SEOUL — South Korea is many issues; a driver’s paradise isn’t certainly one of them. The roads are largely flat and straight, and their stage of velocity regulation is borderline draconian – like, to the purpose the place a multi-hour drive on a freeway turns into a neverending slog to appease what looks like a billion velocity cameras. On high of that, visitors is all the time congested. All the time. Hoot and a half, let me inform ya.
However behind the wheel of a 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe, none of these items issues. Hyundai’s redesigned midsize SUV is a quiet, comfy and surprisingly luxurious steed that makes freeway crawls a non-issue. It’s not half unhealthy on a backroad, too.
The brand new Santa Fe’s primary guidelines hasn’t modified for this newest era – seating for seven, all-wheel drive, a great deal of tech, non-compulsory hybrid energy – however its general form is kind of completely different. Hyundai actually butched this one up, to the purpose the place Land Rover comparisons usually are not unwarranted. Severely, it seems extra like a Land Rover Discovery than the precise Land Rover Discovery.
By the tape measure, the 2024 Santa Fe isn’t that a lot bigger than its predecessor, solely rising 1.8 inches in size and 1.4 inches in top (their widths are an identical). However goodness, does the brand new Santa Fe have an entire lot extra curb attraction. You undoubtedly want the bigger 21-inch wheels to actually fill out these beneficiant wells, as the usual 18s can look slightly puny.
Don’t fear, U.S.-spec Santa Fes could have tinted rear home windows, in contrast to the Korean-market tester pictured right here – one other improve that not solely improves issues cosmetically however helps to maintain the cabin cool. As soon as inside, you’ll discover beneficiant lodging for first- and second-row passengers, with that boxy design lending itself to mega headroom. Moving into the third row is form of a trouble, for the reason that seats don’t slide ahead sufficient, however when you handle to wedge your self again there, the quantity of area out there appears corresponding to what you’d discover within the significantly bigger Palisade (196.7 inches lengthy versus the Santa Fe at 190.2). The remaining cargo area behind it’s one other story – it’s tiny with all seats raised, very like the mechanically associated Kia Sorento that has comparable exterior dimensions. If that is an issue, loading additional stuff on the raised roof rails is uniquely aided by seize handles within the C pillars that enable you hoist your self up whereas standing on the rear tire.
In case you thought the Santa Fe’s exterior appeared slightly Defender-y, the cockpit gives you the identical impression. The steering wheel seems prefer it was ripped proper out of a Land Rover, as do the squared-off air vents and angled local weather management display flanked by temperature dials for the driving force and passenger. The big heart console space has two devoted wi-fi charging pads for a pair of smartphones (an excessive rarity, in reality we’re struggling to think about one other), and the cubby below the armrest opens from both the entrance or again, which sounds cool and practical, however it’s a must to give the lid a very good laborious pull to get it to unlatch. This isn’t a bizarre pre-production quirk, both.
A curved show homes a pair of 12.3-inch screens, one for the gauges and one other for the Hyundai Group’s newest multimedia system that will get wi-fi Apple CarPlay and Android Auto amongst different upgrades and updates. To the correct, there are two gloveboxes: a high one behind the sprint panel and a extra conventional one by the passenger’s knees. That is along with deep door pockets that’ll maintain enormous water bottles and space for storing below the middle console, as properly.
Whereas world markets will likely be handled to an array of powertrain choices, together with a diesel and a plug-in hybrid, we’ll solely get two selections in North America. First up is the two.5-liter turbocharged inline-four and eight-speed dual-clutch computerized combo that’s used within the Santa Cruz pickup as an improve, making 277 horsepower and 311 pound-feet of torque. In case you’re in search of one thing extra environment friendly, Hyundai will supply a hybrid powertrain consisting of a 1.6-liter turbo-four engine, small electrical motor and six-speed computerized, placing out 232 hp and 271 lb-ft. That’s 6 hp and 13 lb-ft greater than the in any other case comparable powertrain discovered within the one-size-down Hyundai Tucson Hybrid. Official gas financial system numbers received’t be out there till nearer to the Santa Fe’s on-sale date in March 2024, and no, Hyundai isn’t planning to interchange the present Santa Fe PHEV for america.
Slumming it in Seoul visitors, each engine choices supply easy energy supply and sufficient oomph to get the Santa Fe out of its personal manner. However at larger speeds – or in case you discover a winding side-road – the less-powerful hybrid setup can sometimes really feel anemic, particularly throughout mid-range acceleration. The extra {powerful} 2.5-liter turbo setup actually looks like the best choice, capable of transfer the big Santa Fe with better confidence. It doesn’t sound half-bad, both.
Hyundai will supply front- and all-wheel-drive Santa Fe fashions in America. And whereas the SUV’s rugged beauty would possibly provide the impression that this factor can off-road like a Land Rover, don’t be fooled. Positive, there’ll be a rugged-ish Santa Fe XRT variant that will get 30-inch all-terrain tires and an extra 1.4 inches of floor clearance (the entire quantity has not been launched, oddly). That’s much more than different Hyundai XRTs, that are glorified look packages, however this unibody crossover nonetheless received’t have any form of correct rock-crawling or mud-slinging chops. The Santa Fe has hill-descent management, however that’s it.
On paved roads, the Santa Fe is lots good to drive, with first rate steering and managed physique manners. You sit excessive behind the steering wheel and there’s a commanding view down the lengthy, flat hood that – yep – form of has a Land Rover vibe. Fitted with 21-inch wheels, the Santa Fe interprets each little bump and blemish by way of to the cabin, however the smaller 18-inch wheels and higher-sidewall tires easy issues out fantastically. This clearly presents a quandary on condition that entire “looks better on 21s” factor. I didn’t get to drive the XRT, both, so we’ll have to attend and see how a lot its all-terrain tires degrade the experience and dealing with.
Lengthy stints of hella-dull Korean freeway cruising imply Hyundai’s Sensible Cruise Management 2 system has loads of time to shine, although this tech isn’t good. The lane-centering system tends to ping-pong the SUV between both facet of the chosen lane, and the lane-change help isn’t proactive, like with Basic Motors’ Tremendous Cruise. You continue to should sign to have interaction an auto lane change.
Small nitpicks apart, the brand new Santa Fe is a rattling positive SUV for each day driving, and comes with all of the expertise and creature comforts consumers on this phase anticipate. Hyundai received’t launch remaining pricing figures for a number of extra months, however the brand new Santa Fe’s MSRP shouldn’t stray too removed from the present mannequin’s vary, beginning round $30,000 and reaching as much as $45,000 for a totally loaded Calligraphy.
Past its inherent good graces and aggressive pricing, nonetheless, the one greatest factor that’ll assist the brand new Santa Fe stand out is its styling. Large and boxy are all the fad as soon as once more, and this elevated concentrate on visible punch undoubtedly turns heads on the streets of Korea. I absolutely anticipate it to have the identical impact in SUV-hungry America.
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