zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Culture
/
The 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe Feels Bigger And Boxier
The 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe Feels Bigger And Boxier-May 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:11:54

Image for article titled The 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe Feels Bigger And Boxier

is going big with . Gone are the . In their place are hard lines, right angles, boxes and some pretty convincing off-roading cosplay. What we’ve got here is a crossover for the adventurous crowd, , the dirt-road traveler.

to are to the exterior — not only in styling – but in size as well. It’s a little bit longer, wider and taller than the outgoing vehicle, which places it more squarely in . It’s nearly the same size as the Palisade, but it seems Hyundai isn’t worried about that.

Hyundai’s Design Chief SangYup Lee told us that the design process for the new Santa Fe started back with an incredibly wide tailgate designed for you to fit absolutely everything you’ve ever owned into. If you’re thinking the taillights are sort of low, well, you’re not wrong. They are, but it serves a purpose. With the taillights lower on the body, it allows for a thinner tailgate strut – this makes the housing for the tailgate thinner as well. All that allowed designers and engineers to make that huge rear hatch opening. It’s also meant, sort of, to harken back to SUVs of years gone by that had low taillights. Love it or hate it, it’s certainly distinctive.

Image for article titled The 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe Feels Bigger And Boxier

Up front, the overall theme of the Santa Fe is “H.” We’ve Got little H’s in the headlights. H’s making up the light bar and running light assembly, and finally a somewhat hidden “H” running along the front fascia below the headlights and grille. Together it makes for a very serious look – something you wouldn’t necessarily want to see in your rearview mirror.

I suppose the floating roof design is a neat touch – reminds me of Land Rovers. Oh, now might likely be a good time to say that Hyundai designers say that if the Santa Fe looks like the , it’s pure coincidence. I was told that the vehicle’s design was penned well before the Defender went on sale. I think it looks really neat, so I’ll believe them.

2024 Hyundai Santa Fe Interior

If you were in fact wondering, Hyundai is offering five interior colors to choose from. The only interesting color options are Pecan Brown and Forest Green. That’s right, you can spec an orange Santa Fe with a green interior, just as God intended.

The inside of the 2024 Santa Fe carries on a lot of the same elements as the crossover’s exterior. There are tons of crisp and clean lines – while certainly not at all fussy. Honestly, the cabin space is than its ICE vehicle. That includes Hyundai’s trick “” with a leg rest for front-row occupants. I just always assumed they were just for EV drivers waiting for their vehicles to charge.

Image for article titled The 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe Feels Bigger And Boxier

The “H” theme continues through the cabin with the dashboard air vents. But take notice that there isn’t any lettering on the steering wheel. Instead, there are just four dots that designers noted represent the letter “H” in Morse code. How cute

Image for article titled The 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe Feels Bigger And Boxier

Hyundai also moved the gear shifter from the center console to the , which freed up a ton of space for Hyundai to fill with a lot of other things. For example, there are now two wireless charging pads, so if both you and your passenger feel that your phones aren’t hot enough, there’s a spot now to fix that. Underneath that area is a huge cubby hole for whatever other things (useless or not) you might need to stuff somewhere.

Above that center console is a 6.6-inch touchscreen climate control display that . It’s always nice to see in a new car with buttons when the loss of buttons is becoming the norm.

Image for article titled The 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe Feels Bigger And Boxier

Hyundai shares that it now offers class-leading thanks to Santa Fe’s longer wheelbase. I’ll admit, I forgot my tape measure in New York so I don’t have those numbers, but I can tell you this: it certainly feels roomy inside. With the second and third rows folded (completely flat, I may add) the Santa Fe is downright cavernous in size. If you can’t get all your shit in this car, then you need less shit.

Santa Fe also has class-leading second- and, according to the Korean manufacturer. Second-row citizens in the gas-powered crossover are treated to 42.3 inches of legroom. If you’re piloting a hybrid, though, second-row passengers will have to make do with a slightly smaller 41.5 inches Those stuck in the third row, don’t worry. You’ve got plenty of room with 29.9 inches of legroom, and can even recline the seats by 10 degrees.

2024 Hyundai Santa Fe’s Power And Technology

Image for article titled The 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe Feels Bigger And Boxier

Image for article titled The 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe Feels Bigger And Boxier

Right now, there are two engines confirmed for the U.S.: a 2.5-liter turbo four putting out about 280 horsepower, mated to an 8-speed automatic that’s a . Also available will be a 1.6-liter hybrid turbo that Hyundai says is going to produce about 180 horsepower. All engines are going to be available with front and all-wheel drive. Other engines at launch include a 2.5-liter naturally aspirated four-popper and a 1.6-liter turbocharged plug-in hybrid. Hyundai has not yet confirmed whether those two engines will make it to our shores.

Image for article titled The 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe Feels Bigger And Boxier

On the tech side of things, Hyundai was very proud to share that designers and engineers included a UV sanitizing tray in the interior. It was apparently a decision brought on by the pandemic. It’s definitely unique and not something I’ve come across in a car before.

The dash is graced with dual 12.3-inch that serve as the gauge cluster and infotainment system. Above those screens is a rear-view mirror camera to better aid drivers, especially when there is too much junk in the trunk.

It will not come as too much of a surprise to learn that the Santa Fe comes with every driver assistance and safety feature currently on the market – lane keeping, forward collision avoidance, and radar cruiser are all here and accounted for.

Also, as is a growing trend in the industry, you can in the new Santa Fe. Hyundai will also provide over-the-air updates to make sure the car is up to snuff for buyers.

Little Touches Worth Mentioning

Image for article titled The 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe Feels Bigger And Boxier

Image for article titled The 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe Feels Bigger And Boxier

Hyundai put a very interesting touch to the center console where it’s double-hinged, but not side to side. No, no dear reader — it’s hinged at the front and back. That means you can either grab something you need when it opens to the front, or it can open to the rear so rear passengers can also dig through the endless cubby for whatever anyone may want or need.

You may have also noticed that little weird square on the C-pillar and wondered what it is. Well, that’s a handle, which Hyundai explains is to make it easy for folks to climb up onto the roof to access their active lifestyle equipment strapped upon it.

More on vehicle purchase considerations from G/O Media’s partner:

Jalopnik is not involved in creating these articles but may receive a commission from purchases through its content.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Culture
Toyota Is Moving A Prewar 700-Ton Press Machine Halfway Around The World
Toyota Is Moving A Prewar 700-Ton Press Machine Halfway Around The World
closed its São Bernardo Plant in November 2023, marking the end of its first overseas production facility. The closure caps off a period of continuous car production in São Paolo, , lasting over 60 years. The plant was home to a Komatsu 700-ton press that predates itself. And now...
May 14, 2025
I Can't Get Enough Of This YouTuber Who Builds Tiny, Fully Functional Scale-Model Cars
I Can't Get Enough Of This YouTuber Who Builds Tiny, Fully Functional Scale-Model Cars
I love tiny, of . I have a that is roughly half the size of a normal cat, and she’s perfect. I own a 2013 , which is like the miniature version of a normal-sized vehicle (at least here in Texas) — but beyond that, I also own a Hot...
May 14, 2025
Subaru Had It Right All Along
Subaru Had It Right All Along
When first came to the United States, it sold small funky cars that were decidedly un-American. As the company grew its own identity and became more established in the U.S., it became the first automaker to offer an all-wheel-drive passenger car in 1975. Subaru was also an early-adopter of...
May 14, 2025
Watch ABS Fail When MotorWeek Tests A 1997 Chevy S-10
Watch ABS Fail When MotorWeek Tests A 1997 Chevy S-10
MotorWeek’s is some of the on the internet. The long-running automotive news magazine has a treasure trove of tests after being on the air for over 40 years. Where else can you find detailed instrumented testing of long-forgotten cars like the or a ? MotorWeek’s recent Retro Review upload is...
May 14, 2025
2024 Kia EV9: What Do You Want To Know?
2024 Kia EV9: What Do You Want To Know?
At long last, we are about to get behind the wheel of for the first time. Sure, , and sure, , and sure , but hey — what can you do? Anyway, before we get behind the wheel of this three-row electric beast, we want to know what you...
May 14, 2025
I Entered My Lifted Miata In A Real Off-Road Race, Here's What Happened
I Entered My Lifted Miata In A Real Off-Road Race, Here's What Happened
I have two automotive loves: The first is the Miata, the second is off-road racing. For a while I raced air-cooled Volkswagens in the deserts of California and Nevada and I was lucky enough to co-drive in a class 11 stock bug in the Baja 1000 a few years...
May 14, 2025
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved