Hyundai Santa Fe review - Engines, drive & performance

Stepping into the latest Hyundai Santa Fe, we were struck with how high-end it felt compared to the outgoing car, and this is also reflected in the driving experience. In the full hybrid the electric motor does its best work at low speeds, making for smooth and quiet acceleration around town. This also means it’s not really built with driving enthusiasts in mind – for more composure and driving feel you’d be better off with a BMW X5, which can be optioned with an extra row of seats to make it a seven-seater too.

Press the Santa Fe’s accelerator even a tiny amount at 30mph or more and the four-cylinder petrol fires into life, and the engine sounds rather coarse in the process, making it less refined than a Skoda Kodiaq when pushed hard. We also found the automatic gearbox a bit reluctant to downshift for quicker acceleration, and while swapping into Sport mode does make the throttle a bit more reactive, it’s not a really significant change. There’s a three-step regenerative braking system, but we’d prefer it to be even stronger in its highest setting, because it still takes a long distance to slow the car down, and doesn’t bring it to a halt for ‘one-pedal driving’.

Visibility from behind the wheel is very good, partly because of the Santa Fe’s reasonably thin windscreen pillars, and also because of its raised height. We took the four-wheel drive Santa Fe hybrid off-road, and it wasn't flustered by the course, while its hill-descent setting was reassuring while heading down steep and slippy slopes. Drivers can pick mud, sand and snow driving modes to alter the car’s behaviour accordingly.

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Is it good to drive in town?

The Hyundai Santa Fe is a large car, which might make it daunting to drive in urban areas at first, but its high driving position means it offers good visibility. All versions get front and rear parking sensors and a reversing camera which makes manoeuvring in tight spots a lot easier.

Is it good to drive on long journeys?

The Hyundai Santa Fe is a good motorway cruiser because it’s very refined and quiet. Road and wind noise are kept to a minimum, and the comfort-tuned suspension is only really upset by larger imperfections.

Is it good to drive on B-roads?

The Hyundai Santa Fe isn’t really a car designed for spirited driving on a B-road. Push the Santa Fe hard on a twisty road and the gruff engine noise becomes much more prominent, while body roll is very noticeable. It’s best to stick to more leisurely driving when behind the wheel of the Santa Fe.

Plug-in hybrid model

The plug-in hybrid will also be making its way to the UK, and while we’re yet to drive it, we’d expect it to be just as refined. It uses the same petrol engine, and a longer electric range compared to the hybrid model means it will be able to run with the petrol engine off, making it quieter more of the time. We’ll have to reserve full judgement for when we get a chance to drive it to see how smoothly the system transitions from electric to petrol power, and if the added weight of the larger battery affects its driving feel.