I was one of the first customers in the UK to receive the exact model tested in this video and after a few months of ownership, I have to say to anyone considering getting one that it is the best car I have ever been in. I understand the comments about it being a little bit gutless due to the small engine, but something that I don’t think has been mentioned enough is that the electric motors make this cars off the line acceleration ridiculous when you consider the weight and size of it. This is the same when accelerating on the motorway, I beat my dad‘s Audi TT in a race from 40mph to 70mph to put it into perspective.
Are you based in Cheshire by any chance? I was surprised to see this was a First Drive as I've frequently seen one on my manor - in this colour, I think as well.
TopGear in New Zealand again? I never thought I'd see the day. I really wish Clarkson, Hammond and May had done a *Real* Special in New Zealand, especially around the South Island.
3000 miles (the video title) is significantly more than 3000 kilometers (16:40). Honestly, I doubt you’ve traveled 3000 kilometers in New Zealand. That distance is like to travel from the country’s northernmost point to its southernmost point (Auckland to Christchurch) three times! Yes, three times.
As a Korean, I can guarantee that even here in korea, people don't understand why designers managed to make everything else look decent but ruined the rear like that.
These are making the rounds in Australia friend has one its just a suburban cruiser and some puddles. But the Santa Fe has never been a serious off road
Cinematography, editing and script-writing are on the level for a major TV show, not some UA-cam channel. Well, since the show isn't airing no sense in keeping the skilled people going away to other projects, better use a few.
I used to service and maintain an older model Santa Fe. One of the only modern cars I actually enjoyed working on. Really well thought out from a servicing point of view. Everything accessible easily. I think the only repairs I ever did on it was a suspension bush on a front wishbone and a thermostat. Impressive for a car that had nearly 180k miles on it. I’m sure it had other work over its life but I’m fairly sure I looked after it for over 100k
Actually plug in hybrids have almost unlimited mpg in the UK for most people as you can commute daily on the battery and fill up once every couple of months. I know people that have had 1 tank of petrol for 4 Months on plug in hybrids....
If it was the end of the world and I could only watch two car reviews, this one and the 1974 Ford Pinto Wagon, I would watch the Pinto Wagon video twice.
Take the badges off it & I would've thought it was a new Land Rover Defender sub model! Even the steering wheel is a close copy of that in the Range Rover & Discovery!
Yes, I got serious copy cat vibes, as though they were trying to do that exact style of review, but someone forgot to tell them that part of what made those reviews Jeremy did so much more fun than this one is that those reviews never tried to to pretend that customers would actually end up in the situations they were being tested in. And, even though the tests Jeremy did were ridiculous and hilarious, some of them did prove some of the claims/practical features that the vehicles boasted of having, like the fire fighters climbing through the Yeti with a firehose, or the traction control/"Grip Control" system of the Citroen C3 Aircross when Jeremy drove it off-road up an Alp. This review comes off as beautiful cinema with pointless flimflam of tests that any car could complete, but pretends like the results are impressive or special, whereas Jeremy's tests were all about the visual spectacle, and occasionally happened to prove the vehicle's claims and practicality.
Paddle shifters in hybrid 2 fold. Pull - paddle shifter, 3x and it engages dynamic braking in stages! Awesome. Saves brakes while descending Pikes Peak!
Anything sleek and modern gets shit on by "car enthusiasts" because of whatever breadtube opinion their favorite youtuber claims and their elitist mentality. "So ugly. Youre stupid for liking this. Im not stupid. Peoples opinions definitely dont vary from person to person"@just_car_things949
Like, EVERYTHING looks fantastic, and then we get to rear which honestly isn’t bad? Just, isn’t as stellar compared to the amazing design everywhere else
A Nice design BUT 10 INCHES SHORT of my consideration🤣🤣! IF They had just moved the Rear lights 10 INCHES high than their station-wagon-position, I would have considered it over a RangeRover😅. But I get it, perhaps a good family car should still look like a family car😅
Right, im calling it. TG back on terrestrial Tv with these presenters This team and Sarah n Tuned as our Mechanic and American Correspondent Whos with me?
Amusingly this is why EV's are increasingly stupid. While not in the U.S., a lot of countries were on a direction of making ligther/smaller displacement cars...with taxes, insurance brackets, license requirements, etc. all assisting that. It pushed innovation and technology. Then...we suddenly decided that everything should cost twice as much and weigh twice as much and it's somehow good for motoring/the environment.
@@oskar6661 Many MFRs just aren't trying with their EV packaging - if a Model 3 can be about 1.8 tonnes, similar sized competitors don't need to be 200-700kg heavier. Just looked them up and MG4 base model is about the same weight (1.5t) as a new Golf GTi, so it's not just EVs that are too porky. Having said that, this Santa Fe looks heavier than it is. At a smidge under 2t, it's about 400kg lighter than a Defender...
No need to play with the paddles to regen on a downhill. Even if you use brakes as on a regular ICE car you will still charge up the battery to 100% in not time. In this the PHEV is quite better, as you have much larger battery to charge, as long as you can.
How much footage did you shoot? 17 mins for the whole of NZ with all the different places you did and could've featured is a good couple of hrs short. It's clear from the editting that you had to cut way too much for each vignette and also to explore and exploit the features of the car in the different terrains and situations, although it did look like you were struggling to find things to do with it that would be "fun" and YT-worthy. Perhaps you should have had more than one car to feature on the trip. With the roof rack fully loaded there's plenty of reason for the side grab handle. Put a tent up there, kayak, hang or para -glider, sofa, shed... Could've tried overnighting in it with the back seats down and as cosy a bedroom as you could throw in. Either you were criminally told to hack all the good stuff out or you wasted the trip. I spent 2 months circum-navigating NZ by road, I truly hope you've got way more footage to show and will do so.
In terms of visual spectacle, this is easily one of the best videos you've made recently. Reminds me of that trip across Iceland (?) in that hybrid Bentley a while back. However, in terms of providing useful details about features and proving the vehicle's utility in the types of situations it will be used, this is an AWFUL video. NO ONE that buys this thing is taking it off-road, aside from the occasional unpaved driveway, which can be handled by anything with _round_ wheels. Similarly, all of the "challenging" roads/environments that you took this thing to, except for the slushy/snowy top of the volcano, were anything other than flat bits of unpaved road that, again, _anything_ with *round* wheels could have handled just as well. If you're going to put this in such a wide range of gorgeous environments that 98% of buyers will likely never even use it in, you might as well go all the way with that idea and come up with some fun challenges/tests/questions that are as entertaining and ridiculous as these places were spectacular and irrelevant.
Top Gear went to shit when The Trio left, they've been playing around with various presenters, tried to copy The Trio, now they're just doing the same basic car reviews as many UA-camrs do from their couch, albeit better quality than most with some added whimsy. But it still is a big departure from their hay-day
D*mn, I don't expect to see the day where a Hyundai looks like a Range Rover. I'm still questioning about the rear styling though. Also, at 7:38, I wonder why we don't have diesel hybrid. Diesels are still being widely used in Asian continents and hybrid system should help to lower down the CO2 emissions.
Excellent video!! However, I just couldn't help but think it looked like an advert cos a 1.6 engine in that size of car is just laughable. Just seems like a raised hyundai FWD sedan
Where should Top Gear’s next big adventure be?
The lands of Scandinavia
Algeria
Argentina
Moldova. High level of adrenalin is guranteed!
ایران😊
TG video editing team deserve a raise…
Especially if you know NZ and how far away some of the filming locations are from each other!!
best comment award goes to you btw😅
But the presenter is so annoying
I was one of the first customers in the UK to receive the exact model tested in this video and after a few months of ownership, I have to say to anyone considering getting one that it is the best car I have ever been in. I understand the comments about it being a little bit gutless due to the small engine, but something that I don’t think has been mentioned enough is that the electric motors make this cars off the line acceleration ridiculous when you consider the weight and size of it. This is the same when accelerating on the motorway, I beat my dad‘s Audi TT in a race from 40mph to 70mph to put it into perspective.
Are you based in Cheshire by any chance? I was surprised to see this was a First Drive as I've frequently seen one on my manor - in this colour, I think as well.
No, Merseyside but I have been to Cheshire a couple of times in it
I keep seeing one on the M42 where it meets the M40. They look nice
TopGear in New Zealand again? I never thought I'd see the day. I really wish Clarkson, Hammond and May had done a *Real* Special in New Zealand, especially around the South Island.
3000 miles (the video title) is significantly more than 3000 kilometers (16:40). Honestly, I doubt you’ve traveled 3000 kilometers in New Zealand. That distance is like to travel from the country’s northernmost point to its southernmost point (Auckland to Christchurch) three times! Yes, three times.
Plus all but 1 location are in the central south island lol
That would be a worthy TG coast to coast adventure for Australia
Auckland to Queens town return trip is 3,000km
Except of course Christchurch is about 580km from the southernmost and Auckland about 430km from the northernmost points.
New Zealand seems amazing. Very diverse in nature.
Road trip in new zealand totally worth it, I rented a first gen honda cr-v awd for the trip during winter back in 2018, it was very fun
One of the best review TG has done in recent memory. More reviews in this format please
what's the matter TG? Forgot the difference between miles and km's? (Title and 16:48)
It's the Flex we didn't know we deserved.
Ya know it is very Ford Flex!
Flex was ahead of its time.
That was way ahead of its time feature set is better
Wish Hyundai would have put the 2.5 Turbo like in the US, would have solved the lack of power complaints
Except it comes with a junk DCT transmission
@ the 2.5T is a different trans than the 1.6T, I have a sonata 2.5T 8 speed Dct and it is not junk at all
@@whitesonatan-line2464 how many miles on it? The reliability scores on the 8-speed DCT here in the states are very poor.
The 2.5T Santa Fe has just been released here in Aus
How about let’s start with the looks first, came straight out of the garbage
It also has a full size spare wheel, which is rare these days.
Right, the production of this is absolutely insane 💯
This is by far one of the best reviews you have ever done! I couldn't look away and it was always entertaining. Very well done!
Love the Santa Fe, and this video is insanely cinematic. That shot at 15:46 is pure cinema, absolute gold.
Bro actaully likes the tissue box on wheels 😂😂🤣
I did Skippers in my '97 Forester. It's a narrow road with some good drop offs, but otherwise it's not a very tough road to drive.
Blockbuster level storytelling
Would love an N version
As a Korean, I can guarantee that even here in korea, people don't understand why designers managed to make everything else look decent but ruined the rear like that.
Guess it's because they wanted that massive 1-piece tailgate to serve as a roof when you're camping in the wet or something....
I guess Top Gear is cheaper than an ad campaign?
These are making the rounds in Australia friend has one its just a suburban cruiser and some puddles. But the Santa Fe has never been a serious off road
this video is so refreshing
Is this paid partnership?
It should be. What an absolute car-bunkle.
Yes! UA-cam car channels are selling their souls.
Of course, yes. Nowadays who will work for free?
@ That doesn't mean they have to sell their souls!
So good to see you guys down under! 🇳🇿🇳🇿🇳🇿
This is a stunning video. Wonderful cinematography!
Looks great ....... apart from that rear tail light setup that makes the back look like a people carrier, not and SUV
same thing
This was a good overall test. Ordered the Calligraphy Phev. Roll on February.
Cinematography, editing and script-writing are on the level for a major TV show, not some UA-cam channel.
Well, since the show isn't airing no sense in keeping the skilled people going away to other projects, better use a few.
Great Edit. Loved the transition music.
if you know NZ the order of the places he visits is pretty funny.
I used to service and maintain an older model Santa Fe. One of the only modern cars I actually enjoyed working on. Really well thought out from a servicing point of view. Everything accessible easily. I think the only repairs I ever did on it was a suspension bush on a front wishbone and a thermostat. Impressive for a car that had nearly 180k miles on it. I’m sure it had other work over its life but I’m fairly sure I looked after it for over 100k
Actually plug in hybrids have almost unlimited mpg in the UK for most people as you can commute daily on the battery and fill up once every couple of months.
I know people that have had 1 tank of petrol for 4 Months on plug in hybrids....
A rear-end only a Chinese car designer could love.
One accident in the back and just like that, you have a broken bumper + lights. Which will be a nightmare cost to repair.!
If it was the end of the world and I could only watch two car reviews, this one and the 1974 Ford Pinto Wagon, I would watch the Pinto Wagon video twice.
Nice! What's the name of the architecture you briefly showed, I'd like to know. Thanks..
Nearly spit out my drink hearing about the UV banana sterilization
I love it when car companies miss the opportunity of a fantastic vehicle go to waste by simple things. 😒
Those views are stunning!
Great adventure, thanks!
Among of the most awesome car videos on 2025. Lately this is the 1st of awesomeness kungfu panda😅
If a Pontiac Aztec and a Griswold family truckster had a baby !
Saw one the other day! Thought it was an old 80’s mum wagon from behind it look horrendous and old
Take the badges off it & I would've thought it was a new Land Rover Defender sub model! Even the steering wheel is a close copy of that in the Range Rover & Discovery!
forget the car i want to be inside that mountain house 😍
The back looks like an MPV with the lights that low.
This review is like a mixture between Jeremy's ford fiesta and skoda yeti tests
Yes, I got serious copy cat vibes, as though they were trying to do that exact style of review, but someone forgot to tell them that part of what made those reviews Jeremy did so much more fun than this one is that those reviews never tried to to pretend that customers would actually end up in the situations they were being tested in. And, even though the tests Jeremy did were ridiculous and hilarious, some of them did prove some of the claims/practical features that the vehicles boasted of having, like the fire fighters climbing through the Yeti with a firehose, or the traction control/"Grip Control" system of the Citroen C3 Aircross when Jeremy drove it off-road up an Alp. This review comes off as beautiful cinema with pointless flimflam of tests that any car could complete, but pretends like the results are impressive or special, whereas Jeremy's tests were all about the visual spectacle, and occasionally happened to prove the vehicle's claims and practicality.
Reminded me of when Jezza real world tested the fiesta, without the beach landing
I'd hate to think how much this cost to shoot. Excellent work
The real question that needs to be answered is, what are the advantages of this, over a wagon.
I dare say it'd be none.
More space and height so you can do little off-road?
Excellent, I hope you will get better and better.😀
Beautiful video 🤌🏽
Excellent!!
7:10
A nod to Clarksons review on the Ford Focus/fiesta I believe
I like paddle shifters however I love paddle shifters like Alfa Romeo has.
Paddle shifters in hybrid 2 fold. Pull - paddle shifter, 3x and it engages dynamic braking in stages! Awesome. Saves brakes while descending Pikes Peak!
My hybrid mileage sucks. He's hallucinating about 500 m between fill ups.
I ask you to consider the same video with a Mazda cx80/90
Be waiting for the first drive Hyundai Ioniq 9 or all new Palisade....
So the title says 3000 miles and you sayed 3000 km. thats a big difference so wich is it ?
Such an awful rear design
Thanks 😊
I was looking for this comment
Except the back everything is awesome
No taste
Anything sleek and modern gets shit on by "car enthusiasts" because of whatever breadtube opinion their favorite youtuber claims and their elitist mentality. "So ugly. Youre stupid for liking this. Im not stupid. Peoples opinions definitely dont vary from person to person"@just_car_things949
Like, EVERYTHING looks fantastic, and then we get to rear which honestly isn’t bad? Just, isn’t as stellar compared to the amazing design everywhere else
It's all pretty bad
A Nice design BUT 10 INCHES SHORT of my consideration🤣🤣!
IF They had just moved the Rear lights 10 INCHES high than their station-wagon-position, I would have considered it over a RangeRover😅. But I get it, perhaps a good family car should still look like a family car😅
Right, im calling it.
TG back on terrestrial Tv with these presenters
This team and Sarah n Tuned as our Mechanic and American Correspondent
Whos with me?
I love the design but not sure why the rear tail lights are placed so low...
Yours doesn’t have 4WD lock? US versions have 4WD lock as part of a package. Typically available on the XRT, limited and Calligraphy
Santa Rovever, Rang Fe. 😂😂😂
Edit on this is 10/10 and the cars not bad either
They should review the Chrysler Pacifica next now that they're doing consumer advice
great video
The hybrid👍👍
In a few years it will be as desirable as used pallet.
George clooney at the front and the elephant man at the rear😂
Imagine having this as your job 💌
Bet it will last longer than a Land Rover
everything will lol
Idk, both are bottom of the barrel brands
@@shanet7511 How is Hyundai bottom of the barrel when they are knocking it out of the park the last 10 years lol
Most of it probably will, but not sure about the cream leather and piano black plastic body inserts....
Wow, what an outstanding review! It's genuinely one-of-a-kind and couldn't be better. The SUV is just as impressive!
Title: FIRST DRIVE: Hyundai Santa Fe - Epic 3000-Mile Test. And Ollie at the end said "3000 kilometers", so which is correct?
Here's an idea.
Let's tax modern cars in the UK based on their kerb weight. 😮
Amusingly this is why EV's are increasingly stupid. While not in the U.S., a lot of countries were on a direction of making ligther/smaller displacement cars...with taxes, insurance brackets, license requirements, etc. all assisting that. It pushed innovation and technology. Then...we suddenly decided that everything should cost twice as much and weigh twice as much and it's somehow good for motoring/the environment.
@@oskar6661 Many MFRs just aren't trying with their EV packaging - if a Model 3 can be about 1.8 tonnes, similar sized competitors don't need to be 200-700kg heavier.
Just looked them up and MG4 base model is about the same weight (1.5t) as a new Golf GTi, so it's not just EVs that are too porky.
Having said that, this Santa Fe looks heavier than it is. At a smidge under 2t, it's about 400kg lighter than a Defender...
Well at least the scenery looked enticing.
I think it has 8 USB C ports..and the other two are located on the sides of the front seats.
Try this test after clocking 50k on the odometer. Hopefully it will still be on the original motor.
No need to play with the paddles to regen on a downhill. Even if you use brakes as on a regular ICE car you will still charge up the battery to 100% in not time. In this the PHEV is quite better, as you have much larger battery to charge, as long as you can.
That must have been a helluva budget Hyundai put into this.
Would live of you actually took four three year old kids on a 300 km trip to Holland. That would be a proper challenge 😅
No diesel option in the UK is stupidity. It's the powertrain for a vehicle of this size.
Why would there be an electric Santa Fe when there is the EV9? It would only compete against itself.
Looks good for Hyundai
Is it affordable?
Not particularly, no.
How much footage did you shoot? 17 mins for the whole of NZ with all the different places you did and could've featured is a good couple of hrs short. It's clear from the editting that you had to cut way too much for each vignette and also to explore and exploit the features of the car in the different terrains and situations, although it did look like you were struggling to find things to do with it that would be "fun" and YT-worthy. Perhaps you should have had more than one car to feature on the trip. With the roof rack fully loaded there's plenty of reason for the side grab handle. Put a tent up there, kayak, hang or para -glider, sofa, shed... Could've tried overnighting in it with the back seats down and as cosy a bedroom as you could throw in.
Either you were criminally told to hack all the good stuff out or you wasted the trip. I spent 2 months circum-navigating NZ by road, I truly hope you've got way more footage to show and will do so.
In terms of visual spectacle, this is easily one of the best videos you've made recently. Reminds me of that trip across Iceland (?) in that hybrid Bentley a while back.
However, in terms of providing useful details about features and proving the vehicle's utility in the types of situations it will be used, this is an AWFUL video. NO ONE that buys this thing is taking it off-road, aside from the occasional unpaved driveway, which can be handled by anything with _round_ wheels. Similarly, all of the "challenging" roads/environments that you took this thing to, except for the slushy/snowy top of the volcano, were anything other than flat bits of unpaved road that, again, _anything_ with *round* wheels could have handled just as well.
If you're going to put this in such a wide range of gorgeous environments that 98% of buyers will likely never even use it in, you might as well go all the way with that idea and come up with some fun challenges/tests/questions that are as entertaining and ridiculous as these places were spectacular and irrelevant.
If only the rear light is placed higher up..somehow it looks weird
If Top Gear wants to lower their expenses and maintain a budget then don't take this guy anywhere.
Top Gear went to shit when The Trio left, they've been playing around with various presenters, tried to copy The Trio, now they're just doing the same basic car reviews as many UA-camrs do from their couch, albeit better quality than most with some added whimsy. But it still is a big departure from their hay-day
D*mn, I don't expect to see the day where a Hyundai looks like a Range Rover. I'm still questioning about the rear styling though.
Also, at 7:38, I wonder why we don't have diesel hybrid. Diesels are still being widely used in Asian continents and hybrid system should help to lower down the CO2 emissions.
Not even interested in the car and still watched the whole dang video.
So it needs to be electric and get some difs ?
But it is very, very pretty.
What if you're chased through a shopping centre by baddies in a Corvette?
All new?? Maybe in Europe but not in the US
Not even in Europe. I've seen a good few driving around Ireland over the past few months.
That’s exactly what I mean when I say Hyundai basically copy designs from established manufacturers. Without emblems, it could be a Land Rover model.
Excellent video!! However, I just couldn't help but think it looked like an advert cos a 1.6 engine in that size of car is just laughable. Just seems like a raised hyundai FWD sedan
The managers really forgot about the tail light huh
The only way they could keep the wide opening, square shaped rear hatch.
Its a nice SUV
This is an advert?
how much did Hyundai paid for this add?
The same as every other car company who features vehicles on Top Gear?
@@oskar6661 it's a a paid ad
Maru bn ❤