becoming fatiguing.
Accoutrements
Just below that sits the aircon control panel, which features a neat combination of both physical and haptic-touch controls and works simply and easily. Other manufacturers who love to use touchscreen controls need to look to this system as the gold standard when it comes to a modern, yet simple and intuitive implementation of climate controls.
The glovebox is of a good and usable size, and there’s also a smaller cubby for UV-C sterilization just above it. Simply push the button next to the infotainment screen to reveal this hidden pathogen-destroying space for your mobile phones, wallets, pens, et al.
Not one but two wireless chargers feature in the centre console of the Calligraphy variant to keep both driver’s and front passenger’s phones topped up. Just behind that sit two cupholders, complementing the bottle holder in each front door.
Finally comes the centre console, or what Hyundai calls ‘Bilateral Multi-Console.’ Don’t expect any high-level ministerial meetings to occur though. ‘Bilateral’ means the console lid can be opened from both the front and the rear, giving everyone access to the rather sizeable space within.
Underway
There’s no getting away from the Santa Fe TurboHybrid’s size, but it’s neither insurmountable nor intimidating. Helping out in this respect is a rear-view mirror that can be switched to serve as a screen for the rear-view camera if one prefers.
Large side mirrors and a generous glasshouse mean that outward visibility is good. Engage the respective turn signals and a blind-spot camera is displayed on the instrument cluster. Lane changes are therefore easy and much more secure.
A 360-degree camera system helps with getting into parking spots. Remote Smart Parking Assist allows one to move this SUV forward or backward from outside if someone has parked too close.
I was impressed with how the previous Santa Fe rode so comfortably without the use of air suspension or adaptive dampers. That theme carries on here with this Santa Fe TurboHybrid. This will, no doubt, keep the family happy for longer journeys.
Although huge, this SUV can put in a surprising turn of acceleration when needed. Moving off smartly from traffic lights is possible thanks to its self-charging hybrid system in combination with the turbocharged 1.6-litre engine.
Together, they make 215hp and 367Nm of torque, which is plenty for daily driving duties. Not only that, but the powertrain is also frugal for a vehicle this size and mass.
Hyundai quotes a combined WLTP average efficiency of 6.9-litres/100km or 14.5km/litre. Utilising the pulse-and-glide technique, I was able to achieve a weighted and normalised average of 5.39-litres/100km or 18.6km/litre across both the street and highway routes.
Naturally, your mileage may vary with use-case and driving style, but good efficiency is achievable with smooth, not slow, driving.
Should You Buy One?
While it’s comprehensible that some may be put off by its size, there’s no escaping the fact that this is one SUV that will get noticed on the streets. No worries about losing it in a shopping centre carpark, then.
That it’s packed to the brim with excellent safety features, useful tech and some luxury touches at its price point makes the Santa Fe TurboHybrid a true value proposition. Add to that the 10-year or 150,000km hybrid powertrain warranty and you’ve got yourself an excellent family vehicle.
It’s rather easy to drive, comfortable, pretty frugal and will serve your family’s needs well for years to come. The only small annoyance is the driver attention monitor being a little too eager to bing and bong.
Tell you what – let Grandpa, Grandma and the kids loose on the Santa Fe TurboHybrid in the Hyundai showroom, and let them tell you if they like it. Pretty sure they will.
That would make the purchasing decision that much easier, wouldn’t it?
Photo Credits: Sean Loo (@auto.driven)
Technical Specifications
2024 Hyundai Sanfa Fe TurboHybrid Calligraphy
Engine Capacity: 1,598cc inline four-cylinder turbocharged
Combined Power: 215hp @ 5,600rpm
Combined Torque: 367Nm @ 1,000-4,100rpm
Drive: front wheels
Transmission: six-speed automatic
0-100km/h: 9.6 seconds (claimed)
Top Speed: 180km/h (claimed)
Kerb Weight: 2,025kg
Fuel/Battery Capacity: 67-litres
Fuel/Energy Economy: 6.9-litres/100km or 14.5km/litre (claimed)
Range: up to 971km (claimed)
Price: S$277,999 with COE (accurate at the time of this article)
Contact: Hyundai Singapore
Read the full article: https://www.autoapp.sg/2024-hyundai-santa-fe-turbohybrid-review-square-one/
