2023 Hyundai Santa Fe Reviews

Hyundai might be late to the hybrid SUV party, but its Santa Fe might be the best family SUV available in Australia right now.

"Okay, I know this car is a hybrid, but seriously, how is it this economical?"That's the prevailing thought my wife had after looking at the fuel-tank readout, which showed the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid fuel tank was still three-quarters full at the end of our second month with the car.

One brand is the undisputed leader of the hybrid space, but as more and more Australians start to think more about the electric future, others are coming to take a piece of Toyota's pie. Hyundai has huge potential to unseat the king with its Santa Fe Hybrid seven-seat family SUV, but if you are going to take a shot at the king, you better not miss. Did Hyundai miss the mark?

Hyundai's Santa Fe Active diesel might be a good option for families of five or more, but for everyone else, something smaller and with more equipment for the same price will likely be a better bet.

Now with a newborn and a toddler in the family, are we seeing the benefits of having a large SUV like the Santa Fe?

Although some families might need a larger SUV like the Santa Fe, after one month with the Active's shorter equipment list, I am starting to miss some modern conveniences offered by a similarly-priced, but higher-spec, mid-size SUV model.Do the niceties in an SUV in a class below make a worthwhile trade-off for the extra practicality?Well, some of those day-to-day features in the Tucson Highlander really did make it an easier to use vehicle.For starters, front seats in the Tucson were electronically adjustable, while the seats in the Santa Fe are manually operated.Don't get me wrong, I don't need seat electrics to get comfortable in a car, but the electronic adjustment means you can save two desired seating positions – one for you and the other for your partner.In the last month, I reckon I've had to squeeze myself into my wife's very tight driving position more than a few times, just to reach the seat slider and push it back to a point where my knees weren't on the dashboard.Electronic seat adjustment in the Tucson also meant that when you park the car and opened the door, the driver's seat would automatically slide back a bit to make egress easier, and it was just a nice premium touch that's sorely missed now we are in a Santa Fe Active.And on the topic of electronics, let's talk tailgates.A power-operated tailgate is one of those things you feel like you don't need to until you actually have one.It used to be so easy to just hit a button on the key fob to pop the boot, throw in what you need, hit the button and go.In the Santa Fe, you have to lift and slam the boot lid every time, which again, isn't too much of a problem for me, but for my heavily pregnant partner, it can get a bit tricky to juggle everything needed to open/close the rear hatch.Another feature we miss in the higher-spec Tucson include heated and cooled front seats, which were so helpful during Melbourne's unpredictable seasonal changes.And on the safety front, the Tucson was kitted out with a great surround-view monitor, which made parking, even in tight spots, a breeze, whereas the Santa Fe has only a reversing camera and front parking sensors.However, an area where the Santa Fe stands above the Tucson is the multimedia system.Sure, the screen is a little smaller at 8.0 inches, but it allows for wireless Android Auto, which means phone integration and maps are a cinch.From phone calls, to messages, even emails and calendar reminders, Android Auto on an in-car multimedia screen makes it so easy to keep up with the hustle and bustle of daily family life. So, it's great to see it work so seamlessly and smoothly in the Santa Fe Active.And well, the question has to be asked: Do we actually use the extra space in the Santa Fe?Unfortunately, the answer is no – or at least not yet. With another baby joining the family ranks in the next month or so, I can see us getting much more use out of the Santa Fe's larger dimensions very soon.A second car seat will need to be installed, our existing seat converted back to a rear facing and the extra boot capacity will be taken up with a full-size pram and bassinet – so I'm sure we're going to be very glad of the extra practicality!Acquired: October 2022Distance travelled this month: 486kmOdometer: 7230kmAverage fuel consumption for month: 8.1L/100km

It's a question many burgeoning families have asked themselves. Is it better to buy a low-grade large SUV or a high-spec mid-size crossover? We've just finished a six-month stint in a Hyundai Tucson Highlander, so let's swap it for a Santa Fe Active to see if the trade-off in equipment is worth the gain in practical space.

Australians can now buy a hybrid version of the Hyundai Santa Fe seven-seater SUV. But how much does it cost compared to the diesel and petrol? Plus, if you're planning to tow anything with it you better read this first.

The Santa Fe Highlander garners popularity every year and it's a tough competitor against family favourite, the Toyota Kluger. The Highlander sports some great luxury features while combining the flexibility of seven seats. It manages to slide in under the 70K mark, too, which is reasonable value for a large SUV. It looks the part but how does it perform after a week with my family of three?