2027 Hyundai Santa Fe Review, Pricing, and Specs

Overview

The Hyundai Santa Fe has no right to look as premium as it does with a starting price of less than $40,000. To the casual onlooker, its boxy-chic form could easily be mistaken for a Range Rover, and when you open the doors, its elegantly styled interior gives that impression, too.

While its cabin materials aren’t quite as nice to the touch as they appear, the Santa Fe is still a paragon of comfort for up to seven passengers. Its 277-hp 2.5-liter inline-four engine has to work hard to fight its prodigious mass, but its ride quality is pillowy, and its inner environs are quiet enough to be called spa-like. Add to that an ample cargo area and a wide tailgate opening, and this three-row family SUV nails both form and function.

Expert Tip: The Santa Fe’s bigger sibling, the three-row Hyundai Palisade, has moved even further upmarket, backing up its designer looks with cabin materials that both look and feel premium—especially in top Calligraphy trim.

What’s New for 2027?

The Hyundai Santa Fe’s 2025 overhaul still looms large in the rearview, so we don’t expect any major changes for the 2027 model year.

What’s Your Car Worth?

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Pricing and Which One to Buy

We feel the SEL is the one to buy. For a mild price bump over the base SE,you get heated front seats (eight-way power adjustable for the driver), faux-leather upholstery, wireless device charging, dual zone HVAC with third-row air vents, body color folding side mirrors, roof rails, and a few other items—a lot of kit for a reasonable upcharge. Note that adding all-wheel drive is $1715 except for the XRT, which has AWD standard.

Engine, Transmission, and Performance Engine: 277-hp turbocharged 2.5-liter inline-four Transmission: 8-speed automatic Drivetrains: front-wheel drive, all-wheel drive

Under the hood of every Santa Fe is a turbocharged 277-hp 2.5-liter inline-four-cylinder engine. Front-wheel drive and an eight-speed automatic are standard, but all-wheel drive is available. The suspension tune prioritizes soft-riding comfort, and only the sharpest impacts penetrate the cabin.

Predictably, there’s a bit of body roll in corners, but the steering has decent weighting. If more athletic responses are desired, we suggest taking a look at the Mazda CX-90, which offers three rows of seats plus an extra dollop of driving fun. Though the Santa Fe is light on driver involvement, it offers a refined and quiet ride, particularly on the highway.

0–60-MPH Times C/D 60-mph Test: 6.3 seconds

In Comparison: The Hyundai Santa Fe clearly wasn’t designed with speedy acceleration in mind, but it’s still quicker than many of its rivals, including the Honda Pilot and Toyota Grand Highlander. If fuel economy is a primary concern, Hyundai sells a Santa Fe Hybrid alongside the gas-only model; we review that vehicle separately.

Additional ResearchTowing and Payload Capacity

The Santa Fe is rated to tow 3500 pounds with trailer brakes and 1650 pounds without. Buyers looking to ratchet up the towing capability can select the XRT trim, which is rated for 4500 pounds with trailer brakes.

Fuel Economy and Real-World MPG C/D 75-mph Highway Fuel-Economy Test: 24 mpg EPA City Ratings: 19-20 mpg EPA Highway Ratings: 25-29 mpg

The EPA estimates that the front-wheel drive Santa Fe will return 20 mpg city, 29 mpg highway, and 24 mpg combined. Adding all-wheel drive drops the highway number to 28 mpg, and going with the more rugged XRT model reduces fuel economy ratings to 19 mpg city, 25 mpg highway, and 21 mpg combined.

On our real-world 75-mph highway driving test, a Santa Fe Calligraphy AWD returned 24 mpg, a significant 4 mpg below its EPA rating. For more information about the Santa Fe’s fuel economy, visit the EPA’s website.

Interior, Comfort, and Cargo

First Row: Hyundai was clearly influenced by luxury manufacturers like Land Rover when designing the Santa Fe’s interior. Its cabin features an upscale design with modern tech integrated throughout. Upper trims can be fitted with high-quality materials and luxury features, including nappa leather seat upholstery, an extendable driver footrest, and wood trim.

Second Row: In the second row, power-operated captain’s chairs now come standard on Limited and Calligraphy models. SE and SEL trims feature standard second-row bench seats. Either way, there’s plenty of room for adults in the middle row.

Third Row: The Santa Fe’s third row isn’t as roomy as the ones you’ll find in the Hyundai Palisade or Toyota Grand Highlander, but it’ll fit kids and smaller adults just fine.

Cargo Capacity: Hyundai says there’s 14.6 cubic feet of space behind the third row. During our carry-on suitcase testing, we fit five cases behind the third row, 16 cases with the third row stowed, and 34 cases with the third and second rows folded.

Infotainment and Connectivity Infotainment: 12.3-inch touchscreen Connectivity: Bluetooth, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto Audio System: 6-speaker audio system (standard), 12-speaker Bose Premium audio system (optional)

Covering more than half the dashboard are two 12.3-inch displays, one serving as a gauge cluster and one as a touchscreen for infotainment. Despite the devotion to screens, physical knobs for things like climate and audio volume have been retained for ease of use.

An optional dual wireless smartphone charging pad can repower two phones at once, but there are also USB-C ports for wired charging. Wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are standard features, and the Santa Fe even offers a UV-C sterilization compartment in the glovebox for removing germs from smartphones, wallets, and other small items.

Safety and Driver-Assistance Features

The Santa Fe comes with ample standard driver-assistance technology, including adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assist.

Standard Safety Features: forward-collision warning and automated emergency braking, adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go technology, lane-departure warning with lane-keeping assist

For information about the Santa Fe’s crash-test results, visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) websites.

Warranty and Maintenance Coverage

Hyundai has one of the best warranty plans on the market, highlighted by lengthy powertrain coverage. The company also now offers complimentary scheduled maintenance that bests mainstream rivals such as Toyota.

Limited Warranty: five years or 60,000 miles Powertrain Warranty: ten years or 100,000 miles Complimentary Maintenance: three years or 36,000 milesC/D Test Results and Specs

Each year, we put hundreds of vehicles through our rigorous instrumented testing regimen. If the data in the chart below is for a different model year, that’s because this vehicle hasn’t changed from when we last tested it, and the test results remain accurate.

Specifications

Specifications

2024 Hyundai Santa Fe Calligraphy AWD

Vehicle Type: front-engine, all-wheel-drive, 6-passenger, 4-door wagon

PRICE

Base/As Tested: $49,695/$50,905 (est.)

Options: Earthy Brass Matte paint, $1000; carpeted floor mats, $210;

ENGINE

turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16-valve inline-4, aluminum block and head, direct fuel injection

Displacement: 152 in3, 2497 cm3

Power: 277 hp @ 5800 rpm

Torque: 311 lb-ft @ 1700 rpm

TRANSMISSION

8-speed dual-clutch automatic

CHASSIS

Suspension, F/R: struts/multilink

Brakes, F/R: 12.8-inch vented disc/12.8-inch disc

Tires: Pirelli Scorpion MS PNCS

245/45R-21 (104V) M+S Extra Load KS

DIMENSIONS

Wheelbase: 110.8 in

Length: 190.2 in

Width: 74.8 in

Height: 67.7 in

Passenger Volume, F/M/R: 61/56/33 ft3

Cargo Volume, Behind F/M/R: 80/41/15 ft3

Curb Weight: 4416 lb

C/D TEST RESULTS

60 mph: 6.3 sec

1/4-Mile: 14.8 sec @ 96 mph

100 mph: 16.1 sec

130 mph: 35.5 sec

Results above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.4 sec.

Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 6.7 sec

Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 3.3 sec

Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 4.4 sec

Top Speed (C/D est): 135 mph

Braking, 70–0 mph: 167 ft

Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.84 g

C/D FUEL ECONOMY

Observed: 24 mpg

EPA FUEL ECONOMY

Combined/City/Highway: 23/20/28 mpg

C/D TESTING EXPLAINED

More Features and Specs