New Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid now on sale in Australia, gets technology overload
The Hyundai Sante Fe – one of Australia’s top-selling family SUVs – has come in for a major overhaul and a massive technology boost.
Among the long list of technical highlights is a new system that will warn drivers if they make an unsafe overtaking move amid oncoming traffic.
The completely new model marks a major design departure for the brand, but the bold new shape has practical reasons behind it.
The utilitarian theme has drawn comparisons with the Land Rover Defender, however the main reason for the change is to create more interior space, including a much roomier third row than before.
The 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe – rolling into Australian showrooms now – is also the most technically advanced model to date (a complete list of highlights is shown at the bottom of this story).
Initially, all new Hyundai Santa Fe models delivered in Australia will be powered by a turbocharged 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine paired to a hybrid system which promises fuel-miser economy (5.6L/100km is the claim based on laboratory tests).
A turbocharged 2.5-litre four-cylinder non-hybrid model (206kW/442Nm) is due to follow later this year.
With the update comes a price rise of about $10,000.
The previous Hyundai Santa Fe started from $46,050 (3.5-litre V6 petrol engine) and $49,550 (2.2-litre turbo diesel four-cylinder), but the new model starts from $55,500 plus on-road costs (about $60,000 drive-away depending on registration and stamp duty in each state).
2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid Australian Pricing:
Santa Fe 2WD: $55,500 plus on-road costs
Santa FE AWD: 58,500 plus on-road costs
Santa Fe Elite AWD: $65,000 plus on-road costs
Santa Fe Calligraphy AWD: $75,000 plus on-road costs
2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid Technology Highlights:
The level of regenerative braking can be adjusted in three levels using the paddle shifters behind the steering wheel, giving the driver greater braking control and the ability to improve fuel efficiency across a range of driving conditions;
Instrument cluster shows a charge/power gauge, battery charge level indicator, and regenerative braking information;
Shift-by-wire drive selection stalk is mounted on the steering column (twist forward for drive and rearwards for reverse);
Height- and speed-adjustable power tailgate;
Tailgate can be opened via a sensor key or by standing near the tailgate with the key for a few seconds (no need for foot-swipe for hands-free operation);
12-speaker Bose audio in top-end models;
Door pockets, armrests and dashboard storage area can be illuminated with up to 64 colours;
Dual wireless smartphone charging pad;
Digital centre rear-view mirror;
12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen is powered by an NVIDIA CPU with four times more computing power and 15 times more graphical processing power compared to the previous infotainment system;
12.3-inch digital instrument cluster has ‘classic’ or ‘modern’ display settings;
Over-the-air updates for certain technical updates (when connected to wifi at work or home);
Bluelink standard for five years includes Automatic Collision Notification (ACN), Emergency Call (SOS) function, Connected Routing with live traffic updates (Elite and Calligraphy variants), geo-fencing, valet, speed and time alerts;
Remote smartphone control of air-conditioning and certain vehicle functions;
10 airbags (including airbag protection for all three rows of seats);
Driver and passenger airbags, first- and second-row side thorax and pelvis airbags, a driver knee airbag, a front centre side airbag, and curtain airbags;
Junction autonomous emergency braking: the system monitors oncoming vehicles in the adjacent lane and applies the brakes if a collision is imminent (working speed: 10-30km/h, target vehicle speed: 30-70km/h);
The system also monitors for collision risks with oncoming vehicles when preparing to change lanes (overtake). If a collision risk is detected while initiating a lane change, the system will issue a warning. If the collision risk increases after the warning, the system will provide automatic steering assistance (working speed: 40-145km/h, target vehicle speed: 10-200km/h);
Door exit warning (to detect traffic such as cars and motorbikes when getting out of the vehicle);
Intelligent Speed Limit Assist (ISLA) provides audible and visual warnings when the vehicle exceeds the detected speed limit.
In addition, this technology can adjust the vehicle’s speed to the new speed limit when a change is detected;
Lane Following Assist 2 automatically steers the vehicle to maintain its lane position by using the front-view camera to recognise lane markings;
If the system does not detect lane markings it will use the vehicle ahead as a reference to help with steering for a certain period of time.
Joshua Dowling has been a motoring journalist for more than 20 years, most of that time with Fairfax (The Sydney Morning Herald), News Corp Australia (Herald Sun and News.com.au), and most recently Drive.com.au (owned by Nine Media). He is also a World Car of the Year judge, has won numerous journalism awards, and test drives up to 200 cars per year.