2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Review

For 2025, the Santa Fe range has grown, with the introduction of new petrol-electric hybrid versions as well as a more affordable entry-level version for price-conscious buyers.

Fresh off its serious fifth-generation overhaul, the Santa Fe looks better than ever, offers a more practical layout and comes jam-packed with safety tech.

It's said to be the last word in family-friendly motoring, but just how well does the Hyundai Santa Fe stack up as a value proposition and take the fight to its ever-plentiful seven-seat SUV rivals?

Hyundai Santa Fe Competition

How Much Does the Hyundai Santa Fe Cost?

Prices for the MY25 Hyundai Santa Fe range kick off from $53,000 for the entry-level Santa Fe 2WD stretch out to $76,500 for the range-topping Santa Fe Hybrid Calligraphy AWD.

Full pricing for the range can be found below.

• MY25 Santa Fe 2WD - $53,000

• MY25 Santa Fe AWD - $56,000

• MY25 Santa Fe Hybrid 2WD - $57,000

• MY25 Santa Fe Hybrid AWD - $60,000

• MY25 Santa Fe Elite AWD - $62,500

• MY25 Santa Fe Hybrid Eliite AWD - $66,500

• MY25 Santa Fe Calligraphy AWD - $72,500

• MY25 Santa Fe Hybrid Calligraphy AWD - $76,500

XRT Adventure Option Pack - $6,900 XRT Peak Option Pack - $9,900

Keep in mind that these prices are subject to change and do not include on-road costs.

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Hyundai Santa Fe (7 SEAT) (2WD) Specifications

What Features Does the Hyundai Santa Fe Have?

Hyundai's entry-level Santa Fe range comes extremely well-equipped, negating the need for many buyers to step further up the range.

The list of gear for the base Santa Fe is headlined by a set of 20-inch alloys, LED headlights, adaptive cruise control, a powered boot lift, a surround-view monitor with front & rear parking sensors, keyless entry & start, cloth upholstery with a leather-wrapped steering wheel, heated front seats and a power-adjustable driver's seat, a silver skid plate, a wireless charging pad, a 6.6-inch climate display, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a full-sized spare tyre.

Buyers stepping up to the Santa Fe Elite range pick up projector LED headlights, leather upholstery with leatherette door surrounds, a suede headliner, dual wireless chargers up front, ambient lighting, remote smart parking, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, stainless steel door sill plates and Hyundai's passenger talk system.

Finally, the range-topping Santa Fe Calligraphy range picks up a range of satin black exterior highlights, Nappa leather upholstery with heated rear seats, ventilated front ‘relaxation’ seats, a panoramic sunroof, head-up display, four-way lumbar support for the 14-way power-adjustable driver's seat, a digital rear-view mirror and a UV-C sanitiser.

Hyundai's XRT Adventure Option Pack adds a set of 17-inch wheels wrapped in Pirelli Scorpion all-terrain tyres, protective skid plates, mudflaps and a revised suspension package offering 30mm added ground clearance revised hardware front & rear.

The XRT Peak Option Pack adds everything included above, atop a set of black side steps, roof racks and a roof platform with dual channels.

Hyundai Santa Fe Connectivity & Infotainment Features

For 2025, all members of the Hyundai Santa Fe range come packing some serious interior technology.

There's a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster paired with a 6.5-inch climate display that sits seamlessly beside the 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system that dominates the dashboard and asserts the Santa Fe as a seriously impressive technology package.

The Santa Fe's 12.3-inch infotainment system is packaged with AM/FM and DAB+ digital radio and paired with a six-speaker sound system for most variants in the range.

Upgrading to the Elite adds satellite navigation with live traffic information as well as an upgraded 12-speaker sound system.

Buyers also pick up a five-year subscription to Hyundai's Bluelink connected services suite, which offers everything from remote vehicle controls and diagnostics, location tracking, over-the-air software updates and emergency calls.

Does the Hyundai Santa Fe Have Wireless Apple CarPlay & Android Auto?

Hyundai has very clearly taken a tech-heavy approach to the Santa Fe's design.

This has continued with the company's approach to hands-free smartphone mirroring, with Hyundai offering both wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto across the range.

You can also pair your phone via one of the two USB-C ports in the front of the cabin for a wired connection, or simply place your phone on the wireless charging pad and access your favourite tunes wirelessly.

Is the Hyundai Santa Fe Comfortable to Drive?

It sure is - in fact, the Santa Fe is one of the most impressive all-rounders in the segment.

Importantly, Hyundai has done a great job to make sure that its big, long and tall family-moving chariot doesn't feel like a boat on the road and remains user-friendly on a jaunt through town.

Under the bonnet, the base model picks up a 2.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol unit that pushes out 206kW of power and 422Nm of torque which channels power to the front or all four-wheels via a snappy dual-clutch transmission.

Fuel-conscious buyers also have the choice of a 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol unit paired with an electric motor that produces a combined 172kW of power and 367Nm of torque, with the option of FWD and AWD layouts available.

Power figures are very healthy for the base petrol range, while the hybrid provides a particularly refined nature behind the wheel as it takes off from the line on electric power.

Braked towing figures stand at 2,000kg in the 2.5T petrol version, dropping quite significantly to 1,650kg.

Whichever engine you opt for, the Santa Fe is approachable in tight quarters around town thanks to its great visibility and lightweight, accurate steering.

The ride quality around town is nice and smooth, with the suspension ironing out smaller, sharp bumps from driveways and expansion joints with ease.

You can definitely feel its weight and height in the corners, though the Santa Fe provides a nice, confidence-inspiring ride on a stretch of country road, in spite of it not picking up a local ride and handling tune.

Long stretches on the highway are tackled with ease thanks to the smooth ride quality and accurate steering, with the base petrol engine proving the most willing in terms of acceleration.

Overall, the Santa Fe is a difficult package to fault when it comes to the driving experience, ticking fundamental boxes around town, on country roads and the highway.

Is the Hyundai Santa Fe Fuel Efficient?

Thanks to the introduction of a petrol-electric hybrid version, the Santa Fe is now one of the most fuel-efficient seven-seat SUVs on the market.

Both the Santa Fe 2WD & AWD petrol versions are rated at 9.3L per 100km on a combined cycle.

Similarly, both the Santa Fe Hybrid FWD and AWD variants return the same figures of 5.6L per 100km.

• Santa Fe 2.5T Petrol City Fuel Economy: 13.3L per 100km

• Santa Fe 2.5T Petrol Highway Fuel Economy: 7.0L per 100km

• Santa Fe 2.5T Petrol Combined Fuel Economy: 9.3L per 100km

• Santa Fe Hybrid City Fuel Economy: 6.2L per 100km

• Santa Fe Hybrid Highway Fuel Economy: 5.3L per 100km

• Santa Fe Hybrid Combined Fuel Economy: 5.6L per 100km

Is the Hyundai Santa Fe Practical and Spacious?

The Santa Fe is one of the most family-friendly propositions in the segment, offering no shortage of practical touches.

One of the biggest leaps forward for the Santa Fe, in its fifth generation, was a complete overhaul of the front cabin's design.

The end result is an extremely high-tech array of displays that headlines the dashboard, a chunky centre console filled with storage options and a solid grasp on driving ergonomics.

Climb aboard and the driver's seat greets you with tonnes of headroom and excellent visibility, with both reach- and rake adjustment on offer for the steering wheel and power-adjustment in the seat, even in base form.

In fact, one of the most impressive aspects of Hyundai's entry-level Santa Fe is that it in no way feels like a base model… it looks and feels much more premium than a base model otherwise should.

The Santa Fe eats up bags and loose items with ease thanks to the clever centre console design that houses a large tray with a wireless charing pad, a pair of cupholders and added storage inside the folding armest.

Look beneath the centre console and there's a large cut-out that confidently eats up smaller bags and valuables which, combined with two gloveboxes in front of the passenger and large door bins, makes the Santa Fe an over-achiever for storage up front.

Move to the second row and things remain impressive.

There's no shortage of legroom, meaning adults can sit behind a leggy driver or front passenger without a problem, with acres of headroom also on offer.

The Santa Fe's second row bench seat sits on rails, allowing it to slide back and forth while also offering a lovely amount of recline for longer trips.

There's USB-C outlets, map pockets, bag hooks and a folding centre armrest with cupholders back here to keep the kids happy, with plush soft touchpoints everywhere.

On the topic of kids, the Santa Fe boasts no less than four separate ISOFIX anchor points, two in the second row and another pair in the third row, along with top tether mounts for both.

Accessing the third row is just one button press away, providing a pair of seats that are perfect for young kids and don't feel too cramped thanks to the tall, boxy roof design and large windows that let light into the rearmost of the cabin.

Overall, the Santa Fe is a seriously practical seven-seat SUV package that treats those in the front, middle and rear of the cabin with respect.

How Big is the Hyundai Santa Fe's Boot?

The Santa Fe bucks the wider trend of seven-seat SUVs with diminutive boot space, offering extremely healthy figures even with seven seats in play.

Figures do, however, vary slightly between petrol and hybrid variants, with the 2.5T offering a slight premium when it comes to boot space; but there's little in it.

• Santa Fe 2.5T Boot Space Minimum: 642L

• Santa Fe 2.5T Boot Space Maximum: 1,963L

• Santa Fe Hybrid Boot Space Minimum: 628L

• Santa Fe Hybrid Boot Space Maximum: 1,949L

Is the Hyundai Santa Fe Safe?

Hyundai gives buyers a jam-packed safety equipment list in all versions of the Santa Fe, including the base model.

As standard, buyers pick up AEB with vehicle, pedestrian and cyclist detection as well as junction turning, crossing, lane change and direct and side oncoming functions alongside adaptive cruise control, blind-spot assist and rear cross-traffic alerts.

There's also lane-keep assist with lane centring, evasive steering assist, a surround-view monitor with front & rear parking sensors, parking collision avoidance, a blind-spot view monitor, tyre pressure monitoring, rear occupant alerts, safe exit assist and curtain airbags for all three rows of the cabin.

Upgrading to the Santa Fe Elite & Calligraphy range adds a Highway Driving Assistance system that combines navigation-based adaptive cruise control, distance control, lane-follow and lane-change assist.

Does the Hyundai Santa Fe have an ANCAP Safety Rating?

The Hyundai Santa Fe range wears a five-star ANCAP safety rating after testing in 2024 saw it score the following marks.

• Adult Occupant Protection: 84%

• Child Occupant Protection: 86%

• Vulnerable Road User Protection: 77%

• Safety Assist: 80%

What Warranty Does the Hyundai Santa Fe Come With?

Hyundai offers the Santa Fe range with a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, with the hybrid battery and high-voltage components backed by a separate eight-year/160,000km warranty.

Buyers also pick up five-years worth of roadside assistance when they keep their vehicle servied within the network, as well as three, four and five-year capped-price servicing packages.

• Petrol Five Year Capped Price Servicing Cost: $2,405

• Hybrid Five Year Capped Price Servicing Cost: $2,415

Service intervals for the MY25 Santa Fe range stand at a relatively short 12 months or 10,000-kilometres, whichever elapses first.

Our Verdict: Is the Hyundai Santa Fe Worth it?

The latest Hyundai Santa Fe range is a fantastic seven-seat SUV package that welcomes the family challenge.

With its sleek, practical and particularly well-equipped cabin, it's confident when fully loaded while offering a healthy amount of boot space to keep up with growing families.

The Santa Fe’s appeal has been bolstered with the addition of hybrid versions that offer some significant fuel efficiency gains, making it a difficult package to fault if you're looking for a practical seven-seater SUV package.

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Five Hyundai Santa Fe Specs You Need to Know

1. Five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty (eight-years for hybrid battery)

2. 12 month / 10,000-kilometre service intervals

3. 5.6 - 9.3L per 100km fuel economy figures (hybrid vs petrol)

4. Seven seats with minimum 628 - 1,949L boot

5. Five-star ANCAP safety rating (tested 2024)