A while back, we reviewed the Hyundai Santa Fe Calligraphy Edition. It is a fine flagship for the brand and the model line, but in reality, it isn’t the top of the range. This variant, with a smaller 1.6-liter turbocharged engine, less power, and less rubber, is.
Granted, it boasts a 64hp electric assist motor and hybrid battery storage, but in a market where hybrids get a 50% break on tariffs, can the Korean brand justify pricing the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid so much more than its top-of-the-line performance model? Let’s find out.
Styling
There’s little to distinguish the Santa Fe Hybrid from the standard Calligraphy model, but I must say: Ocado Green Pearl is a fine color for this car. It offsets the blacked-out trim nicely without having it be too in-your-face. Smaller 20-inch wheels look nigh on identical to the 21-inchers on the 2.5T. While smaller, they’re still wrapped in low-profile tires, giving the hybrid a sporty vibe.
And this car is all about vibe. The chunky wedge shape, punctuated by H-shaped lights and grille, is a beautiful thing. I don’t even mind the odd rear hatch anymore, however off-putting others might find it. It just feels right for a car like this.
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Interior
Hyundai interiors are lovely to look at, though there are still some thin plastics here and there—as in the cellphone trays on the center console. It’s still a tastefully appointed cabin, with lots of head- and legroom in all rows. However, there is not as much elbow room as in American midsizers like the Ford Explorer, but the Santa Fe is a better fit for narrow Asian streets. The leatherette seats are nice and comfortable, if not as outright plush as some, and there are USB-C charging points as well as A/C vents and controls in all three rows.
There’s a rollable tonneau cover for when you’re not using the third row, but there’s nowhere to stow it when the third row is up, as it’s too long to fit behind. That’s something to think about if you’re carpooling or carting around family regularly.
Performance
For those long family drives, the 1.6-liter turbocharged engine under the hood gives 178hp, mated to an electric assist motor providing an additional 64hp, bringing the total to 232hp. Performance is a slight step down from the 2.5T at 8.5sec, to 9sec from 0-100kph, depending on state of charge. Electric assist makes it feel as torquey as the 2.5T in traffic, but power tapers off noticeably once underway. You can only shift the six-speed automatic with the paddle shifters in Sport mode, not that you will enjoy the exercise. The traditional torque converter auto is lazy and lopey compared with the eight-speed dual-clutch in the 2.5T.
In Normal and Eco modes, the paddle shifters control regenerative braking, allowing you to tailor it to the occasion. Driven carefully, the hybrid does about 6-8 km/L in traffic and 16km/L in mixed driving conditions, with up to 20km/L possible when driven even more carefully. Not quite RAV4 numbers, but since this is a much bigger crossover, that’s not a big issue.
Ride and handling
The hybrid is a bit less lively than the 2.5T, thanks to the weight penalty of the hybrid system. Higher-profile 245/50 R20 Kunho Ecsta tires with taller sidewalls don’t noticeably lower the handling limits, which is good, but don’t noticeably improve ride comfort, either. There’s still a lot of thumping and klumpfing over rutted provincial backroads. I wager the 19-inch wheels on the base Santa Fe are a better choice for urban crawling, but in high-speed driving, where the dampers are given more room to smooth out wheel motions, 20-inch is where it’s at.
Around town, the Santa Fe is remarkably easy to drive. It’s not as wide as the Explorer, nor as tall or clunky as Fortuner-level PPVs. The extra rubber gives you more peace of mind navigating around tight spaces and high parking curbs than in the 2.5T. A long wheelbase and tight turning circle mean you still have to be careful navigating tight drive-thrus, but with 360-degree cameras and automatic side cameras, this big boy is a breeze to handle in tight spots.
Other features
Aside from the parking assists, the Santa Fe features full Level 2 driver assists, including lane departure, adaptive cruise, and emergency braking, front and rear. Other niceties include a neat double sunroof, powered front seats with a movable footrest for the driver, and Hyundai’s ambient sounds. A dual cellphone tray features two wireless charging pads, and there’s wireless Android Auto on offer, mated to a sound system of great quality, if not great volume.
Big panoramic glass, seat massagers, and an automatic tailgate round out an impressive feature list that’s nigh on identical to that of the 2.5T. There’s literally nothing to choose between the two here.
Verdict
And therein lies the rub. The Santa Fe hybrid is good, but not necessarily P200,000 good-er than the 2.5T. Yes, it boasts the fuel economy that endeared the old diesel Santa Fe to buyers, but in this rarefied price range, that hybrid add-on struggles to convince. It’s still a great car, and a more practical proposition than the 2.5T, but it’ll need to come down a bit in price to earn our wholehearted recommendation over its more exciting sibling.
SPECS: Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid 2025
Price: P3,330,000
Engine: 1.6-liter turbocharged engine + electric motor
Power: 178hp (engine), 232hp (combined)
Torque: 367Nm @ 1,000-4,100rpm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Drive layout: e-Motion FWD
Seating: 7
Score: 8/10
More photos of the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid 2025:
