Hyundai’s latest Santa Fe has been racking up the awards.
Story Bruce McMahon Photo Hyundai
Hyundai’s fifth-generation Santa Fe is a family wagon of class and engaging confidence. Perhaps the square-jawed, straight-angled style – reminiscent of some Land Rovers – may divide opinions, but there is a wealth of substance to the engineering, ergonomics and practicality of this 5-door Korean machine. There are sensible options too, with the choice of 2- or all-wheel drive, plus an XRT pack that adds extra ground clearance and some off-road credence.
Prices start around $58,000, before on-road costs, for the base, front-wheel drive version. Even in that standard trim, the Hyundai is packed with most necessary mod cons. It can seat 7, drives well and, with hybrid powerplant, is surprisingly economical for a large car. It is a comfortable tourer and perhaps the most rounded, most complete, of family wagons offered here since Ford Australia’s Territory.
The bigger, bolder Santa Fe of 2025 sits on a longer wheelbase with a taller and wider body than its well-regarded predecessor. Larger exterior dimensions, plus clean and largely straight-edged cabin design, allow for more room across all 3 rows of seats. Fit and finish are good – not too much hard plastic.
The wagon is kitted out with the usual infotainment and convenience features such as Apple CarPlay and the like, yet just as notable is the attention to details such as USB ports available through to the far back row, storage spots for long-distance drinks and snacks, cubby holes for odds and ends, plus sensible and legible graphics for instruments and driver instructions. There is, of course, the usual array of driver aids, from blind spot warnings to one helping avoid rear-end accidents, but these verbal and physical alerts are toned down compared with most cars.
While the overhead camera is a boon when parking a 4.8m long vehicle, the Santa Fe rarely feels oversized or cumbersome. Steering, if a little light to the touch, is direct and responsive. The front-drive version turns into corners with confidence and sits well, with little body roll through highway turns. It is quiet and rides with some comfort down a gravel road. In fact, it’s a most congenial back-roads tourer, with panoramic windows and windshield for enjoying wide country landscapes.
Powering this particular wagon is Hyundai’s hybrid powerplant – a 1.6L petrol engine with a 1.49kWh battery and 44.2kW electric motor for a total of 172kW. While the chassis and 6-speed auto transmission could handle more power (and there is a 206kW petrol-engined option), that standard power output should be sufficient for most family drivers. And the base power plant will deliver fuel economy under 6L/100km for town and country work – impressive for an SUV of this size.
Transitions between electric and petrol power are seamless, while this Santa Fe’s regenerative braking – supplying electricity back to the battery – appears more efficient than some. It can be aided by paddle shifters for 3 different powertrain braking applications.
The gear selector is also on the steering column, turned back and forward to find forward, reverse and neutral, saving console space but taking a day or two to become familiar.
This is an easy machine to appreciate: easy to drive and easy to ride. Where the previous Santa Fe hybrid was a very good wagon, this version ups the ante. The larger body means more space for all, from driver to third row passengers. A fresh, and very full, suite of convenience features includes a Bose sound system and it is a welcoming, practical cabin. The powertrain is economical and road manners confident and controlled over all types of surfaces. Plus, there is that huge assortment of active and passive safety features, including 10 airbags, lane-keeping monitors, emergency braking assists and the like.
Country folk may consider the all-wheel-drive version of the Santa Fe for a touch more surety on indifferent regional roads and may then consider optioning that up with Hyundai’s basic XRT kit – 17-inch wheels, special Pirelli tyres, skid plate plus a 30mm suspension lift. For some rural buyers, this could be a viable, and cheaper, alternative to Toyota’s 4WD Prado wagon (though the Santa Fe’s towing capacity of 1650kg for the 1.6L hybrid version and 2000kg for the 2.5L version may not suit some).
This latest Santa Fe has already won a number of critics’ awards around the world, including Top Gear’s SUV of the Year, Women’s Worldwide 2025 Car of the Year (as voted by 82 female journalists) and Fairfax’s Drive Car of the Year. It is likely to find favour, too, with a number of Australian families.
