The 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe is all-new this year, giving families a fresh three-row option as people increasingly move away from the traditional family sedan. It comes in a wide range of trims with multiple engines and a beautiful interior. There are also lots of family-friendly features that make this a great choice whether you’re hauling the kids all over town or hauling cargo for a weekend of camping.
It’s a great vehicle and, overall, I really like the Santa Fe – but it’s not perfect. There are some features that are fantastic, and some that were very frustrating. Here are the things I loved and the things that absolutely drove me crazy.
For the low down on what the 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe is like to live with, check out my
full test drive review here
, after spending a week with it at home.
What I Loved
The Wireless Charging Pads
Wireless charging is a fantastic feature. It eliminates cord clutter, so you’re less likely to knock your phone to the floor grabbing your coffee or vice versa. The problem is that it’s not always done well. I know, this seems super simple: create a charging pad, add phone. But it’s the way the charging pad is placed that is frequently an issue.
Some of them are flat, slightly recessed areas on the center console, which means the chance of forgetting it’s there, opening the center console, and sending your phone flying into the rear seats is high. Some are little angled pockets tucked into the center console that hold your phone snug but can be too snug with a large phone case, making them difficult to remove. Others are almost like a tray under the infotainment, which leaves them ready to slip out on a tight turn and go tumbling to the floor.
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We’ve seen some pretty amazing chargers on high-end supercars – but that’s kind of to be expected from cars that cost around $275k. What about mainstream cars for Joe Everyman? Well, the Santa Fe has optional dual wireless charging pads that are perfection. They’re two slightly raised squares set down into the center console. They hold your phone nicely in place, but if it does slide free, the center console keeps it from ending up on the floor. There’s plenty of room for larger phones and the space doubles as storage if you don’t happen to need to juice up your phone.
H Is For Hyundai
Every automaker incorporates their brand identity into its vehicles in unique ways. Jeep is famous for its Easter Eggs, so you’ll find little seven-slot grilles hidden here and there along with actual images of various Jeep vehicles throughout their cars. It’s generally subtle stuff you have to look for, but the Santa Fe is not subtle.
Everywhere you look there’s the letter H. The headlights are shaped like an H. Step back and the lightbar that connects the lights makes another H. Look lower at the front fascia and it, too, creates an H. Step around the back and each taillight is an H. It’s a completely different look than what you’ll find on the larger Hyundai Palisade.
Inside, the seats have a pattern that mimics the headlights to create the H multiple times. The layout of the air vents and even the little bag hooks on the backs of the front seats show off an H design. There’s a serious commitment to the letter H – and it looks great.
Clever Center Console Storage
This is a family car, which means there’s going to be endless amounts of random stuff to store. The Santa Fe has plenty of room for cargo, but what’s more impressive is the clever design of the center console. First, there’s storage in front underneath the cupholders. It’s a great spot for a purse or a wallet, and it has deep enough sides to keep things from sliding out around corners. Then there’s the center console itself.
It opens as usual with a lid that lifts with a rear hinge to reveal a deep storage space with a removable tray that makes it even deeper. The trick here is that it also opens from the back. This makes it easy to access for rear passengers or to grab something if you happen to be helping the kids. Lastly, there’s a drawer that pulls out from the back of the center console for yet more storage. This is brilliant.
You Can Sterilize Your Stuff
File this under “tell us your car was designed during the pandemic without telling us your car was designed during the pandemic”. The Santa Fe has a large lower glove box, but it also has what looks like an upper glove box that turns out to be a UV-C sanitizer.
It pops open to reveal a compartment with a rubberized bottom to hold stuff in place. Add your phone, keys, wallet, anything small that might be germy. Close the lid and then press a small button on the center console to start a 10-minute sterilization process. There’s even a light by the button so you can see when it’s done. It’s not something you will likely use all the time, but it’s a unique feature that I appreciate. So will you the next time you drop your phone someplace icky.
What I Hated
The Exterior Grab Handle
First, let me say that I love this concept. On the C-pillar (which is the one right behind the rear doors), there’s a hidden handle. You simply push lightly on the top and it pops inward, creating a little handle. This is supposed to help you leverage yourself up to reach anything stowed on the roof. It’s a fantastic idea…that didn’t work at all for me.
If you stand on the door sill, which is the easiest place to step up, then the handle is too far to your right. It’s much easier to just grab the roof rail and hike yourself up to reach cargo. If you stand on the tire, well, good luck with that. I’m average height and stepping up onto the tire is a heck of a step and not something I’d want to try, especially if that tire is wet. I love the idea of the grab handle, but in practice, everyone I forced to try it out found it awkward. Thank you, friends and family, for being my guinea pigs on this one.
The Gear Shifter
Okay, hate is a bit strong, but this is something I did find annoying. To free up room on the center console – which is always good – Hyundai has placed the gear shifter on the steering column. I have no problem with that decision and think it’s a great idea. But what I don’t like is where they put the thing.
It sticks out from the right side on a stalk, but it’s a bit far back and rather short. This makes it hard to see. Every time I needed to switch gears, I had to lean to the right a smidge to see the gear shifter. Yes, I realize this is a small problem, but it’s annoying just the same. On the other hand, it’s quite nice to have to find something that irritates you on a car. There’s definitely more to love about the Santa Fe than there is to hate.