Americans have a problem: They very rarely buy what they need, but almost always buy what they want. South Korea is delivering a solution to this conundrum with the 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid.
This boxy crossover is the three-row your family of four actually needs, while possibly even checking off the “want” bucket at the same time—a rare feat in today’s day and age.
Hyundai’s unique way of combining style and efficiency without sacrificing family-friendliness is refreshing, and perhaps more surprisingly, it did so without sacrificing value.
The Basics
After ushering in a dramatic design overhaul for 2024, the 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe arrives with no notable changes, though as someone with the last name Feder might, I’m thrilled about the addition of Atlantis Blue. The Santa Fe remains Hyundai’s mid-size three-row crossover, slotting above the Tucson and below the Palisade.
Love it or hate it, no one will argue that Santa Fe’s brick-like exterior isn’t attention-grabbing. Some might call it a Land Rover Defender copy [Ed. note: No one is calling it that, Joel.], but the punched-out fenders, sloping roofline, and squared-off ends with horizontal LEDs with H motifs look like nothing else on the road. My aunt even joked she didn’t know Hermès made a car, and I’ll bet Hyundai took that as a compliment despite it being a joke.
Joel Feder
The brick-like design pays dividends inside in all the right ways, though it’s far more contemporary and less divisive than the exterior. Inside, it’s airy and there’s plenty of space in the first two rows. Tall, upright glass lets plenty of light in, and everywhere you look, there are functional bits. The lowset dashboard features buttons, knobs, and toggles (love some good toggles), but the secondary climate controls are touch-based, and these can get washed out in the sun from certain angles. The dual 12.3-inch screens on the dashboard under a single panel of glass house the digital gauge cluster and touchscreen infotainment system sitting side by side.
The front center console was something my wife swooned over, offering not one but two wireless charging pads that work because they are raised, two glove boxes (one with a UV light for disinfecting … things), and functional storage cubbies in the doors. My kids loved the second row captain’s chairs and door-mounted sunshades. That third row, which folds completely flat, is a tight fit for anyone older than school age, but it works for running errands around town.
The powertrain combines a 1.6-liter, inline-four gasoline engine with a conventional six-speed automatic transmission with a 64-horsepower electric motor fed by a 1.5-kWh lithium-ion battery. Total system output is rated at 231 hp and 271 lb-ft of torque. If that sounds familiar, it’s because it’s the same powertrain in the smaller Tucson, which is about 500 pounds lighter.
Front-wheel drive is standard, while all-wheel drive is an $1,800 option that lowers its EPA-estimated fuel economy by 1 mpg.
Driving the 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid
The Santa Fe Hybrid certainly isn’t fast, but it’s quick enough to get out of its own way. It’s peppy off the line thanks to the electric motor’s instant torque, and has enough power for passing duty on the highway. More power isn’t necessary, and frankly, it’s probably quicker off the line than the more powerful non-hybrid turbo model. The overall power tradeoff here is well worth the efficiency gains, considering the hybrid never feels underpowered.
It was interesting and surprising to see how often the gas engine turned off in the Santa Fe Hybrid with the powertrain coasting or running on battery power alone—even at highway speeds. I can’t remember a Toyota Highlander Hybrid doing that at over 70 mph for meaningful stretches of highway like the Santa Fe Hybrid.
The light steering feel is fine, but feedback is nowhere to be found. The well-tuned suspension is softer than that of the Mazda CX-90, but it seems less refined in its movements than the Toyota Highlander due to what seems like less suspension travel.
The Highs and Lows
That brick-like design with a flat hood and upright glass, combined with the low-set dashboard, pays dividends in driveability. Visibility in every direction is fantastic with small A-pillars and a reasonably-sized square rear window that’s larger than that of the Highlander. The massive squared tailgate opens to reveal 40.5 cubic feet of cargo space and notably a low lif situation that makes it easy to load heavy cargo. Costco runs are so nice in this thing.
The automatic transmission is well-behaved, but Hyundai has done the weird thing where it offers multiple levels of regenerative braking despite this being a gas-powered hybrid with no electric-only range. The three levels of regen braking can be controlled via the steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters. However, using any level other than zero induces jerky motions while letting off the throttle.
2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid Features, Options, and Competition
The 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid costs $39,215, including a $1,415 destination charge, which is notably only $1,000 more than a comparable non-hybrid Santa Fe. The base Santa Fe Hybrid is an SEL trim, which cuts out the base, gas-only SE trim, but that translates to standard 18-inch alloy wheels, LED lighting, synthetic leather, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, heated front seats, and dual-zone automatic climate control.
The fully loaded Calligraphy model I tested cost $50,675, and added everything from a heads-up display and suede headliner to leather upholstery, heated front and second-row seats, and a Bose audio system.
A Jeep Grand Cherokee L has a larger third row but drinks loads more gas, and the plug-in hybrid model costs just over $60,000 to start, making it a non-starter in terms of price parity. The Santa Fe Hybrid’s cousin, the Kia Sorento, is comparable in almost every way, right down to the same hybrid powertrain. The Toyota Highlander Hybrid, for similar money, has worse interior packaging, visibility, and infotainment system, but it has large buttons and knobs for easy-to-use controls.
Fuel Economy
The hybrid model of the Santa Fe takes the model’s fantastic packaging and delivers better fuel economy. EPA ratings check in at 35 mpg city, 34 highway, and 34 combined. In the real world, the Santa Fe came close enough to those, averaging 32.1 mpg throughout 99 miles of mixed suburban driving and 31.3 mpg over 886 miles of highway driving at over 70 mph.
Value and Verdict
At a premium of just $1,000 over the non-hybrid model, the 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid is a no-brainer. The mid-trim Limited model makes perfect sense, with the 20-inch wheels, leather-trimmed seats, a power-operated front passenger seat, ventilated front seats and heated front and second-row seats, and a surround-view camera system for $46,115.
Depending on your taste in design, the 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid might not just be the right family car for you, it might be the best family car for the money today. The intersection of “what you need” and “what you want” might have just been crossed.
2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid Specs | |
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Quick Take
A family of four will be hard pressed to buy a better vehicle.
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