John Challen spends seven days with the large Korean hybrid SUV and puts its practicality to the test.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Day 1

Following the BMW 750e, which we test-drove for a week last month, there’s another big guy in town, in the (distinctive) shape of the Hyundai Santa Fe. The styling certainly turns heads – as do its proportions (4,800mm long and 1,900mm wide) – but we’re more interested to see what impression the seven-seater makes on the road. First job is the school run and Challen Jnr is a little unsure of what she sees at first – but quite likes the challenge of occupying every seat during the week’s travel.

Day 2

It didn’t take long for the Santa Fe to get a chance to stretch its legs, with a long (mostly) motorway trip up to Hertfordshire from the south coast. That meant the majority of the journey relied on the car’s 1.6-litre petrol engine (with 160hp and 265Nm), as opposed to the hybrid element of the powertrain, which ups the total power to 215hp and 367Nm. Out on the road, the car is quiet, comfortable and doesn’t really feel its size, even when navigating the many stretches of roadworks with their temporary speeds  and narrower lanes. The returned fuel economy of more than 45mpg seemed pretty good going.

Day 3

Hyundai has a strong recent track record of making the headlights on its new electric models – a trend that started with the Ioniq 5 – stand out and now the design language has spread. The front-end of the Santa Fe is very distinctive in general, with the LEDs being one of the bright spots, quite literally. The two ‘H’-shaped headlights are joined by a horizontal light bar that makes the big Santa Fe even easier to spot. They are bright, too – dazzling neighbours over the road when we returned home one night!

Day 4

I’ve already mentioned the big proportions of the Santa Fe, but it also really comes into its own inside, thanks to nearly 2,000 litres (1,949, to be exact) of storage with the seats down. That was music to my ears (or eyes) because some major house clearance was on the agenda and the Hyundai swallowed up two loads with ease. Elsewhere inside, the smaller storage options dotted around the cabin were welcomed, when looking for a secure space for phone, keys and/or wallet while on the move – and not wanting them to fall out of pockets and get mixed up with the tip-destined junk onboard.

Day 5

Ferrying around up to three passengers in the back of a car, I’ll often get calls (or sometimes demands!) for help with charging phones while they stream, play or scroll in the back. In many cars the ports are available, but our kids aren’t best at hide and seek at the best of times, so soon give up looking. However, in the Santa Fe you can’t miss them as they are literally right in front of you on the rear of the back seats. Cue happy passengers all round, including the driver!

Day 6

Another day, another long journey, up and down the country, but thankfully the surroundings and levels of comfort of the big Hyundai make the miles pass by with ease. A lot is written about overly complicated screens and the lack of physical buttons for drivers to contend with, but thankfully neither of those issues exist here. There’s a straightforward row of the most-used features above the centre console and plenty on the steering wheel (although these might take a bit of getting used to for some drivers). The menus in the large central screen are also easy to navigate, which makes life easier, too.

Day 7

Having spent quite a lot of time in smaller cars over recent months – my own long-termer and on several launches – the Santa Fe came as a welcome change and was a useful, impressive and comfortable automotive companion for the week. I already had an idea how good the car was, after it was named the best large SUV at the UK Car of the Year Awards 2025, but my seven days spent with it confirmed the conclusion of the judges. A very capable, cavernous and clever car, especially for drivers who need lots of space – or seats!