2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid First Drive Review: Fixing The 2024 Santa Fe

Following its recent launch and then landing in dealerships, the new Hyundai Santa Fe is starting to appear on the road here in the USA – but the hybrid version has taken a minute to follow. As it’s a big, roomy, three-row crossover, the hybrid is likely to be the smarter choice – both for low-end torque to get it moving, and fuel economy.

The Santa Fe’s hybrid powertrain is shared with the 2025 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid, consisting of a 1.6-liter four-cylinder gas engine, a 6-speed automatic transmission, a 47.7-kw electric motor, and a 1.5-kWh lithium-ion battery. That all adds up to 231 horsepower and 195 lb-ft of torque, which is plenty to shift the much smaller Tucson with some gusto. But is it enough to shift the 4,575 pounds of weight the new Santa Fe Hybrid has to lug around?

First Drive events provide our initial impressions of a vehicle in a restricted environment under certain time constraints. Keep an eye on DrivingOnRoad for our comprehensive Test Drive review which will follow soon.

We slipped away for an hour with the highest trim Santa Fe Hybrid in the rolling countryside around Santa Barbara, California, to find out. But first…

The Elephant In the Room

If you’ve seen the new Santa Fe on the road and wondered if you’re looking at one of those weird knock-off Range Rovers, you’re not the only one. It’s not – although the influence is clear and, to be fair to Hyundai, if you want space inside an SUV, it’s going to be boxy. All automakers are looking for that sporty stance. On the other hand, it’s not Hyundai’s most cohesive design and falls apart at the back, which, this writer feels, is trying too hard to be different and manages to look like a 1980s design concept trying to predict what cars will look like in the 2020s.

However, and somehow, Hyundai has designed the bodywork of the Santa Fe with a drag coefficient of only 0.294 – meaning it is surprisingly aerodynamic for a big, boxy SUV. The Tesla Model S has a drag coefficient of 0.208, for reference. Those low-mounted rear lights, Hyundai says, are placed out of necessity for the heavy tailgate, which, you’ll notice, is a lot wider and leaves only an inch or two of fender on each side. It also offers a low loading height.

So Much Room For Activities And Tech

A big boxy shape means the interior can maximize the width and headroom of the vehicle, and that is the case inside. One of the benefits is the space for a dual-phone wireless charger in the center console, which is freed up because the gear selector is on a stalk on the steering column. This is indicative of Hyundai’s current thinking about how people use cars and the features they value – which includes wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard.

The third row isn’t the most spacious, but it’s fine for its size with a couple of kids. For parents, there’s a standard Rear Seat Quiet Mode for when it’s time for the kids to settle down and nap or sleep. One of the premium trims, a 12-speaker Bose audio system, is standard, and, well, it’s a Bose system, which this writer struggles to get excited about.

Unlike the exterior, there’s no denying the Santa Fe’s design elegance inside, particularly on the higher trim levels. The materials are nice and interesting, the layout is ergonomically thought through, and there’s plenty of shoulder room up front and in the second row.

A Pleasant Drive

Out on the road, and for the better, Hyundai has ignored any sporty driving pretensions and concentrated on comfort. The suspension does its job competently while the cabin suppresses exterior noise in a manner usually exclusive to more premium models. Our concern, however, was how it was going accelerate and maintain speed with less power than the standard turbocharged 2.5-liter gas engine models. The standard model delivers 277 hp and 311 lb-ft from its gas-only engine, while the hybrid offers a substantively lower 231 hp with 271 lb-ft.

With little drama, we pulled out into traffic and found the hybrid system to be fine. Nothing special, just fine. It may have lower power figures than the gas-only model, but the electric motor smooths out power delivery from a standing start and relieves the load on the transmission, which makes for a smoother driving experience. What it doesn’t do is hide the fact that the 2025 Santa Fe is carrying a lot of weight and, when accelerating hard to get on the freeway, the 1.6-liter engine can only be helped so far by a small electric motor.

More Fuel Efficient At A Reasonable Price

The Santa Fe Hybrid comes in three trims: SEL, Limited, and Calligraphy. The Santa Fe Hybrid SEL starts at $37,200 versus the regular Santa Fe’s SEL trim price of $36,700. For an extra $500, it’s a no-brainer upgrade, and Hyundai may be annoying some existing 2024 Santa Fe customers with that. There’s a significant difference in gas mileage figures which makes the hybrid an obvious choice:

*Excludes XRT which earns 19/26/22 mpg

Given that the Santa Fe is a family SUV designed for comfort and practicality and the hybrid delivers a smoother driving experience with enough power for day-to-day life, it’s a fantastic choice for most people. However, we didn’t get a chance to load up with people and gear in the hybrid to see how it performed with extra load like we did with last year’s regular model. That’s something to do when we get one in for a full week’s test drive.

Pricing looks as follows (excluding options and destination charges):

* Excludes options and destination charges

With price differences not being too significant, it’ll be interesting to see how the hybrid fares as a car you need to live with; off the the bat, it seems like the more sensible purchase for those who want to capitalize on economy.