Hyundai Santa Fe 2021 Review

Don’t be fooled by the ‘facelift’ language in Hyundai’s own PR material: the 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe marks a significant evolution of the breed.

Introduced in Australian showrooms from this month, Hyundai’s evergreen seven-seat large SUV now resides on the same platform as the latest-generation Kia Sorento, offers new technologies and features and will soon be available as a turbo-petrol hybrid variant for the first time.

With Hyundai also introducing its larger eight-seat Palisade SUV this month, Australian officials are quietly buoyant at the prospect their beloved Santa Fe can continue to cut its own path to success.

Pricing for the 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe has moved up in accordance with major changes across the eight-model range.

The newly-named ‘Santa Fe’ petrol variant now opens proceedings at $44,700 plus on-road costs (+$710) and the Highlander diesel resides at the top of the tree at $65,200 plus ORCs – $3540 more than before. See our separate pricing story for the full rundown.

Just as the larger Hyundai Palisade enters the market this month, the Korean car-maker has made extensive changes inside and out to its Santa Fe seven-seater, staking its claim next to rivals such as the Mazda CX-8, Skoda Kodiaq and, not least of all, the new-generation (and related) Kia Sorento.

New standard features on the base-spec Santa Fe include a bigger 8.0-inch infotainment touch-screen, a wireless phone charger and auto up/down anti-pinch windows. The entry models also get wireless Apple CarPlay; strangely, higher specification models with a larger 10.25-inch screen do not.

That said, the entry cars miss out on a shift-by-wire transmission, safety tech and a smart new dashboard interface.

Extra driver assistance tech on board includes forward collision avoidance assist with a new junction turning assist feature, lane following assist and multi-collision braking.

Unlike the new Kia Sorento, there is no centre airbag available, but because Hyundai isn’t calling the Santa Fe a new-generation model, the range retains a five-star ANCAP safety rating from 2018.

Flagship Highlander models like that driven here now start at $61,700 plus ORCs and feature softer Nappa leather trim (in black or beige), 64-colour ambient interior mood lighting and a 12.3-inch full-LCD digital instrument cluster.

There’s also a host of additional advanced safety technology on the flagship including parking collision avoidance assist (when reversing), blind spot view monitor, surround view monitor and remote start parking assist – a feature that recently debuted on the 2020 Kia Sorento.

The Santa Fe is available in eight exterior colour choices.

Towing capacity has been bumped up to 2500kg braked (previously 2000kg) and the tow ball can be loaded up with 200kg instead of the previous model’s 100kg. Every Santa Fe comes with a full-size spare tyre.

It’ll now cost a little more to service upon reaching yearly/15,000km intervals, with petrol-powered models priced at $399 and diesels $459 for the first five workshop visits under Hyundai’s iCare plan.

The Hyundai Santa Fe carries on with familiar petrol and diesel ‘SmartStream’ engines for 2021, offering purportedly improved mid-range power and lighter components.

There is little change in output, the 2.2 CRDi producing 148kW/440Nm – just 1kW more power and the same torque – but the diesel engine does pick up a new eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and Hyundai’s latest HTRAC all-wheel drive system that is said to provide improved traction by variably sending drive to each wheel, based on wheel and vehicle speed inputs.

Fuel consumption in the diesel is also down markedly, from 7.5L/100km to 6.1L/100km.

The 3.5-litre V6 petrol now develops less power and torque – 200kW (-6kW) and 330Nm (-6Nm) – and has slightly better economy, down just 0.1L/100km to 10.5L/100km.

The Santa Fe’s adoption of a new platform shared with the Kia Sorento will in time allow the Hyundai to embrace hybrid power. Hyundai said this week that this will comprise a small 1.6-litre turbo-petrol engine (132kW/265Nm) and an electric motor (44kW) to deliver a combined 169kW of power and 350Nm of torque.

One of the headline acts of the 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe is a new bridge-style centre console with a rotary-style gear shifter and a vertical wireless charging pad that can be swapped out for a storage cubby.

Those changes have liberated noticeably more oddment storage for front row occupants, including a large open cubby below the bridge capable of accommodating myriad bits and pieces on a day out.

The catch is that the entry model swaps the enticing new dashboard layout for a more conventional configuration that really feels its age.

That said, the entire new Santa Fe range benefits from slightly larger exterior proportions, growing 15mm in length, 10mm in width and 5mm in height compared to the outgoing model. Hyundai says this equates to a 39mm increase in legroom for second row passengers as well a 24-litre increase in boot space, to 571 litres with the second row in its normal position.

The cabin of our flagship Highlander is nicely executed with quality soft-touch materials, strong incidental storage and convincing presentation. The new digital instrument cluster in the Highlander flagship is a boon, while the larger 10.25-inch touch-screen is easy to navigate and presents information clearly and concisely.

The Santa Fe is fit with two ISOFIX attachment points in the outbound second row seats, plus three top-tether points. Sunshades installed in the doors of the Highlander will be welcomed by families, too.

Even with its incremental growth, the Santa Fe is best suited to occasional third row use, with limited ingress and egress and room that is best suited to kids or, in the case of a short run, smaller adults.

The third row is devoid of child anchorage points altogether, and the rearmost curtain airbags only cover the window area, not the entire space.

The boot is suited to a family of four’s luggage, however, accessed via a large opening and easily augmentable via split-folding rear seats.

The 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe is probably best described as a strong all-rounder on the road.

It completes daily duties with minimal fuss, manages decent efficiency in diesel form and is also well acquitted through a series of twisting bends for a 2.0-tonne large SUV.

Importantly, the ride maintains comfort and composure the entire time, too, without setting any new benchmarks.

The biggest improvement to the drivetrain is the introduction of the new eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, which brings quicker, more effective shifts, more ratios and added performance and efficiency.

There is a slight tardiness upon setting away from a standstill as the engine builds adequate revs, but beyond that point the 2.2-litre diesel is quiet and refined, reaching peak power from a lowly 1750rpm.

In a mix of highway driving and rural back roads, we managed 7.5L/100km in the diesel-powered Santa Fe, but reckon more calculated driving would get you closer to its 6.1L/100km claim.

Engine aside, the Santa Fe makes incremental improvements in the ride and handling department, offering up a package that ably juggles comfort and performance.

The steering feels light enough at low speeds but takes on more weighting and feedback when desired, while the body is nicely controlled during changes in direction.

Ride comfort is another strength, our Highlander test car isolating bumps in the road admirably given the fitment of 20-inch wheels and tyres.

Ultimately, the Santa Fe’s smaller footprint imparts slightly more sensitivity to broken bitumen than, say, the larger Hyundai Palisade on the open road, but it wins back points with its sportier demeanour.

At the same time the Santa Fe sits middle of the road in terms of isolating outside noise; adequately suppressed but not segment-leading.

The 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe improves an already polished recipe.

Furthermore, any reservations about the limited cabin space of the Santa Fe have been thoroughly addressed with the introduction of the larger eight-seat Palisade.

That leaves the Hyundai Santa Fe to continue competing at the pointy end of the competitive seven-seat SUV segment.

How much does the 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe Highlander 2.2 CRDi AWD cost?
Price: $65,200 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 148kW/440Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 6.1L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 160g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2018)