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This article was published 22/03/2024 (580 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

HALF MOON BAY, B.C. — Do you know the way to Santa Fe? Does Hyundai?

It certainly seems as though the South Korean company does, considering the surprisingly bold fifth generation of its oldest nameplate.

When it arrived in Canada in 2001, it arguably sold more on price than on looks, though the styling, which resembled an outdoorsy boot, was oddly compelling, if a bit derivative.

Through its variations since, it’s tended to blend in more than stand out, taking safe cues from other crossovers and trying hard not to offend. That all is changing with the 2024 model, a marked departure from bland that is seemingly trying to out-Defender Land Rover, at least in styling.

“When I was driving one in Toronto, people would stop and ask what it is,” said Michael Ricciuto, director of product planning and corporate strategy for Hyundai Canada.

“Nobody stopped you in the previous model and asked what you’re driving.”

Ricciuto said previous models had tried to follow a familial styling path, with the Fe looking a bit like a bigger Tucson, which looked like a bigger Kona.

For the 2024 model, Ricciuto said Hyundai’s head of design, Luc Donckerwalke, decided buyers aren’t putting families of vehicles in their driveway, they’re typically putting one. Hence, a model that looks nothing like others in the lineup or anything that’s come before.

Boxy, with square corners and a bit larger than its predecessors, the fifth-gen Fe grows a third row of seats and adds cargo and passenger space to boot.

In case you were inclined to forget Hyundai starts with an ‘h,’ Donckerwalke put the letter everywhere: it’s in the shape of the headlights and taillights, in the dash air vents, the bumper, the grille, the rear valance… it’s even moulded into the seatback covers.

It’s as if Donckerwalke is challenging customers to find out how many times the letter appears.

It might be just a bit overdone.

What’s not overdone, however, is the comfortable ride: on the twisty roads of the Sunshine Coast, the Santa Fe handled superbly, yet occupants didn’t pay for that handling with a rough ride at all. It seems to hit on the right combination of suspension compliance and damping, soaking up rough bits of road while keeping everything planted.

That comfort extends to the passenger space, with plenty of legroom, even in the third row.

And while it may be trying to escape being part of a styling family, it does an excellent job of catering to families: the cargo space is larger, with a liftgate opening that’s wider and taller than most crossovers.

A clever rethinking of the positioning of the struts to open the tailgate has them completely removed from intruding into the opening.

Inside, where the shifter lever would normally be — Santa Fe gets the Kona’s column-mounted shift system — are a pair of optional wireless charging pads for smartphones.

The front seat’s centre console employs a nifty little trick that means it can open from the front or the back, letting second-row occupants grab whatever might be inside.

The topline model, Ultimate Calligraphy, gets four captain’s chairs and a third-row bench. Other models get a second-row bench with captain’s chairs optional.

The captain’s chairs make easy access to the third row, even with a child seat in one of the second-row chairs. The bench might make that a bit more difficult.

Optional is a driver’s relaxation seat, which not only reclines but extends a leg rest. Ricciuto said it’s a place to hang out while, say, waiting for hockey practice to end.

There are two glove boxes, separated by a small shelf: the top one, in topline Calligraphy trim, also will disinfect whatever is put inside. Place your item, close the door and press a button on the centre console. Ten minutes later, ultraviolet light will have killed 99 per cent of whatever pathogens may have been on the item.

Given the three- to five-year timeline between concept and production, Hyundai would have been working on this model during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ricciuto said that partly played a role in the decision to offer the UV sterilization feature, but he also said South Korean people are sensitive to germs, suggesting the feature may have been added pandemic or not.

There are two powertrain options, a 2.5-litre turbo gas motor and a 1.6-L turbocharged hybrid. The former uses an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, while the hybrid gets a six-speed automatic. All-wheel drive is standard.

The hybrid, which will be available in about two months — production is just starting about now in South Korea — gets exceptional fuel mileage for such a large vehicle, rated at 6.9 L per 100 kilometres combined city and highway.

Missing from the lineup is a plug-in hybrid. Ricciuto said with the federal government’s zero emissions mandate excluding, at least initially, plug-in hybrids for credit towards the mandated minimum offerings for zero-emission vehicles (20 per cent in 2026, 60 per cent in 2030 and 100 per cent in 2035), the company decided not to pursue such a variant.

Ricciuto said the company was surprised in December 2023 — long after all development decisions had been made — when the government did a U-turn, saying plug-ins with at least 80 kilometres of EV-only range would count one-for-one towards that mandate.

“Going forward, the vehicles are now considered an electric vehicle, so we would have been able to continue selling them beyond 2025, so to be locked out of 20 per cent of the market is a big deal for us,” he said.

“We would not want to be in a situation to not have a PHEV available when 20 per cent of the population would likely be buying that sort of vehicle.”

Hyundai is also flipping the script on hybrid pricing: typically, hybrids have been the more expensive models, so as to disguise the cost of the hybrid technology behind luxury features.

For the 2024 model, the hybrid is the least expensive: $43,499 including $2,000 destination fee and $500 dealership administration fee.

Ricciuto said the decision was based on the idea someone who wanted to save money on fuel may also want to save money on the vehicle.

It may also be a sign hybrid technology has matured to the point its cost no longer needs to be hidden behind heated steering wheels and panoramic sunroofs.

Speaking of panoramic sunroofs, the Fe has one, at least as an option.

What’s not optional, however, is a bridge-style set of roof racks, capable of accepting any number of optional accessories from bike racks to cargo containers. To make getting up there easier, Hyundai built in a clever handle behind a folding panel in the third, or C, pillar. You can put your foot on the rear tire, grab the handle and hoist yourself up.

That folding panel is lockable to prevent ne’er-do-wells from stuffing the cavity with trash, and has a drain hole so it won’t fill with water. That lock, however, requires either the vehicle’s backup key or a screwdriver.

The company may want to rethink that, especially considering the lock is inside the door jamb, so something you can manipulate with your hand would also lock the panel and once the vehicle is locked, all would be safely secured.

The Santa Fe can tow, too.

Even the hybrid can yank 900 kilograms (2,000 pounds) with trailer brakes. The 2.5-turbo tows 1,587 kg (3,500 lbs), while the XRT model, with the same engine, is rated for 2,041 kg (4,500 lbs), thanks to increased air vents up front that provide more cooling.

All models are restricted to 750 kg (1,650 lbs) without trailer brakes.

kelly.taylor@freepress.mb.ca