Gac Aion Ut vs Hyundai Santa Fe

What's the difference?

Chinese newcomer GAC couldn’t have timed the arrival of its Aion UT in Australia any better.

At the time of writing, we were in the midst of another Middle East-related fuel crisis, and more buyers than ever before were considering switching to their first electric car.

It’s a good thing there hasn’t ever been a better time to buy one, especially with price tags getting lower and lower thanks to keen new players like GAC.

The Aion UT, which is a vaguely Corolla-sized hatchback is now one of the most affordable new EVs on the market, and aims to outfox its primary rivals, like the BYD Dolphin and GWM Ora.

But, as you may have figured out by now, newcomer brands can come with their fair share of quirks. So, is the Aion UT the affordable hatchback it needs to be? We went to its Australian launch to find out.

A big welcome to one of the first turbo-petrol four-cylinder versions of the new-generation Hyundai Santa Fe, a model that launched locally with only its hybrid variants available to our market.

While it might not satisfy the fans of the previous-gen's V6 petrol engine, it might be enough for those who have been on the fence about going the hybrid route.

This is my third time in the new Santa Fe, and each tested variant has managed to offer something different and the base petrol grade, in FWD, is no different – but does it offer enough?