2024 Hyundai Santa Fe

Hyundai can reliably be counted upon to change up its style game with each new generation of popular models like the Sonata and Elantra. But the new 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe is a pretty radical departure even by the automaker's own adventurous design tendencies. The new Santa Fe leans into today's car-camping and outdoor overlanding trend with a rugged and boxy new look and a longer, taller body for more interior room, more cargo space, and a standard third row for up to seven-passenger seating. The new design may not appeal to all, but it's hard to argue with the Santa Fe's updated power, features and tech.

Rather than offer a generous bundle of options like the outgoing model, the 2024 Santa Fe simplifies decisions with five different trims and escalating upgrades. But this year's upgrades are impressive enough. Last year's optional turbocharged engine is the sole offering now, with similar power and fuel economy. Inside, there's more passenger room, but also a panoramic, dash-spanning display, dual wireless phone chargers, and even a germ-killing, sterilizing UV light in the glovebox for grunge-prone items like phones, wallets and headphones. An ample set of driver assistance features bring Hyundai closer (but not quite all the way) to hands-free driving, while the Santa Fe's emphasis on outdoor adventure extends to its wider liftgate opening, useful not just for loading cargo, but all manner of camp prep and relaxation activity. Buyers who truly want to dive into the Santa Fe's overlanding possibilities can opt for the XRT, with its ride height increase of 1.3 inches, off-road tires and increased towing capacity.

Three-row SUV shoppers have no shortage of options, especially among midsize models under $40K, ranging from the Chevrolet Traverse, Honda Pilot and Volkswagen Atlas to the Nissan Pathfinder and Kia Sorento, a distant mechanical cousin to the last-gen Santa Fe. Ironically, one of the Santa Fe's primary competitors may come from inside the house. The Hyundai Palisade also offers three rows and similar luxury and tech. It's a bit bigger and pricier in base trim, with more elegant design, but gives buyers two options to consider from Hyundai.

We purchased a 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid for a yearlong, 20,000-mile test. We'll find out if the Santa Fe's bold styling grows on us and whether the three-row SUV's fuel economy meets our expectations. Follow all the updates of our long-term road test here.

The 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe is a six- or seven-passenger SUV, depending on configuration, and it's available in five main trim levels: SE, SEL, XRT, Limited and Calligraphy. There's also the Santa Fe Hybrid, which is available in SEL, Limited and Calligraphy trims. The regular Santa Fe has a turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine (277 horsepower, 311 lb-ft) and an eight-speed automatic transmission. The Hybrid has a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder (231 hp, 271 lb-ft) and a six-speed automatic. Front-wheel drive is standard and all-wheel drive is optional for the Santa Fe. Here's what you can expect in each trim.