The New 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe Looks So Good, You'd Think It Was Electric

Hyundai has just pulled the wraps off the highly anticipated 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe, marking the fifth generation of the popular crossover SUV. This new Santa Fe is a far cry from its predecessors and features a radical design overhaul, some serious performance upgrades, and a whole lot of advanced tech. 

The new SUV looks nothing like the outgoing fourth generation model, and replaces the classic sleek lines of the old Santa Fe with boxy angles and rugged aesthetics. The front fascia of the car now gets a striking grille with H-shaped LED daytime running lights, while the rear showcases horizontally stacked LED taillights that echo the same motif, reminiscent of the smaller Hyundai Exter compact SUV.

There are now two engine options for the car: Starting with a 2.5-liter direct-injected, turbocharged engine mated to an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, it belts out 277 horsepower and 311 pound-feet of torque. The second engine option targets economy-focused buyers with a smaller 1.6-liter direct-injected, turbocharged hybrid engine. This engine is offered with a six-speed automatic transmission, and outputs 232 horsepower and 271 pound-feet of torque.

Hyundai also used this opportunity to showcase the new Santa Fe RXT, which is an outdoor focused model that gets larger tires and an additional 1.8 inches of ground clearance over the standard model. It also boasts 4,500 lbs. of towing capacity. The 2024 Santa Fe redesign appears to be Hyundai's take on a classic SUV design, but could easily be mistaken for a futuristic electric car.

Despite its rugged exterior, the 2024 Santa Fe remains true to its roots as a family-oriented SUV. Its three-row seating configuration can accommodate up to six passengers, with ample legroom and recline in the second row. Even the third-row seats offer a reasonable amount of legroom, and also folds down flat to offer up to 83.6 cubic feet of cargo space.

The 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe is pretty loaded when it comes to safety and driving assistance features. Notable inclusions are Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist, Lane Following Assist, and Driver Attention Warning (DAW). A new feature for Hyundai North America is the Forward Attention Warning (FAW) feature that monitors the drivers attention levels to ensure safe driving.

Hyundai

Once inside the 2024 Santa Fe, the center of attention has to be the massive 12.3-inch displays for the instrument cluster and touchscreen infotainment system. For the tech obsessed, the car offers dual wireless charging systems for smartphones. Vehicle updates are issued OTA as well as at Hyundai service centers, and the new Santa Fe also supports Digital Key 2 entry and remote control.

Hyundai's new SUV also supports wired fast charging for devices at up to 27 watts, and even the third row passengers get ample USB-C ports for charging. An interesting addition — and probably necessary one in the post-COVID-19 era — is a dedicated UV-C sterilization compartment that uses UV light to sterilize items like cell phones, wallets, and glasses.

The 2024 Sante Fe is expected to go on sale starting in March of 2024, with the 2.5L variant being made available to consumers first.