Hyundai Sante Fe is updated for outdoor lifestyles

Hyundai’s fifth-generation Santa Fe will offer a more spacious interior, updated convenience and safety technology and a new boxy styling.

The Santa Fe has been completely recast from a family hauler to a “adventuremobile.” The decision, Hyundai says, derived from “big data” that revealed strong consumer interest in lifestyle trends such as “camping and gear-intensive adventures.”

The new Defender-esque profile, including a short overhang and giant 21-inch wheels, gives the SUV a more modern vibe. The interior layout is designed around a wider tailgate that Hyundai says caters to both urban and active lifestyles.

The enlarged tailgate is functional for everyday cargo hauling, but Hyundai envisions it will double as a space to lounge or socialize while parked in remote destinations. A handle on the exterior of the C-pillar gives passengers easier access to the roof, maximizing the Santa Fe’s utility for rack loading or — depending on its static roof weight capacity — roof camping,

A 51-mm (2-inch) longer wheelbase helped increase second- and third-row legroom slightly. The biggest improvement, reflecting the boxier roofline, is in the third row, where headroom increases by by 69 mm (2.7 inches) to 958 mm (38 inches).  The third-row seat is also higher off the floor and can recline 10 degrees, more than the outgoing model.

The new interior has a panoramic curved display, connecting the 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and infotainment screen. In addition the cockpit offers a UV-C sterilization tray atop the glove compartment to clean dirty, high-touch items such as electronic devices and wallets. The center console also can be opened from the front and rear, giving access to back-row passengers.

Over-the-air updates will let drivers bypass service visits, and Hyundai’s Digital Key 2 will enable access and start functions via smartphone.

The Santa Fe will offer the current versions of Hyundai’s advanced safety technology, including forward-collision assist and lane-following assist.

A new driver attention warning provides alerts to tired or distracted drivers, and a driver monitoring system analyzes drivers vital signs. Navigation-based cruise control and Hyundai’s Highway Driving Assist, a combination of adaptive cruise control and lane centering, also will be available.

In Europe, the Sante Fe will be available as a plug-in hybrid or hybrid with a 1.6-liter gasoline engine.

Hyundai is dropping the plug-in hybrid variant in North America where the drivetrain is less popular than in Europe.

The Santa Fe will goes on sale in Korea in August and in North America/Europe in the first half of 2024.