- Hyundai has revealed the new 2024 Santa Fe mid-size SUV.
- The new model has a wildly different look, with a boxy profile and radically modern-looking headlights and taillights.
- More details will be revealed next month, and we expect the new Santa Fe to go on sale in the U.S. later this year.
The new 2024 Santa Fe is the latest Hyundai model with an eye-catching design that will make you do a double take. The mid-size crossover swaps its curvy lines for a straight-edged, boxy new look that is both a throwback to old-school, trucky SUVs and a futuristic interpretation on the theme thanks to modern-looking lighting elements front and rear.
Hyundai says that the new model has a longer wheelbase and that its squared-off rear end is meant to prioritize cargo capacity. The roofline barely slopes at all toward the rear, and the tailgate looks like it's nearly at a 90 degree angle. The body-colored trim around the rearmost window glass is reminiscent of the Land Rover Defender's, and the headlights and taillights both incorporate an H pattern in their LED accents. Chunky trim around the wheel arches and a large roof rack emphasize the newly rugged, off-road-oriented aesthetic.
While the current Santa Fe is available only in a two-row configuration, Hyundai says that it will offer a third row of seats in the new version. The photos show a two-row configuration with second-row seats that fold flat into the floor. The interior looks far more upscale than before, also incorporating a Land Rover–esque vibe, and will offer nappa leather, dual 12.3-inch screens, and two wireless charging pads in the center console.
We know that the new model will be offered with a turbocharged 2.5-liter inline-four, as the photos show "2.5T HTRAC" badging that also indicates Hyundai's all-wheel-drive system. The current Santa Fe's 2.5T powertrain produces 277 horsepower and 311 pound-feet of torque. A hybrid model is also likely to return to the lineup. We expect the rugged-looking XRT trim level from the current model to stick around as well, possibly with more serious off-road upgrades than before.
Pricing will surely rise from the current model's $30,085 starting price, and upper trim levels will likely approach $50,000. The Santa Fe will likely go on sale in the U.S. later this year, and we'll learn far more details next month when Hyundai fully reveals this new SUV.
Despite being raised on a steady diet of base-model Hondas and Toyotas—or perhaps because of it—Joey Capparella nonetheless cultivated an obsession for the automotive industry throughout his childhood in Nashville, Tennessee. He found a way to write about cars for the school newspaper during his college years at Rice University, which eventually led him to move to Ann Arbor, Michigan, for his first professional auto-writing gig at Automobile Magazine. He has been part of the Car and Driver team since 2016 and now lives in New York City.
