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Hyundai's Santa Fe has come a long way from the times when it was a budget brand SUV pick. By 2021, this SUV had become the flagship of the Hyundai range, in fourth generation TM-series form offering seven seats and European brand standards of technology and quality. Here, we're looking at the improved version of that TM fourth generation model, launched in 2020, which ditched diesel in favour of electrified power powerplants. It might well surprise you as a used buy.
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Detailed ratings
Large-Sized Family Hatch-Based SUVs
History
The Santa Fe is Hyundai's longest running SUV, part of a crossover line-up of huge importance to the Korean maker. So we were surprised when, in an era of electrification, the original version of the fourth generation TM-series model went on sale in 2018 offered only with an old fashioned diesel engine. It didn't really suit its changing market. Why is why, only two and a half years after that, the brand fundamentally revised this fourth generation design and re-launched it in the form we're going to look at here.
Which of course included the engine electrification that was originally missing. Quite a lot of it actually. Diesel was completely ditched and instead, the entire range was from 2020 onwards based around the brand's compact 1.6-litre petrol turbo engine. This appeared either in self-charging full-Hybrid form. Or, linked to a larger drive battery, as part of a Plug-in powertrain at the top of the range. Those new engines required an almost entirely new platform, so Hyundai took the opportunity that offered to improve cabin space a bit - and media screen tech got an upgrade at the same time.
So, lots of money was spent on this TM design's mid-term upgrade, reflecting the important role that back at the beginning of the 21st century's third decade the Santa Fe was playing in a model line that earlier in the century had really established the brand in the European market. The very first Santa Fe was launched back in 2001, that early 'SM'-series model very much a budget brand SUV option. It's second generation successor though, launched five years later, showed that the Korean maker was capable of much more. That 'CM'-series design was the first relatively affordable crossover to blur the boundaries between the mid-sized class and the large SUV segment better suited to bigger families. With it, Santa Fe buyers paid compact sector prices but got the kind of 7-seat capacity they'd previously needed a much larger SUV for: all good. The third generation 'NC'-series model of 2012 built on that success and sold for six years until the original version of the fourth generation 'TM'-series design was first launched.
Like all its predecessors, this TM-series Santa Fe is built on the same engineering found in its close cousin, the Kia Sorento. And it also shares some of the technology used by the Korean maker's Genesis premium brand with their GV80 model. This refreshed TM-series Santa Fe sold until Spring 2024, when it was replaced by a fifth generation MX5-series model.
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What you get
Over four generations, the Santa Fe has typified an impressive evolution in Hyundai design. In its first generation, it was rather strange and typically Asian: the MK2 model was functional and the MK3 design quite smart. The original version of this MK4 TM-series Santa Fe had more of an imposing look; and this evolved, electrified model could actually be described as quite stylish. It was also a little bigger than the original version of this fourth generation TM-series design, though the differences are relatively slight, length increased by 15mm and height by 7mm.
As for styling changes over the original MK4 Santa Fe, well most of these were made at the front. There's a much bigger 3D mesh patterned grille flowing into larger LED headlamps, which have separate narrow daytime running light strips above and slim, angled corner cut-outs below. Plus lower silver skid plate trim encompasses the entire lower grille section. The rear is less eye-catching, but equally confidently executed, the main change for the 2020 version of this TM-series model being the addition of a full-width light strip which emphasises this improved model's 10mm increase in width and links the LED lamp clusters.
Once you're inside, you'll find that Hyundai to a great extent here achieved the ambiance of luxury design that the original version of the MK4 model tilted at but never quite delivered. The centre console was raised in this revised model, which gives far more of a cocooned, aircraft cockpit-style feel, and on it, gear shift buttons replaced the previous traditional selector stick. The central infotainment screen at the top of the centre stack is far larger than it was in the original TM design, here 10.25-inches with a panoramic-style feel. And, if you opt for the top-spec variant, you get a big 12.3-inch virtual instrument cluster screen to replace the traditional analogue gauges. There's a properly commanding high-set SUV seating position from which you survey cabin quality that took a noticeable step forward in this post-2020 model. And there's loads of storage space - plus pretty decent all-round visibility for an SUV of this size.
Access to the middle row seating is good - as at the front, the doors open widely, making it easy for parents to lean in an attach things like child seats and booster cushions. Once you get comfortable in the second row, there's a slightly greater feel of space than was the case with the previous version of this model. It's not an illusion either. Hyundai claimed that legroom in this part of the car was increased by 34mm as part of the changes made here, though the actual amount of space you get will depend on the way you position the sliding seat base, which can be moved back and forward across a 300mm range. And the third row? Well once you're in, there is - as advertised - more room than you usually get in the rearmost pews of a typical 'D'-segment 7-seat SUV, thanks to the extra body length we referred to earlier. It's freed up just enough room to more comfortably accommodate the couple of full-sized adults who would have been significantly more cramped in previous generation versions of this car.
Of course, with these rearmost seats in place, there's won't be much room for luggage - but then of course that's true of any seven-seater that isn't directly based on a van. Lift the powered tailgate and you'll find that with all three rows in place, you'll only have enough space for a few shopping bags. Of course, most of the time, you're probably going to be using your Santa Fe with these third row chairs folded flush into the boot floor - which frees up a total of 634-litres of space. Completely flatten the central bench and 1,625-litres of fresh air can be freed up - much the same as before.
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What to look for
We've come across reports of glitches with the electrical system: check the powered windows, the reversing camera and look for potential problems with the infotainment system and possibly with some of the sensors. Some owners have reported issues with the climate system too; and a few owners came across faults with the audio system speakers. It's unlikely that the Santa Fe you're looking at will have been seriously used off road but check underneath just in case.
There were a few manufacturing issues that came up. In March 2022, a voltage fluctuation at very low temperatures caused the LCD instrument cluster screen of some models to show an inverted image. And in July 2022, it was found that the seatbelt pretensioner inflator of some models displayed fracturing when deployed in an accident. In early 2023, due to a programming issue, some models experienced a failsafe driving mode malfunction, resulting in reduced acceleration followed by a loss of power.
Otherwise, it's just the usual issues we briefed you on the earlier version of this TM series model. A problem was also found with the emergency system that alerts the emergency services with your exact GPS location in the event of airbag deployment in a crash - though this should have been fixed as part of a product recall. Check all the media tech on your test drive - and the workings of the navigation system to see if it's been kept up to date. As we said, check the touchscreens and Bluetooth connectivity. Check the leather upholstery for cuts and stains. And inspect the alloy wheels for kerbing damage. And insist on a fully stamped-up service history.
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Replacement parts
(approx based on a 2021 Santa Fe Hybrid - Ex Vat - autopartspro.co.uk) Front brake pads sit in the £34-£76 bracket; rear pad sets are around £32-£74. Front brake discs sit in the £45-£121 bracket; rear discs are around £45-£53. A cabin filter is around £6-£51. An air filter is around £13-£60. An oil filter is around £7-£46. A fuel filter is around £2-£12.
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On the road
The Santa Fe was once a mid-sized SUV, but with every evolution, it got a little larger - and it certainly feels that way behind the wheel of this one. Traditionally, the bigger the SUV, the more you expect it to deliver the familiar rumble of a diesel engine from beneath the bonnet. Not here though. The Korean maker wants to persuade you that a petrol hybrid powertrain is, going forward, a better solution, specifically a 1.6-litre-sized one. There are two options available in this case, a full-Hybrid self-charging HEV model; or, if you want a full dose of electrification, there's also the option of a pricier Plug-in PHEV variant.
There are certainly disadvantages to using a petrol engine this small in capacity; towing capacity for one thing, which is rated at a modest 1,650kgs for the HEV hybrid variant and just 1,350kgs for the alternative Plug-in model. But otherwise, the Smartstream powerplant acquits itself quite well here, mated to a 6-speed auto gearbox and available with a choice of either front-driven or 4x4 drivetrains. There are certainly advantages to choosing the PHEV model. It gets a gutsier 91PS electric motor than that used in the HEV version and, of course, there's a larger drive battery, 13.8kWh in size, which facilitates a (surprisingly achievable) 36 mile all-electric driving range before the 1.6 T-GDi engine (rather vocally) cuts in.
But there's a big price premium to pay for Plug-in tech, so the majority of Santa Fe customers in the 2020-2023 period settled for the self-charging HEV version of this car, though its feebler 60PS electric motor rarely powers this SUV for long. You do at least get near-diesel levels of efficiency, the HEV 4WD variant officially WLTP-rated at 40.4mpg on the combined cycle and 159g/km of CO2. For the 4WD Plug-in model, the figures are 173.7mpg and 37g/km.
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Overall
The fourth generation Hyundai Santa Fe improved significantly in this post-2020-era electrified form. Its predecessor was a convincing contender that now looks a great used buy, but this updated car added in an extra layer of polish. There are a few issues of course. If you habitually tow heavy loads, then this car's new-era hybrid powertrains won't suit you at all. Other rivals are also better, either on or off road. And the identically-engineered Kia Sorento can be slightly cheaper.
For all that, we can see a definite appeal here for someone who wants the space of a large SUV but needs to stay somewhere near the price bracket of a mid-sized model. If you've got a growing family, have room in your life for just a single car and need one that's stylish, practical, reflects the current trend for electrification and will discreetly go the distance without a hiccup, then it's well worth trying one of these. Do that and who knows. You might once again, start to believe in Santa.
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