Car of the Year Awards 2025: 7-Seater of the Year
An interior with space for seven people is obviously a prerequisite in this class, but we also expect an upmarket feel, sensible costs, and top-notch comfort and refinement...
Hyundai Santa Fe 1.6T Hybrid Premium
Did you know the Hyundai Santa Fe is named after the capital of New Mexico? It’s true, and it’s apt. Back at the turn of the millennium, this model was Hyundai’s first attempt at an SUV, and it became a big hit in the US.
As any aspiring music artist knows, make it big in America and you’re en route to the big time. And, speaking of big, it’s fair to say that size is one of the key reasons why we picked this latest Santa Fe as the best seven-seater on sale. Of course, all the cars in this category have seven seats, but not all have seven roomy seats. The Santa Fe does. All seven of its seats are… crikey, what’s that word again? Oh yes: BIG.
Up front, it’s so big that one of New Mexico’s black bears would fit. Well, maybe. We ran out of black bears with which to test that theory, but what’s certain is that even tall humans will have space to spare – and room for their odd and ends, thanks to the numerous storage locations.
Move to the middle row and things get even more impressive. Big rear doors make clambering in and out easy, and leg and head room are exceptional. There’s enough width for three adults to sit side by side comfortably, too. What really sets the Santa Fe apart from many rivals – anything from the Land Rover Discovery Sport to the Peugeot 5008 – is its generous third row.
Often, life in the third row is a squeeze for adults. Not so in the Santa Fe. Its third row is much bigger than the 5008’s and Skoda Kodiaq’s, especially if second-row guests are willing to slide (or tilt) their perches forward a little – a facility the Santa Fe provides as standard. At 628 litres in five-seat mode (up to the parcel shelf), the boot is truly enormous. And with the second and third rows folded flat, there’s a van-like 1949 litres of cargo space.
A big boot opening makes loading effortless, too. The latest Santa Fe is far from a behemoth to drive, though. You sit high and visibility is excellent, so negotiating urban streets is easier than you might imagine, while accurate steering helps it to feel tidy in bends.
It’s quiet even on motorways, with little road or wind noise, and when the hybrid engine set-up is running on electricity, it’s serene in town. Speaking of which, we reckon the two-wheel-drive hybrid offers the best combination of performance and efficiency for the price, but you can have the Santa Fe with four-wheel drive or as a plug-in hybrid.
There’s no need to climb the trim ladder, either; entry-level Premium trim gives you plenty of toys. So, that old saying ‘It’s not big and it’s not clever’ doesn’t apply here. The Santa Fe is big, yes, but it’s also jolly clever.
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