2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid First Drive Review: Is This The Best Version Of The Santa Fe?

Following its current launch after which touchdown in dealerships, the brand new Hyundai Santa Fe is beginning to seem on the street right here within the USA – however the hybrid model has taken a minute to observe. As it is a huge, roomy, three-row crossover, the hybrid is more likely to be the smarter alternative – each for low-end torque to get it transferring, and gas financial system.

The Santa Fe’s hybrid powertrain is shared with the 2025 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid, consisting of a 1.6-liter four-cylinder fuel engine, a 6-speed automated transmission, a 47.7-kw electrical motor, and a 1.5-kWh lithium-ion battery. That every one provides as much as 231 horsepower and 195 lb-ft of torque, which is loads to shift the a lot smaller Tucson with some gusto. However is it sufficient to shift the 4,575 kilos of weight the brand new Santa Fe Hybrid has to lug round?

First Drive occasions present our preliminary impressions of a car in a restricted atmosphere beneath sure time constraints. Regulate CarBuzz for our complete Check Drive evaluation which is able to observe quickly.

We slipped away for an hour with the best trim Santa Fe Hybrid within the rolling countryside round Santa Barbara, California, to seek out out. However first…

The Elephant Within the Room

When you’ve seen the brand new Santa Fe on the street and puzzled if you happen to’re taking a look at a type of bizarre knock-off Vary Rovers, you are not the one one. It is not – though the affect is evident and, to be truthful to Hyundai, if you’d like area inside an SUV, it is going to be boxy. All automakers are on the lookout for that sporty stance. However, it isn’t Hyundai’s most cohesive design and falls aside on the again, which, this author feels, is attempting too arduous to be totally different and manages to seem like a Nineteen Eighties design idea attempting to foretell what automobiles will seem like within the 2020s.

Nonetheless, and in some way, Hyundai has designed the bodywork of the Santa Fe with a drag coefficient of solely 0.294 – that means it’s surprisingly aerodynamic for an enormous, boxy SUV. The Tesla Mannequin S has a drag coefficient of 0.208, for reference. These low-mounted back lights, Hyundai says, are positioned out of necessity for the heavy tailgate, which, you may discover, is quite a bit wider and leaves solely an inch or two of fender on both sides. It additionally presents a low loading top.

So A lot Room For Actions And Tech

A giant boxy form means the inside can maximize the width and headroom of the car, and that’s the case inside. One of many advantages is the area for a dual-phone wi-fi charger within the middle console, which is freed up as a result of the gear selector is on a stalk on the steering column. That is indicative of Hyundai’s present eager about how folks use automobiles and the options they worth – which incorporates wi-fi Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as customary.

The third row is not probably the most spacious, however it’s high quality for its measurement with a few children. For fogeys, there’s an ordinary Rear Seat Quiet Mode for when it is time for the children to quiet down and nap or sleep. One of many premium trims, a 12-speaker Bose audio system, is customary, and, effectively, it is a Bose system, which this author struggles to get enthusiastic about.

In contrast to the outside, there is no denying the Santa Fe’s design class inside, significantly on the upper trim ranges. The supplies are good and attention-grabbing, the format is ergonomically thought by way of, and there is loads of shoulder room up entrance and within the second row.

A Nice Drive

Out on the street, and for the higher, Hyundai has ignored any sporty driving pretensions and targeting consolation. The suspension does its job competently whereas the cabin suppresses exterior noise in a way often unique to extra premium fashions. Our concern, nonetheless, was the way it was going speed up and preserve pace with much less energy than the usual turbocharged 2.5-liter fuel engine fashions. The usual mannequin delivers 277 hp and 311 lb-ft from its gas-only engine, whereas the hybrid presents a substantively decrease 231 hp with 271 lb-ft.

With little drama, we pulled out into visitors and located the hybrid system to be high quality. Nothing particular, simply high quality. It could have decrease energy figures than the gas-only mannequin, however the electrical motor smooths out energy supply from a standing begin and relieves the load on the transmission, which makes for a smoother driving expertise. What it would not do is cover the truth that the 2025 Santa Fe is carrying a variety of weight and, when accelerating arduous to get on the freeway, the 1.6-liter engine can solely be helped to this point by a small electrical motor.

Extra Gas Environment friendly At A Affordable Value

The Santa Fe Hybrid is available in three trims: SEL, Restricted, and Calligraphy. The Santa Fe Hybrid SEL begins at $37,200 versus the common Santa Fe’s SEL trim value of $36,700. For an additional $500, it is a no-brainer improve, and Hyundai could also be annoying some present 2024 Santa Fe prospects with that. There is a vital distinction in fuel mileage figures which makes the hybrid an apparent alternative:

*Excludes XRT which earns 19/26/22 mpg

Provided that the Santa Fe is a household SUV designed for consolation and practicality and the hybrid delivers a smoother driving expertise with sufficient energy for day-to-day life, it is a incredible alternative for most individuals. Nonetheless, we did not get an opportunity to load up with folks and kit within the hybrid to see the way it carried out with further load like we did with final 12 months’s common mannequin. That is one thing to do after we get one in for a full week’s take a look at drive.

Pricing seems as follows (excluding choices and vacation spot prices):

* Excludes choices and vacation spot prices

With value variations not being too vital, it’s going to be attention-grabbing to see how the hybrid fares as a automotive it’s essential to stay with; off the the bat, it looks like the extra wise buy for many who need to capitalize on financial system.