Hyundai Santa Fe Calligraphy 2025 Review

With the flagship Calligraphy version priced at $75,000 plus on-road costs (ORCs), the Santa Fe range comprises hybrid and conventionally engined powertrains and the choice of front-drive or AWD.

Introduced at the end of 2024 to make the Santa Fe’s pricing more accessible, the non-hybrid 2.5-litre turbo-petrol models open at $53,000 plus ORCs for the base front-drive version (simply dubbed Santa Fe), with an AWD variant available for an extra $3000. The mid-spec 2.5-litre AWD Elite is tagged at $62,500.

Hybrids include a base front-dive variant at $55,500 plus ORCs, stepping up via a base AWD version

at $58,500 and progressing through the (AWD) $65,000 Elite to the top-spec Calligraphy.

The Santa Fe’s prices may have jumped significantly upwards from the outgoing model, but that doesn’t mean it’s fiscally uncompetitive among its peer group.

In the large SUV marketplace, the Santa Fe’s most-obvious competition comes from its Kia Sorento blood cousin, which straddles from the $50,680 base model to the $84,660 GT-Line plug-in hybrid flagship. Sorentos are also available in diesel and 3.5-litre V6 petrol form, the more directly comparable version to the Santa Fe Calligraphy being the hybrid Sorento GT-Line, which is basically a mechanical doppelganger of the Hyundai and listed at $73,330.

Also among the Santa Fe’s most obvious multi-passenger soft-road competitors is Toyota’s Kluger, which is pricier across the board than the Hyundai, starting at $60,290 plus ORCs for the base model and rising to $82,860 for the top-spec hybrid Grande. Ford’s Everest, spanning a plus ORCs price range from $54,240 to $81,200, is in there too but, as a legitimate off-roader, it leans towards a different target market.

At this level, the Hyundai Santa Fe comes really close to covering all the bases.

Along with the choice of either a seven-seat or for a mere $500 more a captain’s-chair six-seat configuration, the premium Santa Fe comes with high-class leather-look/Alcantara trim, heated, cooled and electrically adjusted seats for both front passengers – with a massaging function for the driver – and a third-row seat that is impressive for its easy access.

At Calligraphy level, the Santa Fe also comes with Hyundai’s “zero gravity” front seats that strategically distribute pressure at specific points on the body to help ease discomfort when taking a break during a long drive.

The Santa Fe Calligraphy also gets two glass sunroofs: large and fixed at the back and a retracting, smaller panel at the front.

The 145mm wider, height and speed-adjustable powered tailgate operates directly or remotely and is designed to activate (sometimes unexpectedly) if the driver is carrying the key and is standing nearby for a few seconds. We’re not sure about the injury-prone aspects of that.

Hyundai also takes a step towards preventing germ-fed maladies with a handy UV-C sterilisation tray located above the glovebox, which helps keep stored objects such as mobile phones, sunglasses and wallets 99.9 per cent free of surface nasties.

The Santa Fe comes with a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty with the hybrid battery covered for a total of eight years. Fixed-price servicing intervals are set at 12 months or a slightly meagre 10,000km and there’s 12 months of roadside assist. Expect to pay $459 for all but the third of five initial services: the price here is just $100 more.

Lifetime service and premium roadside assist plans are available at extra cost.

The Hyundai Santa Fe has no fewer than 10 airbags and achieved a five-star ANCAP rating in December 2024. Included in the airbag count are driver-knee, front-centre and mid-row side bags complementing the usual dual-front, front-side and curtain bags.

The Santa Fe’s active safety tech is comprehensive. Hyundai claims it surpasses others in the under-$80,000 large SUV segment.

The systems include autonomous emergency braking, although uncommonly it’s not described as active at high speeds. The safety tech nevertheless includes junction-turning and crossing assist, oncoming lane-change steering assist between 40 and 145km/h, brake-assisted direct-collision assist between 10 and 130km/h, lane-change assist, pedestrian and cyclist avoidance, steering-initiated rear evasive assist, blind-spot monitoring with active collision avoidance, driver attention (or inattention) detection and lane-keep assist. Lane-keeping is augmented by a semi-autonomous driver-assist system that helps keep the Santa Fe centred in the chosen lane.

The Santa Fe keeps pace with in-car connectivity and communication technology too: there are six USB-C points throughout the cabin, while the expansive, curved 12.3-inch split-screen gives access to functions such as Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, Bluetooth, radio, and Hyundai’s Bluelink system (complimentary for five years) which factors in GPS and other functions including automatic notification if you are in a collision, live traffic information and over-the-air updates on the vehicle’s state of general health.

On a less-complex digital front, the Calligraphy version of the Santa Fe also has a digital rearview mirror that enables a wide, obstruction-free view of what’s happening behind. Multi-camera 360-degree viewing is also featured in the broad dash display.

Like some other Hyundai group vehicles, the Santa Fe is able to park itself remotely too: very handy when entering or extricating it from a tight parking spot where there’s barely enough space to open the doors.

The Santa Fe was first available in front-drive and AWD hybrid 1.6-litre form, with a conventional 2.5-litre version added at the end of 2024.

The hybrid drivetrain comprises a 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine developing 132kW and 265Nm of torque; it works with a 1.5kWh lithium-ion polymer battery feeding a 44kW electric motor. The meaty combined power outputs add up to 172kW and 367Nm.

Driving through a conventional six-speed auto gearbox to an on-demand AWD system, the Santa Fe Calligraphy puts its torque through to the road effectively with the help of a torque-vectoring systems that helps it feel reassuringly stable in low-grip situations.

The Santa Fe hybrid’s petrol-electric drivetrain is an effective combination because it helps produce a surge of torquey power and delivers a fuel economy figure (claimed at 5.6L/100km) that pushes the potential cruising range to 1000km or more.

This is more than a manufacturer-wrangled figure, as our review Santa Fe recorded a worst of 6.5L/100km and a best of 5.3L/100km over a week in which we subjected it to all kinds of tasks. Truly impressive.

The invitingly plush looks of the Santa Fe Calligraphy don’t deceive.

This is a cruisy, quiet and comfortable large SUV that is pleasant over long distances with a lovely, quiet cabin and, for the driver, strong electrically assisted torque responses in and out of town. The drivetrain only becomes (slightly) noisy when the small-capacity turbo-petrol engine is brought consciously into play.

The Santa Fe’s hushed interior also maximises the effect of the 12-speaker BOSE sound system fitted to Calligraphy and Elite versions.

Defying the two-tonne-plus kerb weight, the steering is quite light but relatively quick at 2.6 turns from lock to lock and there’s little feeling of the Santa Fe’s actual size. Although it is overshadowed by the Toyota Kluger and Ford Everest, it’s still a big vehicle.

With its absorbent all-independent MacPherson strut/multilink suspension, responsive steering and effective cabin-noise attenuation, the Santa Fe is generally untroubled by coarse-mix surfaces or undulating, tight and patchy country roads.

Although sand, mud and snow AWD modes are provided, the Santa Fe Calligraphy remains a definitive soft-roader.

With a 177mm ground clearance and approach, departure and breakover angles that aren’t particularly friendly off the beaten track, the AWD Santa Fe Calligraphy is best-suited to non-challenging adventures where only occasional off-tarmac work is likely. The road-oriented 255/45 tyres and 20-inch alloy wheels – with an underslung alloy spare – have their limits.

Most of the time, in regular use, the available eco, sport and ‘normal’ drive modes will do.

And towing a trailer weighing more than 1650kg is right out of the question. Not that it’s impossible to tow anything reasonable with a Santa Fe: the new 2.5-litre conventional-drivetrain version is rated at a reasonably useful two tonnes.

The Calligraphy’s therapeutic zero-gravity front-seat technology isn’t exactly replicated in the second and third rows, but there’s still plenty of everything a passenger would justifiably want: the cushioning is generally comfortable and supportive and leg, shoulder and head space verge on abundant, even in the usually restricted third row.

Perceived build quality is of a high standard and there’s plenty of soft-touch surfacing. The big, multi-accessible centre console bin will swallow plenty of small and even some large objects.

The extending cushions below the forward edge of the front seats are a nice touch (as are the Land Rover-reminiscent roof access panels set into the outside of the B-pillars), but their effectiveness is questionable.

Access to the rearmost passenger space is admirably easy. Simply pushing a button on top of the mid-row backrest simultaneously slides the seats forward and flips the backrest. Even sliding the centre-row back into place is a quite a light-handed task provided the Santa Fe is not parked on a steep downhill slope.

Although the third-row passengers, once in place, will experience good visibility due to a decent glass area and a low window line, some discussion between centre and third-row passengers will be needed before a suitable legroom compromise is found. Centre and third-row passengers are treated to fan-speed adjustable air vents.

Cargo carrying is well taken care of, with the available space stretching from 628 litres to a mighty 1949 litres with the second- and third-row seats folded.

The Hyundai Santa Fe Calligraphy not only talks the talk: it also walks the walk.

Across the range, the fifth-generation Santa Fe addresses the needs of those looking for a large soft-road SUV. With its truly expansive interior, a wide range of standard equipment that doesn’t leave much out, and a behind-the-wheel experience that most drivers will be more than happy with, it’s a stand-out presence in its class.

The Calligraphy flagship is satisfyingly quick on the road and, even for a hybrid, remarkably economical. The 1000km – or thereabouts – range is achieved without resorting to a super-large fuel tank.

And even if its arrestingly vogue-ish styling might deter some potential buyers, so far – judging from the positive reactions it attracts in the street – it appears to have the approval of a good cross section of general-public influencers.

For Hyundai, the fifth-generation Santa Fe is well placed to pull back some sales from its oft-praised kindred Kia Sorento, which has been outselling it for the last four years.

2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Calligraphy at a glance:
Price: $75,000 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Powertrain: 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol-electric
Output: 132kW/265Nm (electric motor: 44kW/264Nm)
Combined output: 172kW/367Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel: 5.6L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 128g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP Year 2024)

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