Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid 2022 Review

The 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid has been launched in Australia with a premium approach and is offered only in upper-spec Elite and Highlander grades.

As such, the petrol-electric Santa Fe Hybrid range opens at $63,000 plus on-road costs for the Elite, and $69,550 plus on-road costs for the flagship Highlander.

Those prices mark a $3000 premium over existing Santa Fe diesel options and a $6500 premium on the front-drive Santa Fe V6 petrol.

That said, the pricing strategy undercuts the closely related Kia Sorento Hybrid by $3750 at base level and comes with the bonus inclusion of all-wheel drive as standard (although Hyundai has no answer for the new $81K-plus Sorento plug-in hybrid).

The like-for-like comparison between the Kia Sorento Hybrid GT-Line and flagship Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid Highlander is closer though, the Kia $200 dearer.

Conversely, Toyota’s popular three-grade Kluger Hybrid range opens at $54,150 plus on-road costs.

The 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid essentially mirrors the specifications of the regular Santa Fe range.

Visually, there are only subtle cues to the hybrid models as well: some tell-tale badging on the tailgate and the introduction of aero-friendly five-spoke 19-inch alloy wheels.

Otherwise, standard specifications on the Elite grade extend to leather upholstery, a powered tailgate, dual-zone climate control, full exterior LED lighting, auto-dimming rear-view mirror and heated front seats.

Stepping up the Highlander adds premium Nappa leather, ambient lighting, panoramic glass sunroof, heated and ventilated front seats, heated rear outboard seats, remote park assist, blind-spot view monitor and an optional (no-cost) new six-seat layout reserved exclusively for the top-spec hybrid.

We’ll get to the infotainment details further below.

The Santa Fe is backed by Hyundai Australia’s five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, while the battery is backed by a separate eight-year/160,000km term.

Hyundai wasn’t able to provide exact servicing costs at the time of publishing, but did confirm the Santa Fe Hybrid is subject to shorter 10,000km (and 12-month) servicing intervals. That compares with 12 month/15,000km intervals for other models.

The 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe range comes with a five-star ANCAP safety rating from 2018, though it’s understood the new hybrid version isn’t officially included in that rating.

Either way, the new hybrid offers the full gamut of safety aids, including forward collision avoidance assist (AEB) with junction turning assist, lane following assist, multi-collision braking, rear-cross traffic alert, parking collision avoidance assist, blind spot view monitor, safe exit assist, rear occupant alert, driver attention warning with leading vehicle departure alert and adaptive cruise control.

There’s also a suite of seven airbags, including a front centre side airbag. However, as with the Santa Fe’s sister model, the Kia Sorento, third-row occupants do not get full airbag coverage with the side curtains only extending the glass and not the roof pillar.

Both the Elite and Highlander grades of the Santa Fe get a 10.25-inch infotainment system with DAB digital radio, satellite-navigation and smartphone mirroring, plus a premium Harman Kardon sound system.

The caveat with the smartphone mirroring is that it is only via a wired connection; lesser variants of the Santa Fe also offer a cordless connectivity option.

Over the Elite grade, the Santa Fe Hybrid Highlander adds a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and head-up display.

Handily, both grades offer a ‘Driver Talk’ feature, which uses a high-definition microphone and Santa Fe’s audio system to allow the driver to speak to rear occupants without raising their voice.

The 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid combines a 132kW/265Nm 1.6-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine and a six-speed automatic transmission with a 44kW electric motor for combined outputs of 169kW of power and 350Nm of torque.

The electric motor draws current from a small 1.49kWh lithium-ion battery mounted at the rear.

Crucially, this is a closed-loop parallel (plugless) hybrid system, so there is no recharging from a power socket. Like the Kluger Hybrid (but unlike the Sorento PHEV), the Santa Fe Hybrid instead captures energy on the move and under braking to recharge its small battery, which provides electric assistance to the petrol engine as required.

Hyundai hasn’t published any performance claims for the electrified seven-seat SUV but has confirmed a significantly reduced maximum braked towing capacity of 1650kg (with 100kg downball) compared to the 2500kg figures of the petrol and diesel versions, which is in line with its Sorento Hybrid cousin.

Similarly, the Santa Fe Hybrid isn’t rated to carry a load on its roof, whereas the diesel version offers a 100kg rating.

The Hybrid model combines a familiar MacPherson strut front suspension arrangement with a multi-link set-up at the rear. Hyundai engaged with engineers in South Korea to devise a different suspension tune for the hybrid sold in Australia, but unlike other Hyundai modelsit wasn’t developed on local roads.

The 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid has an official combined fuel consumption figure of 6.0L/100km – 0.1L lower than the all-paw turbo-diesel (6.1L/100km) and a substantial 4.0L lower than the V6 petrol (10L/100km).

CO2 emissions are pegged at a portfolio-leading 137g/km.

Electric assistance certainly imparts a different kind of driving experience in the 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid.

As with Toyota’s longstanding hybrid technology, the electric portion of the drivetrain does much of the heavy lifting from a standstill and during light throttle loads. The resulting additional serenity inside the cabin at low speeds is a small albeit welcome departure from Hyundai’s existing diesel and petrol Santa Fe options.

Equally, the steering is light at low speeds and the key controls nicely tuned to offer adequate weighting and feedback. A relatively tight 11.4-metre turning circle and just 2.53 turns lock-to-lock team nicely with the Santa Fe’s relatively compact 4.78-metre length to provide easy navigation through car parks, tight spaces and during inner-city driving.

An earnest prod of the accelerator pedal is all it takes to get the petrol side of the drivetrain involved, and it does so quite intuitively and smoothly. It means the Santa Fe Hybrid is able to build speed deceptively quickly around town, cleverly maximising the propulsion available from electric and petrol power sources as required.

Ultimately, the 1.6-litre powertrain doesn’t quite emulate the in-gear torque of its diesel stablemate and tends towards thrashy in its sound as you approach the upper reaches of the dial. Similarly, the older-style six-speed automatic transmission doesn’t quite offer the same expediency in its shifts as Hyundai’s other gearbox options.

It’s not what you’d call gutless, but all this means overtaking manoeuvres and building to highway speeds occasionally require a little more forward planning.

Elsewhere, the Santa Fe Hybrid delivers many of the same driving traits of the regular Santa Fe range, including a planted and surefooted demeanour on the road, excellent driver safety aids (with the exception of the lane keep assist, which is a little intrusive but easy enough to turn off) and great weighting of key controls.

On first impression, we’d say the hybrid feels a little more sensitive to small-amplitude bumps than its diesel stablemate, reflecting its 40kg heavier kerb mass (about 1.9 tonnes). But it recovers nicely from larger bumps in the road and feels controlled, with only an occasional thud over harsher obstacles.

Conversely, the hybrid feels lighter over its nose, a trait which endows more confident directional changes and a slightly more attentive character on a winding road.

Fuel use? We managed a respectable 6.5L/100km on test – mostly unladen in a mix of conditions – which is only marginally above the claim.

It depends how you define off-road. The 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid can indeed venture onto unsealed, light sand and gravel surfaces, armed with a Terrain Mode suite which applies tailored parameters for engine and braking control and torque vectoring across Snow, Mud or Sand settings.

However, ground clearance of just 176mm is a good indication of the Santa Fe’s target environment.

The 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid presents just like any other Santa Fe and, critically, doesn’t mess with the interior proportions.

That’s all good news, because the cabin is cleverly packaged and armed with quality materials, a practical design and loads of incidental storage.

Up front, those elements include the 10.25-inch touch-screen display and digital instrument cluster, both of which are easy to use, intuitive and fast with their reaction speeds.

We’re also a huge fan of the centre stack’s mass of buttons and switchgear – which are simple and seamless to navigate on the move – plus the fitment of a huge open storage area underneath, replete with charging points in the middle of the transmission tunnel.

The Santa Fe’s second row offers excellent proportions for little ones or adults alike, especially in our test vehicle which was fitted with the no-cost optional six-seat layout (with two captain’s chairs instead of a bench seat) to theoretically provide walk-through (read: crawl-through) passage to the third row. The rear seat is serviced by separate air-vents, sun shades integrated into the door cards, USB ports and cup-holders.

The second-row seat’s fore-aft sliding adjustment is another boon, allowing occupants to prioritise respective leg space or boot space.
The adjustability is probably just as well, as the Santa Fe doesn’t quite match its seven-seat SUV rivals where third-row space is concerned.

Rather, this is more of an occasional seven-seater, the kind you’d use when a child’s friend stays to visit. Even though the rear-most bleachers are serviced by air-vents, cup-holders and separate power outlets, the smaller proportions and lack of full airbag coverage are key concerns.

Otherwise, the generous 571-litre boot offers ample room for a couple of full-size suitcases or a designer pram, together with a flat floor, quick-fold buttons to stow the second row and a large loading aperture.

The Santa Fe’s inclusion of a full-size spare wheel underneath is another noteworthy inclusion, and surprisingly uncommon in this space.

Of course that depends on your circumstance, but if you’re reading this you’re presumably in the market for a fuel-efficient seven-seat SUV and from that perspective the 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid is a welcome addition to the fleet and well worth a test drive.

For inner-city drivers or those who err towards short commutes, it’s a welcome and efficient new real-world option – albeit one that is less well suited to long-haul highway trips than a diesel drivetrain.

For rural Australians (your correspondent included), the diesel’s superior torque delivery, greater towing capacity, lower purchase price and longer service intervals still make it the variant to have.

2022 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid Highlander at a glance:
Price: $69,550 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Powertrain: 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol-electric
Output: 132kW/265Nm (electric motor: 44kW/264Nm)
Combined output: 169kW/350Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic transmission
Fuel: 6.0L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 137g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2018)