The 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe is an excellent midsize SUV, but not one that would get your attention at a stoplight. The 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe will grab you by the chin, turn your head to look at it, and not let go until the light goes green. Seriously. You’re going to stare for an uncomfortably long time.
Hyundai has redesigned its 2-row midsize SUV, taking it from practical to practically the best-looking thing in its class.
It Replaces an Excellent Vehicle
The Santa Fe on dealer lots today won our 2023 Best Buy Award in the 2-row midsize SUV class with its solid fuel economy, good driving dynamics, and a premium feel inside and out – not to mention a powertrain warranty that protects you from surprises for 10 years.
We don’t know much about the new version yet – Hyundai has released photos, but not specifications. But the Korean automaker isn’t known for breaking what works. We expect the next version to have most of the same day-to-day virtues. It may even have the same powertrain (the model in photos wears badges reading 2.5T HTRAC, suggesting it may use the same 2.5-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder and HTRAC all-wheel-drive system available on the current model.
But it looks radically different.
Chunky and Dramatic Look
Its boxy lines are bold and joyful. You could mistake it for a Land Rover Defender 130 out of the future or what the Ford Flex might have looked like had it made it to the 2030 model year.
But it’s also unmistakeably Hyundai. The best current Hyundai designs lean into a pixelated style, with 8-bit lighting and faceted surfaces. The 2024 Santa Fe wears that well. H-shaped headlights connected by a horizontal light bar stretch across a faceted front fascia.
The roofline seems almost parallel to the road, and the tailgate is at almost a 90-degree angle. Prominent fender flares are squared off, too, over big 21-inch wheels.
Just as Angular Inside
Inside, the design also cribs from Land Rover. But that’s the right decision. A simple, flat-fronted dashboard is outlined in LED accent lighting. Dual 12.3-inch screens are mounted together. Hyundai calls it a “panoramic curved display,” but any curve is subtle and would seem like a betrayal.
A tall center console with pass-through space underneath makes the driver and front passenger seem tucked into their own tubs.
Each gets their own wireless charging pad – a move we’d like to see more automakers embrace.
The current Santa Fe is a 2-row-only machine, but Hyundai says it will offer a third row of seating for the 2024 model in its domestic market. We’ll have to wait to find out if that’s also true for the U.S.
Hyundai says details are coming in August. We can’t wait to bring them to you.
