Box-shaped cars never go out of style even in the age of the new normal and Hyundai has decided to think outside the box with their all-new, fifth-generation Santa Fe which is now, you guessed it, a boxy crossover.
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| 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe |
Starting at 35,460,000 Korean Won plus additional costs, the all-new Hyundai Santa Fe is no longer the Santa Fe that millennials remembered because it went through a radically different approach but it promises to behave like most crossovers should. So, what's it all about the Santa Fe MX5?
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| 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe |
Ditching the sleek silhouettes of its predecessors, the Santa Fe MX5 features a boxy shape that can be awkwardly mistaken for either a Range Rover or a Ford Flex. Either way, Roblox jokes aside, it's not just limited to its cube looks because the headlamps, the front bumper, and the rear lamps are marked with the letter H because...it's Hyundai's kind of fetish.
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| 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe interior |
If you had enough of staring at its Roblox-ish looks, take a look at the interior. Thanks to its squarish design, it's roomier compared to its TM predecessor although the dashboard feels like it's straight out of Grandeur because of the Grandeur-sourced steering wheel and the gear lever positioned behind it. It now boasts a long monitor where the first half is for the instrumental panel while the second half is for the touchscreen. Minimalism aside, there are knobs for the radio and the aircon, which are rather useful indeed. In expensive variants, you can wirelessly charge up to two smartphones just in case as well as the digital key feature where you will let your gadgets do the unlocking, the digital rearview mirror, and the rather controversial fingerprint authentication system.
Although it only has room for six to seven passengers, depending on the variant, the Santa Fe MX5 is roomier than its TM predecessor. Boot space is decent for a boxy SUV like this, making it more than enough to flex its daily conveniences as an all-rounder.
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| 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe |
Believe it or not, the Santa Fe MX5 runs on the same bits and bobs as the Kia Sorento MQ4, meaning it behaves just like its compatriot. Although a lot different to drive compared to its predecessor, the HTRAC all-wheel-drive system with rough road driving modes made it capable through tarmac, gravel, and snow, good enough for a weekend picnic at Hannibal's. Dynamics aside, the available Alcon monobloc brakes deliver a dramatic braking feel unheard of in a Korean SUV.
Because the Santa Fe MX5 is built for the new normal, there is no diesel powertrain offered. Only a choice of a 1.6L turbo-hybrid powertrain with a total power output of 235PS mated to a 6-speed AT, and a powerful Smartstream G2.5T-GDi mated to an 8-speed AT, producing 281PS of power and a combined 10.1km/L of fuel economy.
The Santa Fe MX5 marks the first time a Hyundai vehicle has a hybrid variant mated with the all-wheel-drive system. That's something that should have been done a long time ago.
Back to the new normal, the Santa Fe MX5 features an improved Hyundai SmartSense with Highway Driving Assist 2, navigation-based smart cruise control, blind spot collision avoidance assist, forward collision avoidance assist, rear parking collision avoidance assist, and Lane Keeping Assist 2. Coupled with the multiple anti-collision automatic braking systems, advanced rear passenger notification, reverse guiding lamp, and 10 airbags, it really is the safest Santa Fe ever made.
The fifth-generation Hyundai Santa Fe is no longer the Santa Fe that millennials remembered because of its Roblox-ish exterior design that intrigues insiders everywhere but with its spacious interior, turbocharged performance, HTRAC, and tech, it has progressed into utilitarian status. It truly is innovation in motion for the new model.
However, if you're unhappy about the Santa Fe MX5's squarish looks and because this is the new normal, here comes the more expensive alternative that makes the all-new Santa Fe look like Oxford, the Korean Lego of course.
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| 2024 Kia EV9 |
This is the first-ever Kia EV9 electric full-size crossover SUV. With prices starting at 77,280,000 Korean Won plus additional costs, it is the most expensive in the Kia SUV lineup, although it's less expensive than the BMW iX3, a meager bargain of the season.
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| 2024 Kia EV9 |
With styling that stays true to its concept car roots, the EV9 signals a new design approach for Kia recreational vehicles in the future, meaning the styling will heavily influence the fate of upcoming people movers from the said brand. Apart from its Mohave-sized proportions and the side view reminiscent of the Infiniti QX80, the EV9 has a surprising show-off feature when you switch the front lights on as the hidden parts lurking around the grille-less front view light up like a Rina-chan board. Get it?
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| 2024 Kia EV9 interior |
Although the exterior design has some cyber vibes to it, the interior is all about first-class comfort in every way. On the driver's side, you will be greeted with the steering wheel emblem lighting, a column-type shift lever positioned behind the wheel, a panoramic wide display where the first half is for the instrumental panel while the second half is for the touchscreen, dual color ambient lighting, and the available Meridian Premium Sound System. The GT-Line variant adds digital side mirrors, a digital rearview mirror, and a hidden touch button on the console, among others.
Inside, the full-sized EV9 can accommodate six or seven passengers and has decent boot space not bad for a full-size electric SUV but the six-seater variant has a party piece no luxury people mover has, not even today's Toyota Alphard; swiveling second-row seats. When coupled with the Lounge Package, you get yourself a luxury cruiser fit for taking high-rollers from Seoul to Busan.
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| 2024 Kia EV9 |
Speaking of Seoul to Busan, the electric powertrain is capable of up to 501km of range for rear-wheel-drive variants while 4WD variants, especially the GT-Line, are good for around 454km, but driving conditions can vary. Running on a 100kWh Li-ion battery pack and the Electric Global Modular platform, rear-wheel-drive variants produce 150kw of power while 4WD variants produce a powerful 283kw of power. That's 385PS to you and me.
Although the driving feel is nothing compared to the Mohave or today's Santa Fe mentioned above, the EV9, even in 4WD GT-Line guise, feels like driving a Toyota Alphard in different directions and because of its electric drivetrain, it's surprisingly quiet as well. It even packs a wide array of safety features such as high beam assist, Highway Driving Assist 2, navigation-based smart cruise control, Remote Smart Parking Assist 2, Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist, Lane Keeping Assist 2, Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist, and Rear Parking Collision Avoidance Assist, among others.
Which would you go for? The Roblox-esque Hyundai Santa Fe MX5 or the heavyweight ultra-luxurious Kia EV9 with a front view that makes the Rina-chan board look like...Tobot Big Boss? It's an interesting question because even though they behave differently, they look futuristic in every way but in every way, it's hard to pick the definitive winner in this round of Unanswered Questions. Only time will tell.
Photo: Hyundai/Kia
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