Hyundai Santa Fe wins Best Large SUV under $80K

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Utes and medium SUVs may form the bulk of new-car sales, but for families in need of more space and something that can handle itself both on and off-road, a large SUV is a must.

If you have more than two kids, are in charge of the school run carpool, want the extra space for road trips and beach days, or need to tow or go light off-roading occasionally, then it's likely a large SUV is on your shopping list.

As a predominantly urban-focussed category, judges gave more weight to the contenders' on-road performance and family functionality rather than off-roading skills, considering factors such as affordability and value for money for families, fuel economy, space and if each model raises the bar for the segment in 2025.

Getting into the final three in the race to win Best Large SUV under $80K was no mean feat.

While the reigning champion Toyota Kluger made it through to the final round, Toyota's other big contender – the new generation 250 Prado – was knocked out, with spots instead going to the new Hyundai Santa Fe and the Kia Sorento.

MORE: See the finalists for Best Large SUV under $80,000
MORE: See all the winners – visit the Drive Car of the Year 2025 hub

Winner: Hyundai Santa Fe

Drive’s pick: Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid Elite from $65,000 MSRP

Hyundai's new Santa Fe has moved the game on for the segment, with judges noting it's "one of the best family SUVs on sale in Australia today" – not just one of the best large ones under $80K.

Judges were won over by the inescapable value for money of the new Santa Fe hybrid, even at the bottom end of the range, with a "hell of a lot of large SUV" on offer for only $55,000 plus on-road costs.

And that was before the addition of the petrol-only versions joining the line-up in December 2024, meaning the starting price for the Santa Fe now comes in at an even more tantalising $53,000 plus on-roads – making it even more affordable for families.

The standard equipment list for the base Santa Fe is stacked with goodies, such as large dual 12.3-inch screens for the infotainment and driver's instrument cluster, wireless phone charging, a powered tailgate, 20-inch machined alloy wheels, and a 10-way power-adjusted driver's seat.

And if you've got kids to put in the third row, both seats have top tether points and ISOFIX anchors too, which was also true of its predecessor – but is still not a given in a vehicle with seven or more seats.

Safety features heavily in the new model too, with a five-star ANCAP rating and features like blind-spot monitoring and 10 airbags also standard from the get-go – almost everything is packed in so you don't need to go high up the range.

That said, the higher grades get some nifty kit too, with the mid-range Elite adding things like remote smart parking and the top-end Calligraphy a UV-C sterilisation tray.

But it's not just the bells and whistles that wowed the judges; the Santa Fe offers hybrid power to challenge the Toyota Kluger and also its Kia Sorento cousin, with its impressive 5.6L/100km claimed fuel economy rating a major plus to help keep costs at the bowser down.

MORE: Hyundai Santa Fe price and specifications

A big factor in the decision-making process also involves the Santa Fe being so…well, big. It's larger than its predecessor, with boot space alone up from 571L to 628L, and even simple design tweaks have made a difference to its practicality.

The absence of a transmission tunnel opens up more floor space in the second row, and the seats can be reclined as well as moved forward and back, and there are 10 cupholders for middle and third-row occupants too.

There are even two storage spots for smartphones, showing Hyundai has really thought about not just about the driver, but how real people use their cars.

Despite its large size, the Santa Fe does a good job at hiding it, with judges noting its driving performance is excellent and is impressive on road, ticking all the boxes with ride comfort, acceleration, road noise and more all praised.

Beyond practicality though, the team was won over by the Santa Fe's head-turning looks, with its boxy design making it look contemporary – perhaps even futuristic – giving it instant kerb appeal.

It looks nothing like the vehicle it replaces, nor anything else in the large SUV space.

Its downsides are few, only really losing brownie points for its over-zealous speed limit and driver attention warnings and slightly tighter service intervals – set at 10,000km rather than the industry norm of 15,000km.

In fairness, a lot of cars suffer from the same keenness when it comes to these safety features, and Hyundai has addressed the issue, recently stating it is in the process of installing an over-the-air-update that will disable the audible – but not visual – speed limit warning via a long press on the mute button.

FIND YOUR NEXT CAR: Search Hyundai Santa Fes for sale

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