2024 Hyundai Santa Fe Calligraphy AWD

The shape The latest generation of a car can often be summed up in two words: evolution or revolution. The Porsche 911 is an example of evolutionary visual change. Despite advances in aerodynamics and technology, it always looks like a 911. Then there’s a car like the Hyundai Santa Fe. The fourth-generation model, which runs from 2019 to 2023, has curvy sheetmetal like many of its competitors. For the all-new 2024 model, Hyundai ditched the old design and started over with straight lines and rigid angles. It was a bloodless revolution that severed the visual connection between the new Santa Fe and its ancestors.

（Top floor small room

Hyundai offers the new Santa Fe in gasoline, hybrid, and plug-in hybrid guises. I recently had the opportunity to test drive the top-of-the-line gasoline Calligraphy model. Given its position in the trim hierarchy, our Calligraphy test car was already equipped with the $48,300 base price listed on the window sticker, including HTRAC all-wheel drive, 21-inch wheels, a 12.3-inch digital instrument and infotainment screen, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, a Bose sound system, Nappa leather seats, and a dual sunroof. In addition to paint and interior colors, there are drivetrain settings and accessories available, such as all-season floor mats and wheel locks. My test car’s Earthy Brass Matte paint and carpet floor mats brought the total price up to $50,925.

Pure gasoline hybrid

My first exposure to the 2024 Santa Fe was through photos online. Like many others, I couldn’t help but see its similarities to the modern Land Rover Defender 110, a similarly boxy, square-jawed SUV. My opinion of it changed when I finally saw my test vehicle in person. It’s still a handsome car, but the rear end looks bulky and top-heavy, thanks to its H-shaped taillights that sit low on the widened power liftgate. Black 21-inch wheels, black wheel arches, and lower body trim make the Santa Fe look lower to the ground and less like a purpose-built off-roader. It’s almost wagon-like. I liken the Santa Fe to a cross between a Defender and a Ford Flex.

Adjust as needed

A similar mix of different features exists in the cabin. The tall windshield, good forward visibility, and high window sills make me feel like I’m in a luxury hardcore SUV. But the rest of the cabin feels more like a crossover—in the best way possible. Step-in height is low and comfortable. The gray Nappa leather seats are comfortable, especially in the first row, which is heated and ventilated, with perfectly padded headrests. I’m 5-foot-10, and after adjusting the driver’s seat to my height and preferences, I found plenty of legroom and headroom behind the heated, power-adjustable second-row seats. The third-row seats are compromised by the Santa Fe’s interior design. The bump between the second-row captain’s chairs causes the third-row seats to rise. To maximize rear-row comfort, I had to move the second-row seats forward a bit to leave enough room for my knees and feet. Even so, my knees were lifted higher, and my outside feet were resting on another bump no matter which rear-facing seat I chose. The third-row cupholders and side-mounted air vents are well-thought-out features, but their integration limits the available armrest space.

My family isn’t complaining, though. My wife wanted a Santa Fe as soon as she saw it. When I went out to dinner with my wife, her mother-in-law, and my wife’s aunt and cousin, I heard nothing but good things. My wife’s aunt is an Audi owner, and she immediately fell in love with the paint color. She was also drawn to the ambient lighting and the convenient bag hooks integrated into the back of the front seats. Everyone seemed to like the dual sunroofs. My wife’s cousin was delighted that she had her own climate control in the back row. (Too bad I forgot to tell her that the rear seats recline.)

Baby Driver

Aside from the size of the third-row seat, I have no complaints about the Santa Fe’s cabin. Major touch points are all very soft, especially the soft microfiber covering the A- and B-pillars, visors, and headliner. I could easily monitor the vehicle’s speed thanks to the head-up display (unless I was wearing polarized sunglasses). Hyundai opted for a mix of dials, buttons, switches, and touch-sensitive controls in the center stack, rather than making everything a glossy black “button” for the sake of showing off the tech. I didn’t have to worry about my phone running out of juice, as I had two wireless charging pads and a pair of USB-C chargers. Storage was plentiful; I was able to toss a soft-sided lunch box in the area below the center stack, stow small items in the compartment under the center armrest, and disinfect my office ID in the UV-C sterilizer above the glove box. For better or worse, I didn’t know what to expect in terms of ride quality, but I was still surprised by how soft the Santa Fe’s suspension was.

Finally stood up and set off

Just like the options, the gasoline-powered Santa Fe Calligraphy’s engine choices are limited. In fact, there’s only one engine, paired with an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. Fortunately, the turbocharged 2.5-liter I4’s 277 horsepower and 311 pound-feet of torque are perfect for the Santa Fe. The engine is more than powerful enough to move all three rows of seats quickly—it just has to get rid of the noticeable turbo lag first.

According to the EPA, our test car returned 20 mpg in the city, 28 mpg on the highway, and 23 mpg combined. After 140 miles of driving the Santa Fe, I averaged 19.6 mpg.

An army?

An unfortunate side effect of SUVs being so popular is that many of them look the same. That’s what makes the 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe so appealing—it’s not just the best in its class, it’s a radical departure from the Santa Fe that came before it. It’s a revolution. Will you buy one and be part of this new era of Hyundai’s popular SUV? Let me know in the comments below.