Say hello to…
…the plug-in hybrid version of the Hyundai Santa Fe, the manufacturer’s seven-seat SUV for those business users who want to take advantage of the lower benefit-in-kind levels that plug-in cars provide, but don’t want to or can’t yet go fully electric.
Hyundai’s biggest SUV is now available as a plug-in hybrid with a 13.8kWh battery and an official pure-electric range of 36 miles. The motor is linked to a 1.6-litre petrol engine for a combined power output.
The Santa Fe plug-in hybrid is all-wheel drive and available in two trim levels:
- Premium
- Ultimate
Standard equipment on the Premium model includes 19-inch alloys, leather wrapped steering wheel and gear knob, powered front seat adjustment, heated front seats, heated outer middle-row seats, dual zone climate control, auto wipers and lights, auto dimming rear view mirror, front fog lights, auto main-beam, clever cruise control with stop-go function, drive modes, heated steering wheel, front and rear parking sensors, rear view camera, self-levelling suspension, powered tailgate, keyless entry and start, Bluetooth, 4.2-inch instrument cluster screen, Apple Carplay, Android Auto, 10.25-inch infotainment screen including satnav, wireless charging pad, two USB sockets, blind spot assist, forward collision avoidance assist and intelligent speed limit warning.
The Ultimate trim level adds cooled front seats, memory front seats, rear door blinds, panoramic sunroof, smart parking assist, 12.3-inch instrument cluster screen, head up display, 360-degree parking camera, blind spot cameras, highway drive assist and rear cross traffic alert.
Basically, both are incredibly well equipped and there’s nothing missing that you could reasonably want from the Ultimate version.
Is The Hyundai Santa-Fe Suitable For My Fleet
We don’t often talk about list price on FleetandLeasing.com, but it’s worth pointing out that the Santa Fe plug-in hybrid in Ultimate trim has a P11D value of less than £49,000. Without context that may seem like a lot, but if you look at rivals such as the Volvo XC90 or Land Rover Discovery and it looks amazing value. There are similar value seven-seat SUVs that could be rivals such as the Skoda Kodiaq and the VW Tiguan however these are slightly smaller and less well equipped as standard.
In the large SUV class going fully-electric isn’t often an option due their use – which is typically higher mileage – which is where the plug-in Santa Fe makes sense for fleets. On a full charge we saw a typical EV range of 25 miles, a little shy of the official 36 miles, but useful nonetheless. With plug-in hybrids it’s very difficult to give a real-world mpg figure because it will vary hugely with use. We drove more than 700 miles only charging twice and achieved 41.1mpg, which would give a good ‘worst case’. Use the car with more charging and you could easily see an mpg figure approaching triple digits.
Another bonus to the Hyundai plug-in is that it doesn’t compromise boot space which is the same 571 litres in five-seat form in all Santa Fes.
Leasing A Hyundai Santa-Fe
The competitve P11D figure means the lease rate is also attractive with Intelligent Car Leasing offering Ultimate version for £567 a month on a 3+36 contract for 10,000 miles a year.
Gensen reports the monthly maintenance figure should come in under £33 based on 10,000 miles a year and the Class 1A NIC at £56 a month.
Driving A Hyundai Santa-Fe
Sitting in the Santa Fe’s cabin is a refreshingly easy place to spend a lot of miles. While there is a clear, large central infotainment touchscreen, there’s also a good number of buttons which makes controlling anything from the heated and cooled seats to the drive modes, and everything in between, simple and quick. This means you don’t spend ages (with your eyes off the road ahead) trying to find the climate controls. Hyundai should be praised for this.
Want to change from eco mode to sport? Just turn a dial.
And while we’re on drive modes, the Santa Fe also offers proper off-road modes to cope with mud or snow.
Fitting well with this is the overall way the car drives. The Santa Fe is first and foremost a comfortable car that’s refined and easy to live with. It’s powerful enough to cope with the occasional overtake or take a family and luggage on holiday without any real dent in performance. There’s good visibility – helped by the blind spot cameras which beam an image of the road into the instrument cluster (just like they do on the Ioniq 5) and the Santa Fe is more manoeuverable when parking than you’d expect too.
The car swaps between petrol and electric power automatically and without the driver noticing most of the time. However, you can hold onto either power if you need.
If there’s a weak point, it’s that while the boot is huge in 5-seat mode, with the third row of seats in place the boot’s tiny and access to the third row isn’t particularly easy – even for kids. This last row of seats is really only for occasional use.
Most buyers will rarely use seats six and seven, which makes the Hyundai Santa Fe a seriously attractive offering.
FleetandLeasing.com Verdict On The Hyundai Santa-Fe
An attractively equipped and priced seven-seat SUV that will appeal to fleet drivers who need the space and the range.
Hyundai Santa-Fe
- Model: Santa Fe Ultimate 1.6T-GDI Plug-in Hybrid
- Power: 265hp
- Torque: 350Nm
- Max speed: 116mph
- 0-62mph: 8.8s
- Official mpg: 173mpg
- Test mpg: 41.1mpg
- CO2 emissions: 37g/km
- BIK tax band 2022/23: 10%
JOIN THE DISCUSSION
Why not join the conversation on SME fleets – visit our LinkedIn SME Fleet Discussion page