2023 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid Reviews, Pricing & Specs

The 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe has a lot in common with a pair of “dad jeans.” Although its styling, inside and out, no longer looks modern or hip, the Santa Fe is undeniably practical and offers outstanding value. The fourth-generation Santa Fe debuted in 2018 for the 2019 model year and, although it was refreshed in 2021, the 2023 model nonetheless looks unfortunately outdated when compared with more recently revealed crossovers. Put it next to a Hyundai Palisade, a Kia Sorento, or a Jeep Grand Cherokee, which were revealed or redesigned in 2020, 2021, and 2022, respectively, and the Santa Fe looks soft and bloated, instead of strong and chiseled.

Admittedly, the Santa Fe isn’t an unattractive crossover, it’s just not modern. At the front, the Santa Fe sports a handsome grille with an attractive mesh pattern. Hyundai squared up this grille in 2021, and the headlights now mount flush to either side, with squinty running lamps above those.

Along the Santa Fe’s profile, the wheel arches are tastefully protected with light plastic fenders, and while 17-inch alloy wheels come standard on the lowest-level Blue trim, they grow from there, peaking at the 20-inch wheels on our Limited-trim test vehicle. The SEL Premium trim lives between those two; Hyundai offers a base SE, a rugged XRT, and a top-shelf Calligraphy trim on gas-powered Santa Fes, but those three options aren’t available on the Hybrid.

Above the wheels, the car’s silhouette rises tall without a lot of strength or definition; it looks too soft to be a modern SUV, which may be one reason why Hyundai debuted a tougher XRT trim level in 2022. This year, Hyundai has added a trio of new colors (Hampton Gray, Calypso Red, and Stormy Sea) plus a new, replacement shade of white (Serenity White Pearl… who comes up with these names?).

Part of the problem is the Santa Fe’s length. At 188.4 inches long stretched over a 108.9-inch wheelbase, the Santa Fe is too big to have the stylish proportions of a compact crossover but too short to be a comfortable three-row crossover. And, indeed, Hyundai dropped the Santa Fe’s slightly longer, three-row iteration after the third generation. Now, the Santa Fe is a two-row midsize crossover, akin to a Ford Edge, Nissan Murano, or Subaru Outback.

It’s most casual at the rear, where a high-mounted rear window sits atop a concave lower half. There are no trendy wide-set letters on the back of this Santa Fe; instead, we have the name on the lower left and a “Hybrid” badge on the lower right. The lower fascia curls up, giving a rounded bottom to a rounded car. The single-tip exhaust outlet is hidden from sight.

The Santa Fe’s frumpy looks are a result of a function-first mentality. Nearly large enough to fit three rows of seats, the Santa Fe instead houses only five people–but it compensates with a big trunk.

Inside, it’s more of the same: practical, but outdated. The center console is a massive swath between the front seats and is filled to the brim with physical buttons and knobs. Is it easy to use? Absolutely. But in an era where fiddly touchscreens are the norm, the Santa Fe’s interior looks sensible, not stylish.

Buy a 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid, and you’ll enjoy performance and efficiency courtesy of a 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine mated to a 44.2-kW electric motor and employing standard all-wheel drive (AWD). All told, the hybrid powertrain produces 226 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque and impressive fuel economy estimates of 33 mpg, 30 highway, 32 combined.

The Santa Fe Hybrid’s power is managed via a six-speed automatic transmission (complete with paddle shifters), and while the HTRAC AWD system defaults to 100% of power being sent to the front wheels, it’s capable of splitting that power when necessary, so 50% goes to the front and 50% goes to the back. Better yet, an AWD lock button will ensure that a minimum of 20% of the Santa Fe’s power goes to the rear wheels, with up to 50% when necessary. This is particularly good when climbing snowy or muddy hillsides.

The Santa Fe hybrid isn’t quick, but it’s still more powerful than the SE-, SEL-, and XRT-trim Santa Fes with internal combustion engines (ICE). Those models make do with a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter four-cylinder capable of 191 hp and 181 lb-ft. Upgrade to a Santa Fe Limited or Calligraphy, and the gas engine gets a turbo and a power boost to 281 hp and 311 lb-ft. Still, when equipped with AWD (front-wheel drive (FWD) comes standard on gas models), they max out at 22/25/24 in terms of fuel efficiency. So while a gas-powered Santa Fe Limited might beat the hybrid Santa Fe Limited to 60 miles per hour, it won’t beat it in terms of miles between fill-ups. A Santa Fe PHEV is also available, offering the best of both worlds, with great horsepower and torque, plus 30 miles of all-electric driving range.

We came away from our road test impressed by the 2023 Santa Fe Hybrid’s noise insulation and compliant suspension. The car is impressively quiet, even at highway speeds. The Santa Fe’s ride quality also remains composed when driving over bad pavement, swallowing up potholes and frost heaves with only the most minor disturbances.

Handling, steering, and braking are all fine, if not superlative. This is a big, tall vehicle designed for transporting people and things in comfort. The goal isn’t speed or cornering agility, and as such, the Santa Fe excels as designed.

Hyundai employs a shift-by-wire, push-button transmission in the 2023 Santa Fe Hybrid, which frees up space below the center stack. However, the center stack itself remains massive with limited storage space up top. A single cup holder sits next to a rectangular cubby, ahead of which is a flip-up compartment cover that reveals another cup holder and a USB-A port.

The center stack is massive, but it’s also filled with physical controls that are well-labeled. Everything from climate control to drive modes to heated-seat buttons can be found between the front passengers, meaning you won’t need to dig around in touchscreen menus to lower the AC or turn on your seat heater.

In the rear seats, passengers enjoy standard manual sunshades and 40.8 inches of legroom, the latter of which puts the Santa Fe on par with other big two-rows like the Subaru Outback, although it’s strangely smaller in the rear than the compact Hyundai Tucson. A hands-free power liftgate comes standard and reveals 36.4 cubic feet behind the second row, which expands to 72.1 cubic feet when the second row is folded. Notably, you won’t pay a cargo-space penalty if you choose a Santa Fe Hybrid over its ICE counterpart.

Up front, our Santa Fe Hybrid Limited came equipped with heated and ventilated front seats with real leather upholstery (heated front seats are standard on all trims) and an eight-way power-adjustable driver’s seat. New for 2023, the SEL Premium trim now receives H-Tex leatherette upholstery.

New for 2023, the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid comes equipped with a 10.25-inch touchscreen and as standard equipment. Although the screen isn’t as brilliant to look at as some of the Santa Fe’s competitors, it nonetheless offers Over-The-Air (OTA) map updates and dynamic voice recognition–two tech-forward inclusions that keep the Santa Fe’s features up-to-date and easy-to-use. Additionally, the infotainment system supports both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, ensuring seamless integration with your smartphone, although both systems require a wired connection.

A 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, providing a clear and customizable view of essential driving information, also comes standard. Additionally, the Hyundai digital key allows for advanced connectivity, enabling features like remote start and locking/unlocking the vehicle through a smartphone app on supported smartphones

Our Limited trim came standard with a 12-speaker Harmon Kardon audio system, which is optional on the Blue and SEL Premium trim levels.

Hyundai prioritizes safety in the 2023 Santa Fe Hybrid, earning it commendable ratings and features. Notably, the SEL Premium and Limited trims now benefit from a surround-view monitor and blind-spot view monitor, the latter of which is one of our favorite advanced safety features, and both of which were previously exclusive to the Limited trim. Both features enhance visibility and awareness, contributing to safer maneuvering in various driving conditions. While the surround-view monitor is particularly helpful when reversing and parking, the blind-spot view monitor supplies a camera feed showing your blind spot in either the right or left cluster of the instrument display, making all the difference when merging in traffic.

Additional standard safety equipment is comprehensive, including adaptive cruise control, forward collision avoidance with automatic emergency braking (with detection for pedestrians, cyclists, and junction-turning), blind-spot collision avoidance, rear cross-traffic collision avoidance, and safe exit assist. These features collectively contribute to the Santa Fe Hybrid being a particularly good choice for parents or other drivers responsible for precious cargo.

Finally, the 2023 Santa Fe Hybrid has undergone rigorous testing, receiving a five-star overall rating from the NHTSA and achieving the coveted Top Safety Pick+ designation from the IIHS in the gas model category. These accolades underline the vehicle's commitment to passenger safety and overall crashworthiness.

Not only does the 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid come with an incredibly attractive five year, 60,000-mile basic warranty and 10-year, 100,000-mile powertrain warranty, it also undercuts most of its competition on price.

The most basic Blue trim level starts at $37,545, including a $1,335 destination fee, and offers more standard features than the lowest-level ICE trim (SE). The SEL Premium is priced at $41,405 (again, including destination), offering a balanced blend of features and affordability. Finally, our range-topping Limited trim, with its advanced technology and safety features, comes in at $43,205 after destination.

Comparing the hybrid to its gas-powered counterparts, the gas Santa Fe starts at a lower SE trim price of $30,085 with destination, but the Blue trim for the hybrid offers more features, not to mention the added efficiency. A better comp is the gas Limited trim, which starts at $41,935 with destination. Given that the average driver will likely save nearly $500 per year in fuel costs by choosing the Hybrid, the $1,270 price delta between the Hybrid and ICE limited trims should be easy to overcome. Further, the lack of standard AWD on the ICE trim (a $1,700 addition) makes the Hybrid SUV the clear winner in terms of value and cost-effectiveness.

If there is one area in which the Hybrid falls short, it’s the relative lack of trim options. Although we came away impressed by our Limited trim’s appointments, it still falls short of the ICE model’s even more luxurious Calligraphy trim. And we’d love to see an XRT treatment available on hybrid models, giving them a much-needed dose of modern, rugged styling.

2024 will usher in a brand new Santa Fe with a dramatic new design. For 2023, however, this remains a practical, sensible, and value-filled option, even if it could use a makeover.