2026 Hyundai Santa Fe: Seats & Materials Across Trims
The Hyundai Santa Fe continues to define the midsize SUV segment, combining cutting-edge technology, versatile performance, and a refined interior. With notable updates for the new model year, the Santa Fe delivers an enhanced seating experience for families and adventurers alike.
What's New for 2026?
The Hyundai Santa Fe builds upon the bold, boxy redesign introduced in 2025, with refinements to interior materials and seating comfort. Inside, the reimagined cabin offers more space, premium materials, ambient lighting, and enhanced seat configurations to maximize comfort and versatility.
The latest model maintains the distinctive Santa Fe three-row configuration while introducing new upholstery options and improved ergonomics. Whether navigating urban streets or exploring scenic routes, the Santa Fe seating arrangements and material quality ensure passengers enjoy every journey in comfort.
Essential Trim: Foundation of Comfort
The Essential trim serves as the starting point for the Santa Fe lineup, offering a blend of comfort and practicality that establishes a solid foundation for the model range.
Under the clean, modern design, the Essential trim features durable cloth upholstery in a refined charcoal colour that balances style with everyday practicality. The fabric is engineered for stain resistance and longevity, making it ideal for active families and those who prioritize functionality.
The front seats feature manual adjustments and standard heating to enhance comfort during the colder months. The driver's seat offers 8-way manual adjustment, while the passenger seat provides 6-way adjustment, allowing occupants to find their ideal seating position.
The Essential trim comes standard with a 7-passenger configuration featuring a 60/40 split-folding second row and a 50/50 split third row. Both rear rows recline for added comfort during longer journeys and fold flat to maximize cargo capacity when needed.
Preferred Trim: Enhanced Materials and Features
Step up to the Preferred trim and find a significant upgrade in seat materials and comfort features. This mid-level option strikes the perfect balance between luxury and value.
The Preferred trim introduces premium leatherette seating surfaces that offer the look and feel of genuine leather while providing enhanced durability and easier maintenance. Available in charcoal or gray, these seats add a touch of sophistication to the interior while remaining practical for everyday use.
Front seats in the Preferred trim receive an upgrade with 8-way power adjustment for the driver, including 2-way power lumbar support. Heated front seats are standard, while heated rear seats are available, providing additional comfort for second-row passengers during colder months.
The Preferred trim maintains the standard 7-passenger configuration but offers an optional 6-passenger layout with second-row captain's chairs. This configuration creates a convenient pass-through to the third row while providing a more premium feel for second-row occupants.
Luxury Trim: Premium Comfort and Versatility
The Luxury trim elevates the Santa Fe experience with genuine leather seating surfaces and additional comfort technologies designed to enhance the driving experience.
Featuring genuine leather upholstery in black, gray, or beige, the Luxury trim creates a more sophisticated atmosphere. The leather is soft to the touch while maintaining durability for everyday use, and the detailed stitching adds visual interest to the cabin.
The front seats receive a significant upgrade, with 10-way power adjustment for the driver, including 4-way power lumbar support, and 8-way power adjustment for the passenger. Both front seats offer heating and ventilation, providing year-round comfort regardless of the outside temperature.
The Luxury trim introduces a memory function for the driver's seat, allowing multiple drivers to quickly return to their preferred seating position. Second-row seats gain additional padding and improved contouring for enhanced comfort during longer journeys.
The standard configuration remains 7-passenger seating, but the 6-passenger option with captain's chairs becomes more popular at this trim level. The second-row seats in both configurations slide and recline, creating flexible space for passengers and cargo.
Ultimate Calligraphy: The Peak of Refinement
The Ultimate Calligraphy trim represents the pinnacle of the Santa Fe lineup, featuring premium Nappa leather seating surfaces and the most comprehensive comfort features available.
Premium Nappa leather upholstery creates a truly luxurious feel, with softer, more supple surfaces that enhance the tactile experience. Available in black, gray, or the exclusive pecan colour option, these seats feature quilted patterns and contrasting stitching that enhance the cabin's visual appeal.
Front seats in the Ultimate Calligraphy include 14-way power adjustment for the driver and 10-way for the passenger, with extended thigh support and 4-way power lumbar adjustment. Both seats offer heating, ventilation, and memory settings, creating a truly personalized experience for front-row occupants.
The Ultimate Calligraphy comes standard with second-row captain's chairs featuring the same premium Nappa leather as the front seats. These seats include heating and, in a feature unique to this trim, ventilation for year-round comfort. A fixed center console between the captain's chairs provides additional storage and creates a more premium feel reminiscent of luxury vehicles.
Third-row seats in the Ultimate Calligraphy receive additional padding and improved materials compared to lower trims, making them more comfortable for adult passengers on shorter journeys. Power-folding functionality for the third row becomes standard on this trim, adding convenience when reconfiguring the interior.
Advanced Seating Technologies
The Santa Fe introduces several advanced seating technologies that enhance comfort, convenience, and safety across the model range.
The Ultimate Calligraphy features driver's posture care, which suggests ideal seating positions based on the driver's height and weight. The system guides through the infotainment screen and can automatically adjust the seat to the recommended position.
Seats in the Luxury and Ultimate Calligraphy trims include an advanced heating system that provides more even temperature distribution and faster warm-up times than conventional heated seats. The ventilation system has been upgraded to deliver more consistent airflow while operating at lower noise levels.
For safety, the front seats in all trims include active headrests designed to reduce the risk of whiplash in the event of a rear-end collision. The Luxury and Ultimate Calligraphy trims include Safe Exit Assist, which temporarily prevents doors from opening when a vehicle approaches from behind.
Interior Colour Options and Materials
The Santa Fe offers a range of interior colour schemes and material combinations that complement its exterior design while providing options to suit different tastes.
The Essential trim features a single-tone charcoal interior with cloth upholstery and matte black trim accents. The Preferred trim expands options to include gray leatherette with silver trim accents, creating a lighter, more open feeling cabin.
The Luxury trim offers three colour options: black leather with glossy black trim, gray leather with brushed aluminum trim, and beige leather with woodgrain-look trim. Each combination creates a distinct atmosphere within the cabin while maintaining a cohesive design language.
The Ultimate Calligraphy offers the most sophisticated options: black Nappa leather with gray stitching, gray Nappa leather with black stitching, and exclusive pecan Nappa leather with contrasting dark brown stitching. Each option includes matching door panels and dashboard materials, creating a fully coordinated interior design.
Cargo Space and Flexibility
The Hyundai Santa Fe cargo space adapts to your needs, with up to 2,100 litres of space when the second and third rows are folded flat. Whether it's gear for a weekend adventure or daily errands, the Santa Fe provides the flexibility you need.
All trims feature second-row seats that slide forward and back to balance legroom and cargo space as needed. The 60/40 split in the second row allows longer items to be carried while still accommodating passengers, and the 50/50 split third row can be partially or fully folded to create the ideal configuration for each journey.
The Luxury and Ultimate Calligraphy trims include a hands-free smart liftgate that automatically opens when the key fob is detected nearby, making loading cargo easier when your hands are full. Inside, the cargo area features adjustable tie-downs, bag hooks, and an optional dual-level load floor for added organization.
Visit Your Local Hyundai Dealer Today
The Hyundai Santa Fe delivers a balanced mix of comfort, versatility, and premium materials across its trim lineup. From the durable cloth of the Essential to the quilted Nappa leather of the Ultimate Calligraphy, each option provides a distinctive experience while maintaining the practicality and versatility that define the Santa Fe.
Whether you're looking for a specific trim or seating configuration to suit your lifestyle, the dedicated team at your local Hyundai dealership is here to assist you every step of the way. Visit today to explore the advanced features and experience its comfortable seating firsthand with a test drive.
Q&A: Common Questions About 2026 Santa Fe Seats & Materials
What is the difference between leatherette and Nappa leather in the Santa Fe?
Leatherette in the Preferred trim is a premium synthetic material that mimics the look and feel of leather while offering improved durability and easier maintenance. Nappa leather in the Ultimate Calligraphy is a high-grade natural leather known for its exceptionally soft, supple texture and is treated for durability while maintaining its premium feel.
Does the 2026 Santa Fe offer both 6 and 7-passenger configurations?
Yes, it comes standard as a 7-passenger vehicle with a bench seat in the second row. The Preferred, Luxury, and Ultimate Calligraphy trims offer an optional or standard 6-passenger configuration with second-row captain's chairs, which provides easier access to the third row and a more premium feel for second-row passengers.
Are ventilated seats available in all 2026 Santa Fe trims?
Ventilated front seats are standard on the Luxury and Ultimate Calligraphy trims. The Ultimate Calligraphy exclusively offers ventilated second-row captain's chairs as well. The Essential and Preferred trims do not include seat ventilation, though they do include heated front seats as standard.
What unique seat features are exclusive to the Ultimate Calligraphy trim?
The Ultimate Calligraphy exclusively offers quilted Nappa leather upholstery, ventilated second-row captain's chairs, driver's posture care system, 14-way power driver's seat with thigh extension, heating and ventilation for all four outboard seats, and power-folding third-row seats. It also offers the exclusive pecan interior colour option not available on other trims.
How do the seats in the 2026 Santa Fe accommodate taller passengers?
This SUV features increased headroom and legroom compared to previous generations. The front seats offer extended travel to accommodate taller drivers, while the sliding second row can be adjusted to balance legroom between all three rows. The Luxury and Ultimate Calligraphy trims include thigh extensions on the driver's seat to provide better support for taller occupants.
*Disclaimer: Content contained in this post is for informational purposes only and may include features and options from US or international models. Please contact the dealership for more information or to confirm vehicle, feature availability.*
