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What’s it like?
The fifth-generation Hyundai Santa Fe is a blocky, square-set, seven-seat SUV and it’s a brilliant thing, but it might be too expensive and, indeed, just a bit too boxy to look at for some tastes. Luckily, the preceding Mk4, built from 2018 until 2023, is an excellent second prize if you need a big, luxurious people-mover like this. Stylish to look at, with a roomy and well-equipped interior, and smooth and comfortable to drive, there’s a lot to like about the Santa Fe, which is a natural rival for the varied likes of the Skoda Kodiaq, the Land Rover Discovery Sport, the Volvo XC90, the Audi Q7 and, of course, the distantly related Kia Sorento.
Which model to go for?
Rather incredibly, this variant of Santa Fe could technically be considered two separate generations, given Hyundai did something highly unusual midway through the life of the Mk4. But let’s ignore that for a second – prior to the midlife ‘facelift’ of late 2020, the 2018-20 cars are quite simple to understand, as they came with a solitary 2.2-litre turbodiesel four-cylinder engine generating 200hp. There was a choice of front- or four-wheel drive, with gearbox options being a six-speed manual or an eight-speed automatic.
However, for the update in 2020, Hyundai made some fundamental changes to the Santa Fe, yet somehow managed to keep the bodywork looking broadly the same. The updated cars have a wider grille with two-piece light clusters on either side that have a large ‘T’ motif straddled both units. But despite the fact that, otherwise, these later Santa Fes didn’t appear to be too different on the outside and in the cabin, underneath they were on an entirely different platform. Manufacturers are normally loath to make significant changes to panel work and lights these days, never mind trying to make an ‘old’ body fit an entirely new chassis and all its hardpoints.
Nevertheless, this updated platform allowed for an all-new plug-in hybrid (PHEV) derivative with a 1.6-litre petrol engine, assisted by a 91hp electric motor and 13.8kWh battery pack for an overall output of 261hp. The turbodiesel continued, admittedly with a revised ‘Smartstream’ engine and ever-so-modest increases to 202hp and 441Nm, but both the PHEV and the facelifted diesel now used an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission (DCT) as the automatic option.
You can’t go wrong with any Santa Fe powertrain and the PHEV is actually more numerous on the second-hand market than the 2.2-litre diesel, but we’d say the latter with an automatic gearbox is a great choice as it’s a fuss-free and economical way of running a seven-seat SUV of this opulence.
Does anything go wrong?
Not much. Owners love this generation of Santa Fe and, to date, there are no known significant issues with used examples, even the PHEVs, and if you buy one of the last examples then you might even have some of the original, transferable manufacturer warranty in play for extra peace of mind. That said, the Santa Fe wasn’t immune to recalls, with five recorded. These were for potential DCT error messages; two relating to possible leaking fuel tanks; a precautionary fix for the front seatbelt pretensioners; and the lack of VIN info in the eCall system.