In December, Hyundai treated us to a sneak peak of the 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe. This all-new model has undergone nothing short of a full transformation and now takes on a boxy, muscular form. Yes, let’s just say it: It has gone all Defender on us.
But how much of its own identity, character, and technology has Hyundai bestowed upon this fifth-generation midsize SUV? We do a walkaround as well as a quick drive on paved surfaces and a makeshift off-road trail to get to know the 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe a little bit better. Do you think this model will be a successful one for Hyundai in the local market? Click play on our Launch Pad video above, and sound off in the comments.
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But how much of its own identity, character, and technology has Hyundai bestowed upon this fifth-generation midsize SUV? We do a walkaround as well as a quick drive on paved surfaces and a makeshift off-road trail to get to know the 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe a little bit better. Do you think this model will be a successful one for Hyundai in the local market? Click play on our Launch Pad video above, and sound off in the comments.
Dig cars?
Read more about cars and motoring here: http://www.topgear.com.ph
Like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TopGearPH
Tweet us: http://www.twitter.com/TopGearPH
Follow us on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/TopGearPH
Join us on Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@topgearph
#topgearph #hyundai #hyundaisantafe
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MotorTranscript
00:00 Last Christmas, Hyundai gave us a very, very sneak peek of its upcoming new model, the
00:06 Santa Fe.
00:07 And now we finally have it here.
00:08 This is it.
00:09 This is the Philippine-spec model.
00:10 And we're here today for a quick preview.
00:12 Well, it's still a preview, but now we're going to be able to take a closer look at
00:15 it and we're actually going to be able to drive it through some short courses.
00:19 So let's go check it out.
00:21 [music]
00:34 So as you may have already seen before, Hyundai has gone all boxy with the all-new Santa Fe.
00:39 It looks very much different from the fourth-generation model and it's got this very classy, retro,
00:46 boxy look to it.
00:47 You also have these H-themed design.
00:50 You can actually see a lot of Hs here in the Santa Fe, actually.
00:53 You have on the grille, you have here on the bumper, and we'll see even more of those as
00:57 we go around the vehicle.
00:59 So what I like about this one is that it looks very clean, it looks very macho, and it actually
01:04 fits the overall physique quite well.
01:07 This one also sits on huge 21-inch wheels.
01:12 You get this on the top-spec variant.
01:13 On the mid and the base variant, you only get smaller but still big 20-inch wheels.
01:19 So bear with me as I try to walk around this vehicle.
01:22 But anyway, here on the sides, you'll see more of that boxy and rugged look for the
01:26 Santa Fe.
01:27 It's got these very large windows here on the sides.
01:31 You have plastic trim underneath.
01:33 You've got a two-tone look to it, and it's got these roof rails that come as standard.
01:38 Interestingly enough, the top-spec variant also has a C-pillar handle assist of sorts.
01:43 I can't demo it right now, unfortunately, but you can grab it if you need to get something
01:48 from up top.
01:49 Here at the back, you get more of the same.
01:52 You have a boxy look, you have more HS, a little more rugged as well.
01:56 But I admit, this may not seem very likable to most people, but it grows on you.
02:02 Me, I actually like the design.
02:03 It's a bit unorthodox, but it also looks very retro to me.
02:06 Now, since we're already here, let's check out the back.
02:10 Power liftgate, by the way.
02:12 It has a very, very large opening, and it also has a very large trunk.
02:17 So now, the second row seats are deployed.
02:19 The third row seats folded down.
02:20 You're looking at 725 liters of space.
02:23 With all these rows in use, you're looking at 285 liters of space.
02:27 Now, with all these folded down, it opens up to 1,156 liters of space.
02:33 So that's a lot.
02:35 Anyway, where's the...
02:37 Okay, here's how you close it.
02:39 Let's check out the front row.
02:42 As I mentioned earlier, you'll see more of the Hs as we go around the vehicle, and more
02:47 of the same can be found inside.
02:49 Anyway, there's a lot going on around here.
02:52 It's got a lot of tech, got a lot of buttons, and it's a bit overwhelming if I'm gonna be
02:57 honest.
02:58 Let's try to start here.
02:59 Steering wheel, you've got a nice leather-wrapped steering wheel with, of course, standard mounted
03:05 controls.
03:06 The steering wheel looks actually a bit different from what you see from other Hyundais.
03:10 It reminds me a lot of the Defender steering wheel, I'm gonna be honest.
03:14 You have paddle shifters here, you have your stalks here, and the gear shift lever is found
03:20 over here.
03:21 Don't know how to operate it, but later we're gonna be able to drive it so let's talk about
03:23 that later.
03:25 You have this large...
03:27 What's this?
03:28 This is 12.3-inches, the infotainment system, and it's in one panel with the digital instrument
03:33 cluster.
03:34 You also have the fingerprint sensor here, and you have a digital display for the AC
03:39 controls as well.
03:40 Now, this is touchscreen, but it also has knobs so good on Hyundai for that.
03:48 You have...
03:49 Oh, I accidentally turned on the seat ventilation.
03:52 That's pretty cool.
03:53 Let's turn it higher.
03:54 Okay, that's good.
03:56 You have two USB-C charging ports here in front.
03:58 In total, there are six here in the Santa Fe, including the third row, so that's pretty
04:03 cool.
04:04 You have storage spaces here.
04:05 I think that's almost becoming a signature for Hyundai.
04:09 You can find that in the Staria and the Stargazer as well.
04:12 You have this large center console that can also be opened from the back.
04:18 So if your passengers need something from here, they can open this one easily.
04:23 Now, onto the seat.
04:24 As I said, there's ventilation.
04:27 Interestingly enough, the front row seats are 10-way power adjustable, including the
04:31 driver's seat.
04:32 There are Ottomans here.
04:34 I don't know why anyone would want Ottomans while driving, but if you're gonna spend a
04:38 lot of time in your car, especially when you're idling in a parking lot or whatever, those
04:42 are gonna come in handy.
04:43 You also have preset functions for the driver's seat, so that's also pretty handy.
04:49 Of course, all of your window controls are over here.
04:51 Oh, and storage spaces.
04:53 There's also a large one here underneath.
04:56 That's also gonna come in handy to keep this center console pretty clean and organized.
05:00 Alright, let's check out the second row.
05:03 Now we're in the second row, and I see even more H-patterns.
05:07 H-patterns here, H-patterns there.
05:09 I guess they really meant it when they said an H-themed design.
05:13 Anyway, first off, you get these USB-C charging ports.
05:16 You can find these here.
05:17 You have a tray underneath the center console.
05:20 I can't open it.
05:22 There you go.
05:23 Extra storage space.
05:24 You also have retractable pockets behind the front row seats.
05:28 You have a sunshade, which I will be making good use of right now because it's super hot.
05:35 You have AC vents on the side, and you have a dual sunroof.
05:38 This comes as standard across the range.
05:40 You also have a large armrest here in the middle with two cup holders.
05:45 You also have two small bottle or cup holders on both sides, and a larger bottle holder
05:50 underneath.
05:51 Now, this second row doesn't have automans, but it does recline by this much.
05:58 It's actually pretty comfortable here.
06:01 I would opt to close this sunroof though because it's a bit hot.
06:04 There are no controls for this sunroof here at the back.
06:07 That's what I noticed.
06:08 If you need to close it, you have to press it up front.
06:13 Anyway, I'm not going to be able to go into the third row seat because my knee hurts so
06:18 bad, but you do have a lot of amenities there at the back as well.
06:21 You have separate AC controls for your AC vents, and you have USB-C charging ports,
06:27 and of course, cup holders on either side.
06:30 Anyway, I guess it's time to drive this one.
06:32 We're going to move on to the next station where we're going to be able to drive it on-road.
06:38 So the course right now, we have a slalom, very quick slalom.
06:43 Then we have a short-distance acceleration and braking test.
06:47 So the Santa Fe, by the way, has multiple drive modes.
06:50 We're going to start this one in normal mode.
06:53 It's my first time driving this one.
06:56 Let's take it slowly.
07:02 The steering is very light.
07:04 It doesn't feel like a large crossover SUV at all.
07:09 Fun fact, the Santa Fe from the first generation in 2000 to the fifth generation in 2024 has
07:15 continuously grown in size.
07:17 It's grown by 300mm in length from the time it was launched.
07:23 So it's now 4,800mm or something.
07:25 So now we're going to go through these cones here in the slalom.
07:32 I'll take it a bit at speed.
07:40 So even if we're going a bit faster, there's not a lot of body roll there.
07:47 Later on, we'll try it in sport mode and take it at even higher speeds.
07:52 So now we're on to the acceleration test.
07:54 Three, two, one.
07:55 We're not going to torque it anymore.
07:58 Let's just floor it.
08:05 And full brake.
08:07 So I think on that stretch, we reached 80km/h.
08:12 That's actually pretty impressive.
08:13 Considering how big and heavy this thing is, it actually accelerated pretty quickly.
08:19 I'm curious to see how much faster it will accelerate and stop with the sport mode on.
08:25 Let's have another go.
08:27 Three, two, one.
08:39 So I braked a bit earlier than I did earlier, but I was already at 80km/h.
08:45 Now this is already the third time we've done this test and consistently, we've been hitting
08:50 this cone.
08:51 That just goes to show the stopping power and the consistency of these brakes.
08:55 That's again, again, another impressive point for the all-new Sentafe.
08:59 And I could really feel the power output difference between normal and sport mode.
09:04 That's nice to have when you're trying to overtake on the highway or you want a more
09:08 spirited drive.
09:11 So we're going through the same slalom that we went through earlier with normal mode on.
09:16 We're now in sport mode.
09:17 That's not gonna go too fast, but just feel how much stiffer it is with sport mode on.
09:31 That's very impressive.
09:33 That's very, very impressive.
09:35 Of course, there is body roll, but it's so much less than what I expected.
09:39 It handles so well for its size.
09:41 I can't wait to take this out on public roads and really feel it, feel just how comfortable,
09:47 how well it handles through mountain roads.
09:49 I can imagine driving this to, I don't know, Baguio or somewhere in Mahilake just to try
09:55 out the handling of it.
09:57 And I guess now we're on to the off-road track.
10:00 So let's go.
10:03 So we're now on our way to the short dirt track that they've prepared for us.
10:10 Nothing too hardcore, but it'll show us that even with stock wheels and tires and all-stock
10:18 setup, the Santa Fe can go slightly off-road.
10:23 It comes standard with all-wheel drive, by the way.
10:26 Oh, and we're also driving, again, the turbocharged variant.
10:30 It's still pretty comfy.
10:32 As I said earlier, it's comfy inside the Santa Fe, and now we're here on a slightly beat-up
10:40 part of the track and still fairly comfortable.
10:43 So now, these are some slight articulation tests.
10:47 Nothing too hardcore.
10:48 Again, I think these are what, 25 degrees, 30 degrees?
10:52 Not bad.
10:55 So again, this is all-wheel drive, so no need to switch anything over here.
11:00 No need to fiddle with anything.
11:02 We're just taking it a bit slow.
11:06 Not here to jump the car.
11:08 Just here to try it out on a more, on a rougher part of the terrain.
11:18 Not bad.
11:19 It's fairly easy to maneuver on these types of soil.
11:26 Not much ruck here.
11:27 Not much mud because it's stupid hot today.
11:34 Not familiar with ground clearance yet because they haven't released the specs yet, but nothing
11:39 is getting in the way.
11:40 That's what's important.
11:41 It's pretty high.
11:46 So there you have it, the all-new Hyundai Santa Fe.
11:48 It's a very, very comfortable crossover on-road.
11:51 It has a lot of power under that hood, and it's a very, very capable crossover.
11:56 It can go slightly off-road as well, and probably with some aftermarket upgrades, this can go
12:01 off the beaten path very, very easily.
12:04 So three variants of this one are available at launch, and we're gonna list down the prices
12:07 somewhere here, but the range tops out at Php3.1 million for the top-of-the-line calligraphy
12:14 variant.
12:15 So what do you guys think about Hyundai's new premium offering?
12:18 Does this have what it takes to challenge its competitors in the market?
12:26 [BLANK_AUDIO]