- The Car Connection says: “The Santa Fe Hybrid offers something for the driver who needs it all—space, efficiency, and style.”
- Santa Fe Hybrid’s long wheelbase enables standard third-row seating and a spacious, upscale interior
- Expansive liftgate opening eases loading and provides a terrace-like view
- Powerful, efficient gas-electric powertrain is EPA-estimated at up to 36 miles per gallon[i]
FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif. – Hyundai’s Santa Fe Hybrid SUV has been awarded The Car Connection’s Best Car to Buy 2025. The Car Connection’s expert editors chose the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid from a crowded field of new or fully redesigned contenders. The Santa Fe Hybrid achieved top scores in The Car Connection’s unique “TCC Rating” system, evaluations awarded on a 10-point scale given to each vehicle across six categories: safety, comfort and utility, fuel economy, performance, technology, and styling.
“It’s rewarding for our popular Santa Fe Hybrid SUV to be named the Car Connection’s Best Car to Buy 2025,” said Olabisi Boyle, senior vice president, product planning and mobility strategy, Hyundai Motor North America. “With standard three-row seating, outstanding efficiency and a generous compliment of advanced technologies, our new Santa Fe Hybrid is proving its appeal to more families and lifestyles than ever before.”
“Hyundai continues to set a high bar for three-row SUVs with its latest Santa Fe,” said Marty Padgett, Editorial Director of The Car Connection, Motor Authority, and Green Car Reports. “The Santa Fe Hybrid offers something for the driver who needs it all—space, efficiency, and style.”
The fifth-generation Santa Fe adopts a unique design development strategy, first starting with an enlarged liftgate concept to better facilitate enjoyment of the outdoors, then progressing outward to the exterior design concept. Its efficient, rectangular surfacing and long wheelbase convey a confident road presence, while its strong yet delicately crafted external design cues are suited to both urban and nature-focused settings.
Leveraging a long wheelbase, the all-new Santa Fe offers superior interior space for passenger comfort. Fully foldable second- and third-row seats create a terrace-like space at the rear liftgate opening, enabling users to effortlessly enjoy outdoor surroundings. This design concept used lifestyle data to identify consumer interest in the latest outdoor lifestyle trends, such as car camping and gear-intensive outdoor adventures.
Santa Fe’s available gas-electric powertrain features a 1.6-liter direct-injected, turbocharged hybrid linked with a six-speed automatic transmission, providing an estimated combined engine and motor output of up to 231 horsepower and 271 pound-feet of torque. Santa Fe hybrid front-wheel-drive models have EPA-estimated fuel economy ratings of 36 city/35 highway/36 combined. Hybrid all-wheel-drive models have EPA-estimated fuel economy ratings of 35 city/34 highway/34 combined.
