With its muscular, angular sheetmetal, it’s hard to believe we once described the Hyundai Santa Fe as having “spooky front-end styling.” While the old model continued to place near the top of ourappears to address many of our criticisms, starting with its styling. The changes go well beyond simple cosmetics, though, and we’ve detailed the most significant differences between the old and new Hyundai Santa Fe so you can decide if it’s worth springing for the 2024 model.
The step-up Limited and Calligraphy trims equipped a 2.5-liter turbocharged I-4 developing 281 hp and 311 lb-ft of torque, plus an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. Front-wheel drive was standard, and all-wheel drive was available. Turbo versions of the Santa Fe were downright quick, with all-wheel-drive models accelerating from 0 to 60 mph in just 6.2 seconds. Fuel economy was slightly worse at 22/28 mpg with FWD and 21/28 mpg with AWD.
Hybrid models received a 1.6-liter turbocharged I-4 and an electric motor producing 226 total hp. Every Santa Fe Hybrid received a six-speed automatic transmission and AWD. These models were quicker than the naturally aspirated versions of Hyundai’s SUV but slower than the turbo gasoline-only variant. We tested the Santa Fe Hybrid at an 8.2-second 0–60-mph sprint. EPA ratings for the extra frugal Santa Fe Hybrid Blue were 33/30 mpg, and all other versions returned 36/31 mpg.
The Hyundai Santa Fe Plug-in Hybrid received a larger 13.8-kWh battery pack, raising output to 261 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque. Reaching 60 mph from a stop took 7.0 seconds, making it the second quickest version of the old Santa Fe. The EPA rated the Santa Fe equipped with the Plug-in Hybrid at 76Hyundai has chopped the number of available powertrains in half for the 2024 Santa Fe. We expect most new Santa Fe SUVs seen on the road to make use of a 2.
The 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid comes equipped with a 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine and an electric motor developing 232 hp and 271 lb-ft of torque. AWD comes standard. We don’t expect fuel economy to improve because the new Santa Fe is up to 600 pounds heavier than its predecessor.The outgoing Hyundai Santa Fe’s XRT trim wasn’t anything of note. Offered with cosmetic-only touches, the Santa Fe XRT could be had with FWD or AWD.