2024 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid - 10 Takeaways | DM Review

[@strategicbushcraft6391]

I own a Santa Fe Hybrid with limited trim, I love it. It has a locking diff. They did an awesome job in the interior, and it is one of the few vehicles with plenty of headroom. I like the Bose sound system on the Limited trim. The hybrid works really well with the turbo engine, the electric Moter eliminates the turbo lag and gives it really good low RPM torque. I think it is 270lb/ft at 1000 RPM! I also like that it has a regular 6 Speed auto transmission instead of a CVT, giving it more offroad potential. The only small downside is the towing capacity is 2000lb because the battery fills up quickly with regenerative braking going down long downhills like I70 in Colorado when the battery is full the 1.6-liter engine tries to do the engine braking, but it isn't that great at it. That can put a lot of strain on the brakes if you are towing, that is why the tow rating is only 2000LB. This is an issue that does not come up very often, but it is good to know about it. On the plus side I have driven up very long uphill stretches and the battery did not go below around 1/3 with good power all the way up the hill this included Vail Pass and Loveland Pass in Colorado and the Going to the Sun Road in Montana.

[@jgs1564]

Great review! I’m glad I came across your channel (I’m now a subscriber). I very recently took delivery of a 2025 Santa Fe Calligraphy 2.5T gas engine (Serenity White pearl with the same gray interior as your test vehicle). I test drove both the ICE and Hybrid models before settling on the 2.5T due to the slight increase in horsepower. Note: the hybrid powertrain is a very reasonable $500 premium over the gas engine. Looking forward to more car reviews from you. BTW, I live in Orange County (Anaheim Hills), so I recognized the area where you test drove the Santa Fe 👍🏻

[@DailyMotor]

Glad to hear, and I hope you enjoy! Maybe you'll see me around on Santiago sometime.

[@darrensmith8673]

Great in-depth review and you raise some good points. Nice to see that they brought the Caligraphy to the hybrids, I have a 23 limited hybrid with 15k miles and it has been flawless with 30mpg average. Would have liked the Cali features like the HUD and black wheels etc. Also nice to see the phone charger is actually useable on this generation rather than overheating your phone, so thanks for commenting on that, you also get wireless carplay on this gen which is nice. The interior is nice and modern over the previous gen but the exterior, especially the rear is just odd looking. Also nice that the rear load height is lower than the previous model. Would I buy one? not sure yet, still on the fence with this or the CX90 PHEV.

[@BoopSnoot]

So its just like a normal Santa Fe, except the transmission lasts more than 100 miles and it gets better fuel economy. Win!

[@jaanfo3874]

My dealership has an SEL AWD Hybrid arriving in about a week in the color I want and I’m pretty much ready to vault onto it. We have a 2013 Santa Fe Sport I want to trade in on it, and a 2022 Tucson Hybrid which has 50,000 miles already and has been flawless (Same powertrain as the Hybrid Fe which makes me feel confident). My biggest complaint is that those side window sunshades aren’t available on the SEL and I’m not paying $7k more for a Limited just to get them. Those were a standard feature on the last generation Hyundai, why couldn’t they be standard this time too???

[@seb5945]

They pixelated the head lights and tail lights?

[@atuldivekar]

Comparing the 2025 Tucson Hybrid and 2025 Santa Fe Hybrid. The major differences are the 3rd row seats and wider rear entrance. The cargo space difference is small -- Tucson has ~39 cu.ft. with 2nd row up and 76(80?) with 2nd row down, Santa Fe has 40.5 with 3rd row down and 80 with 2nd down. If you don't really need the 3rd row seats, is there any justification for the additional $5-7K and external bulk for the Santa Fe ?

[@TheUnreadableUser]

Inside: such a good car. Incredible Powertrain, insane amounts of space, tons of features. Outside: front is beautiful, rear is a mistake. If only it wasn't so ugly in the rear, this would sell like hot cakes.

[@michaels7984]

It still is, seeing a ton of them in the d/fw area.

[@JackSmith-qi7dr]

The rear end is extremely functional.

[@stargate25645]

When are the audio system and fuel efficiency videos coming out for this?

[@DailyMotor]

Sound test is out (link in description), fuel economy on the 24th

[@121476]

Love the car but wow the new Hyundai key is ugly. Hopefully they change that soon

[@BhutJolokias]

I use the digital key in my smart phone. Haven't picked up the key fob in weeks. Problem solved.

[@jakes5530]

Excellent… but still a Hyundai. We’ve had 2 new Hyundai’s in the past few years, one was flawless, the other was a lemon and left us stranded from overheating multiple times. 50/50 is not a risk we’re willing to take.

[@DailyMotor]

Sad to hear :/ warranty doesn't help you when you're stranded

[@jakes5530]

@ yup and dealerships were useless. Basically zero loaner cars available when the car was in the shop waiting on parts. The same part the claimed to “fix” failed a few months after the initial repair too.

[@Brian-og4uu]

@@jakes5530 That's unfortunate. Which vehicle or engine was the problem one? My wife and I are looking to purchase this vehicle, and a big plus for reliability is the drivetrain that's been utilized in sibling cars since 2020 without any notable big issues so far. We currently have a 2012 Sorento that a year ago had it's engine grenade itself due to the common Theta II manufacturing issue. But, they replaced the engine on a 11 yr old, 105k mile car completely free and gave us a rental car the entire time. The car has been 100% flawless otherwise over more than a decade. Replacing the entire engine outside their already class-leading warranty timeframe sold us on them as a brand. Now, I do have a 10 year old 2nd gen Tacoma with 65k miles on it, so we have a super reliable backup vehicle.

[@reserva120]

Which years , what models .. what happened to the one over heating??

[@jakes5530]

@ 2019 santa fe was good. 2022 tuscson overheated. Not exactly sure, i think the water pump had problems or something like that. It was 2 years ago and I’m not mechanically inclined so I dont remember exactly.

[@SimonLee9772]

Negative: For 50K$, no lumbar support for front seat passenger! WHY NOT?

[@HiiImChris]

Im one of the few that thinks the key is decent. Its unique and has a cool factor to it

[@rightlanehog3151]

Charlie, Did you say bold styling? This Santa Fe looks like it fell off the styling tree and hit every branch on the way down.

[@DailyMotor]

:( I think it's cool!

[@Orangematz]

Better to be ugly than boring.

[@121476]

It looks great

[@rightlanehog3151]

@@DailyMotor I will bet you a Loonie this will be completely redesigned with 2.5 years. ;-)

[@LR-ob2qu]

It is bold and fresh! So many competitors are such a yawn!

[@reserva120]

Cost means nothing..