2025 Hyundai Santa Fe

There’s a niche between compact and midsize SUVs that the Santa Fe is great at filling. For those buyers who don’t quite need all the space of something like a Hyundai Palisade, the Santa Fe is going to be a must-consider. And these user-friendly dimensions are only one aspect of a tech-rich, stunning-looking and generally superb SUV that still comes with the reassurance of fantastic warranties.

No doubt about it, Hyundai has scored another winner. We’ve already made the Santa Fe one of our top recommendations for family cars.

We’ve logged hundreds of hours driving and evaluating this generation of midsize SUVs, including the Hyundai Santa Fe.

This current generation made its debut only last year, so everything is still fresh. The only change is an extra paint choice of Atlantis Blue.

The extremely plush Calligraphy model with all-wheel drive is a popular choice. We would recommend at least the SEL to gain a few features that improve the quality of life on the road.

The Santa Fe is on the small side of the midsize SUV class, but that also makes it more affordable than the typically larger competition. Top-selling almost-midsize SUVs include the Toyota Highlander (priced higher than the Santa Fe), Kia Sorento, and Subaru Ascent — the latter two more in line with this Hyundai.

Before buying a new Santa Fe SUV, check the Kelley Blue Book Fair Purchase Price to know what you should really pay. We expect this generation’s resale values to be stronger than the somewhat below-average residuals of the previous model. Recouping more money when selling a vehicle can mean a bigger down payment and lower monthly payments on the next one.

The Santa Fe is propelled by a substantial 277 horsepower from a turbocharged 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine. We’ve found it’s a fine match for this size of vehicle. To compare, the Toyota Highlander comes close-ish with 265 horsepower, while the Subaru Ascent has 260 horses.

Over rolling hills, narrow streets or highways, the Santa Fe takes them all in its capable stride. It never felt like a rocket to us, but neither were we ever concerned about getting up to speed. This iteration of Santa Fe is notably quieter and smoother riding than past generations, while outward vision is excellent. We also appreciated the smoothness of the 8-speed automatic transmission.

Another smooth operator is Hyundai’s Highway Driving Assist, which we’ve long trumpeted as one of the best partial self-driving systems. It’s available here in two versions. The top Calligraphy trim has Highway Driving Assist 2 with lane-changing assistance. Basic smart cruise control with stop and go (a standard feature in the Santa Fe) is pretty good, while this is an absolute boon in both open highway and congested traffic situations. A head-up display is standard in the Calligraphy, but we found its usefulness limited when wearing polarized sunglasses.

Most of our testing so far has been in a Calligraphy model. Still, we must give a shout-out to the Santa Fe XRT, the rugged sibling with extra ground clearance (8.3 inches, as opposed to the usual 7.0 inches), greater towing ability (4,500 pounds versus 3,500), and all-terrain tires. On an off-road course that was more challenging than the type of terrain most Santa Fe owners will ever tackle, we found the XRT surprisingly capable. With its all-wheel-drive system set to Lock mode for even torque distribution, the XRT Santa Fe scampered up steep, rutted and rocky trails, and took the fear out of descending those trails with its hill descent control. We always find it refreshing when such an off-road-oriented model isn’t just show.

Fuel Economy

With all-wheel drive, a popular configuration, the Santa Fe achieves 23 mpg in combined city/highway driving. That’s close to a comparable Toyota Highlander. Add one mile per gallon for front-wheel drive, subtract one for the XRT. For reference, an all-wheel-drive Santa Fe Hybrid runs to 34 mpg combined.

If even higher fuel economy is a priority, consider the 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid, which we review separately.

We’re big fans of the Santa Fe’s features, roominess, practicality, and interior design. Hyundai offers a Panoramic Curved Display integrating the infotainment screen and digital gauge cluster in one seamless unit. We’ve found it works well, conveying all the necessary information without being overwhelming.

A twist-to-drive column shifter opens up the center console where a traditional gear lever would usually go. Now that space holds the wireless phone charging pad. Materials are of impressive quality. With a nod to sustainability, the Santa Fe comes with recycled plastic in the seatbacks, mats, and headliner. Fine Nappa leather seating surfaces are available. Our only gripe is that most climate functions, including fan speed, rely on touch-sensing technology rather than a physical control.

This generation of Santa Fe comes with three rows of seating as standard. Most variants have a second-row bench and seating for up to seven; the 6-seater Calligraphy has a pair of exceptionally comfortable captain’s chairs in the second row. Unsurprisingly, the larger Palisade SUV has more space for people and stuff, but the Santa Fe still has plenty of legroom (42.3 and 30 inches in rows two and three respectively) along with a lot of cargo space — 14.6 cubic feet behind the rearmost seats, opening out to a total of 79.6 cubic feet.

Those second and third rows fold nearly flat, while the huge tailgate complements an equally sizable aperture leading into what Hyundai calls a “terrace-like” space inside. The result (and intention, according to Hyundai’s designers) is a place where owners can tailgate or even sleep. To compare, the Toyota Highlander loses a bit of second- and third-row passenger space to enable a slightly larger cargo area than the Santa Fe.

This latest Santa Fe has a radical aesthetic, blending a boxy SUV shape while retaining its compact-midsize “tweener” footprint. It’s about 8 inches longer than the Hyundai Tucson compact SUV, and 6.5 inches shorter than the Hyundai Palisade midsize SUV.

At just under 16 feet, the current Santa Fe is only a couple of inches longer than its rounded predecessor. It’s just that the sharp angles, straight lines, and floating roof design give the illusion that it’s much bigger. Overall, it has a rugged yet modern look, and the “H” motif in the LED lighting is a Santa Fe hallmark. A new color choice this year is Atlantis Blue.

Powered tailgate
If there’s one feature we always (and we mean always) appreciate in an SUV, it’s this. Even better, this one has hands-free operation and adjustable height settings. Better still — it’s standard across the lineup.

Built-in grab handle
Hyundai really meant it when it said the Santa Fe was designed to be an activity vehicle, one where you might put stuff on the roof. To help you get up there is an ingenious hidden grab handle in the C-pillar above the rear wheel. It’s flush until it’s pressed, and it’s even lockable.

Dual wireless charging pads
There’s no need to fight the passenger to juice up with this thoughtful feature, standard in the Calligraphy trim. All other models get a single wireless charging pad.

Bi-directional center console
The Santa Fe features a dual-level center console, the top of which flips up from the front or back for easy access from either of the first two rows. We think this is a brilliant idea.

UV sanitizing station
The Santa Fe was designed during the Covid pandemic when hygiene was a higher-than-usual priority. So it offers an ultraviolet sanitizing section in the glove compartment that’s always useful for phones and children’s toys. It’s standard in Limited and Calligraphy trims.

Fingerprint reader
This feature in the top trims provides an extra layer of security and the ability to lock various functions when handing the Santa Fe off to a valet.

Hyundai Pay
We’re always happy to see technology like this. It allows users to pay for things like parking and gas directly from the touchscreen while safe inside the vehicle. For example, there’s no need to swipe a credit card at a sketchy gas station and risk getting the number skimmed.

A turbocharged 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine endows the Santa Fe SUV with 277 horsepower and 311 lb-ft of torque. This goes through an 8-speed automatic transmission to a standard configuration of front-wheel drive, or optional all-wheel drive (the XRT has all-wheel drive as standard).

5-Year/60,000-Mile Warranty

The Santa Fe enjoys class-leading warranties. Hyundai’s excellent coverage includes a 5-year/60,000-mile (whichever happens first) basic warranty, a 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty, and a 3-year/36,000-mile complimentary maintenance plan.

Safety Ratings

This generation of Santa Fe has been named a Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the institute’s second-highest accolade. Standard safety features include forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, and lane-keeping assistance.