Hyundai Santa Fe
How it looks when you see on the street: The 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe is still riding with the vibe of its 2024 refresh, which was a true glow up. The Santa Fe was the 2025 Women’s Worldwide Car of the Year Supreme Winner. We spent a week in that model careening through a spring and a wintery mix and found it a delight. The forward-facing exterior design is in influenced by the looks of rugged luxe electric SUVs. It’s got a presence that we haven’t seen before from Hyundai and marked a moment in the brands luxe-like momentum. Recently, we drove the top-of-the-lineup 2026 Hybrid Calligraphy and stay impressed.
How it makes you feel when you get in: Hyundai does interiors well and Santa Fe is no exception on striking balance between comfort and class. The top-of-the line model we drove paired gray seats with wood-like trim, and metal surfaces, making the Santa Fe appear more fancy than its predecessor. Kids love captain’s chairs — and so do grownups, which make the interior feel lounge like. Its chalk full of all the tech features including a digital gauge cluster, head-up display, heated rear seats, ventilated front seats, and a bevy of safety standard features including adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assist. Infotainment showed up for us on the 10.3-inch touchscreen, complete with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Niceties like heated steering sweeten up the cabin experience. The lounge vibe is real in the back where we found power-extending leg rests for the kids. The 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system was paired with a 12.3-inch driver display — tasetefully executed and not over screened.
How it drives: Hyundai has a wide range of driving profiles due to several engine options that include a standard engine, turbo engine, a hybrid and plug-in hybrid. Our latest Calligraphy model had the 1.6L Turbo-GDI 4-Cylinder Hybrid and earned 34 miles per gallon. The drive is somewhere between smooth and loose. It’s added a new more reliable 8-speed transmission on the 2026 model.
Space for people and things: Ample two-row seating for a party of five and plenty of folding storage compartments in the rear. Storage is thoughtfully used and always felt like I found another place to tuck away things like cups, small bags and cords.
What you should compare it to: Kia Sorento — a close relative along with the Honda CR-V, Nissan Rogue, Toyota RAV4, and Subaru Forester.
How much does it cost: Our latest test vehicle, the Calligraphy model was north of $50k. The Santa Fe range starts at $39,175.