Another foible concerns the transmission, which allows some roll-back when accelerating on hills and generally is too slow to engage when pulling away from a stop even on level ground. Some clutch chatter is evident, and at times the engine revs can rise too much before the transmission bites and you take off with a lurch. We grew better at feathering the gas for smooth takeoffs, but the entire point of an automatic transmission is to … not feather the gas when taking off from a stop as if one is also manipulating a clutch pedal. The dual-clutch cracks off snappy shifts and is markedly better once the Santa Fe is already rolling, but it’s a curious choice in a segment dominated by smoother and more traditional torque-converter automatics. Unfortunately, this eight-speed dual-clutch tranny is standard on every non-hybrid Santa Fe, so if you’re not in a hurry and prioritize serenity, then the Santa Fe Hybrid and its conventional six-speed automatic may be the way to go.

Looks Hot Sitting Still

As we mentioned, the Santa Fe’s packaging, design, and features aren’t merely good for the mainstream set—they convincingly combine to give the impression this is some kind of mislabeled Land Rover. The boxy styling does a lot of the lifting here, sure, but it also begets practical wins, from the airy greenhouse to the nearly frameless tailgate opening. Although it’s larger than the old Santa Fe, this SUV is still not as big as the Hyundai Palisade (the brand’s full-on three-row that shares mechanicals with the popular Kia Telluride), so the third-row seat is friendly only to children or occasional short trips for anyone bigger. There just isn’t enough legroom back there, and the cushion sits close to the floor.

The design inside is elegant, though, with a large curved-glass binnacle housing both the digital gauge cluster and the central touchscreen, a clean center console with hidden purse storage underneath the hip-level control deck, and fun use of color. Our test vehicle (which was different from the model photographed here) came with a green, black, and white scheme, where the darker elements on the dashboard and door panels wear a dark army green hue, the carpeting is black, and the rest is an off-white cream leather. Everything looks designed and has a stylish intentionality you just won’t find in workhorses like the Honda Pilot, Toyota Highlander, or even premium-intending stuff like the Mazda CX-90; this is no mere rolling basket of features. The vibe is as overtly money as anything from Hyundai’s luxury brand, Genesis (this author would know as he spent a year with the flagship Genesis G90 limousine).

And the best part? Even the lowliest Santa Fes enjoy this aura of premium style—outwardly, you can’t really tell a Calligraphy trim from, say, the entry-level SE or midlevel SEL or XRT or luxe-leaning Limited. Not only will no one know the cheapest version starts at $35,365, most wouldn’t believe that this Calligraphy costs “just” about $50,000, or that any of the lot aren’t blue-blood luxury machines.

2024 Hyundai Santa Fe HTRAC (Caligraphy) Specifications
BASE PRICE	$49,715
PRICE AS TESTED	$49,925
VEHICLE LAYOUT	Front-engine, AWD, 6-pass, 4-door SUV
ENGINE	2.5L Turbo port- and direct-injected DOHC 16-valve I-4
POWER (SAE NET)	277 hp @ 5,800 rpm
TORQUE (SAE NET)	311 lb-ft @ 4,000 rpm
TRANSMISSION	8-speed twin-clutch auto
CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST)	4,411 lb (55/45%)
WHEELBASE	110.8 in
LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT	190.2 x 74.8 x 67.7 in
0-60 MPH	7.4 sec
QUARTER MILE	15.8 sec @ 92.5 mph
BRAKING, 60-0 MPH	125 ft
LATERAL ACCELERATION	0.80 g (avg)
MT FIGURE EIGHT	27.1 sec @ 0.64 g (avg)
EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON	20/28/23 mpg
EPA RANGE, COMB	407 miles
ON SALE	Now