Hyundai Santa Fe - Engines, performance and drive

The Hyundai Santa Fe looks large, courtesy of its boxy styling, but it’s not as big as some SUVs and there are plenty of assistance systems to help you position the car on the road, although the number of warning beeps might infuriate.

The Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid has front-wheel drive as standard, but does have the option of four-wheel drive. The latter can tackle some light off-roading using dedicated mud, sand and snow drive modes, plus a handy hill-descent control system.

Despite not being a full EV, the Santa Fe has a multi-stage regenerative braking system, which you adjust using paddles on the steering wheel. We would like it if the full-hybrid version had a stronger setting, because the car’s highest level can slow the car to a creep, but requires a lot of time and distance to do so.

What is the Hyundai Santa Fe like to drive?

In town

A lofty driving position gives a good view of your surroundings, while all versions feature front and rear parking sensors and a reversing camera to help with manoeuvres. Light steering is also a bonus, while cameras in the door mirrors provide a live view of the car’s flanks in the instrument binnacle when the indicators are used.

The ride at lower speeds is comfortable, while the hybrid system fills in the power band as the engine gets up to speed. The car’s warning beeps are slightly frustrating, though. There’s a distracted-driving warning that tends to activate every time you look anywhere other than straight ahead – which can be a nuisance if you’re looking both ways when pulling out of a junction.

The PHEV model is quiet and refined around town because it favours electric drive as long as there’s enough charge in the battery. Hyundai claims an official range of 33.6 miles from a fully charged pack, while the transition from electric to petrol drive is smooth, with no transmission shunt between power sources.

There are two carry-overs from Hyundai’s EVs found on the Santa Fe. The first is the column-mounted drive selector to the right of the steering wheel, and the other is the steering-wheel paddles that allow you to adjust energy recovery while on the move. The strongest of the five settings isn’t enough for one-pedal driving, but it’s still a welcome feature that allows you to boost the car’s energy recuperation in different situations.

On A- and B-roads

Another irritation of the audible warnings is that the system beeps when the road-sign camera detects a change in limit, and does so again if you should breach it even by 1mph. It’s simple enough to deactivate the system with a long press of the mute button on the multifunction steering wheel, but current regulations mean it defaults back to ‘on’ every time you start the car. This is common on many new cars, though, and isn’t specific to the Santa Fe.

At higher speeds, the Hyundai delivers plenty of comfort. Air suspension isn’t offered, but the conventional springs and dampers are tuned to absorb bumps effectively and keep the cabin calm. A high kerbweight and light controls that are short on feedback preclude any driving fun, while body roll is pronounced if you push on a little harder.

Accelerating sees the engine become more vocal, and the hybrid model uses combustion power most of the time. As long as there’s some charge in the PHEV’s battery (and the system tends to retain around 15 per cent capacity when in use), then the electric motor will do most of the work. When you do wake the engine, it’s not a very pleasant-sounding unit, with a harsh note that is sustained by the gearbox holding on to ratios in the style of a CVT transmission.

On the motorway

Once the Santa Fe is up to speed it’s a quiet and refined place to be. There isn’t much wind or road noise, while the suspension is only unsettled by large bumps, which cause the whole car to shudder. 

The hybrid model isn’t at its best on the motorway because it’s more reliant on the engine for power – Toyota and Lexus still have the measure of rivals when it comes to hybrid efficiency. It’s a similar story with the PHEV when the battery has run down. If you do have some charge left, then the plug-in model will occasionally drive on electricity even at 70mph.

0-62mph acceleration and top speed

The Santa Fe Hybrid produces 212bhp and 367Nm of torque from its turbocharged 1.6-litre petrol engine and single electric, and Hyundai quotes a 0-62mph time of 9.6 seconds for the standard car, while the 4WD model manages the same sprint in 9.8 seconds. Power goes through a six-speed automatic gearbox, and you can get the hybrid in front-wheel drive, or for around £2,000 extra, four-wheel drive.

The Santa Fe PHEV has more power, at 250bhp, but makes the same 367Nm of torque as the hybrid model. The other main difference between the hybrid and PHEV is that the latter is four-wheel drive only, while the car has a 0-62mph time of 9.3 seconds.