Bold Meets Boxy: Hyundai Santa Fe New Design Divides Owners
The Radical Reinvention
The Hyundai Santa Fe has undergone one of the most dramatic transformations in the midsize SUV market. Abandoning the curved, flowing lines of its predecessor, the latest Santa Fe embraces a bold, boxy aesthetic that commands attention on any road. This isn’t a mere facelift but a complete design revolution that has polarized opinions among owners and automotive enthusiasts alike.
The Santa Fe now features sharp angles, vertical surfaces, and a commanding presence that draws inspiration from rugged off-roaders rather than urban crossovers. This intentional design shift represents a strategy to differentiate the Santa Fe in an increasingly crowded SUV landscape.
Front-End Fascination
Ask Santa Fe owners about the vehicle’s most striking feature, and many will point to its distinctive front end. The bold front fascia incorporates an expansive grille design flanked by uniquely positioned headlights. The H-shaped LED daytime running lights create an unmistakable signature that ensures the Santa Fe stands out day or night.
“The front of the car looks amazing,” notes a Limited AWD owner in an online forum, echoing a sentiment many new Santa Fe drivers shared. This distinctive face has become the vehicle’s calling card, earning praise even from those who express mixed feelings about other design aspects.
The hood features crisp character lines, enhancing the vehicle’s boxy appearance and visual strength. The vertical elements convey a sense of ruggedness previously absent from the Santa Fe design language.
Controversial Rear Styling
While the front design has garnered considerable praise, the rear styling has proven more divisive among owners. “The back of the car looks…um…not quite as nice as the front of the car if I’m being generous,” admits one owner in a detailed review of their Santa Fe AWD Limited.
The rear features an angular tailgate with distinctive vertical taillights that extend from the roof to the bumper. This unconventional approach abandons the horizontal emphasis typical of most competing SUVs. Some owners have drawn comparisons to boxy luxury SUVs, with one forum member noting that his neighbour’s new Santa Fe in Battleship Grey has “a quality look to it as well as being very stylish.”
The polarizing nature of the rear design hasn’t deterred buyers, but it represents the most controversial aspect of the Santa Fe styling revolution.
Profile Perspective
From the side, the Santa Fe embraces its boxy new identity with a squared-off roofline, prominent wheel arches, and a strong character line that runs the length of the vehicle. The design team has prioritized interior space and functionality without compromising the vehicle’s distinctive silhouette.
The Santa Fe profile now features more upright pillars that maximize interior headroom while contributing to its bold stance. Large windows improve visibility while maintaining the angular design language that defines this generation.
Window trim and roof rails add visual interest while enhancing functionality. The substantial wheelbase (now measuring 2,765 mm) provides excellent interior space and contributes to the vehicle’s planted appearance on the road.
Interior Design Evolution
The bold exterior redesign extends to the cabin, where the Santa Fe interior represents a significant departure from previous generations. The dashboard embraces horizontal lines with a prominent display that spans much of the vehicle’s width.
“The tech overall in this car was very impressive,” notes one owner transitioning from a luxury brand. The responsive touchscreen, digital displays, and thoughtful layout have impressed even those accustomed to premium vehicles.
The interior design maintains the exterior’s focus on angular elements while incorporating premium materials and advanced technology. Physical controls blend with digital interfaces to create a modern and functional cabin.
The panoramic sunroof (available on higher trim levels) enhances the spacious interior's open feeling. With up to 2,254 litres of cargo space with seats folded, the boxy design translates to exceptional practicality that owners appreciate regardless of their feelings about the exterior styling.
Colour Choices Enhance Design
The bold Santa Fe design comes alive in its colour palette, with several options that accentuate different aspects of its distinctive styling. The aptly named Battleship Grey gives the vehicle an industrial, modern appearance that several owners specifically mention as enhancing the vehicle’s boxy characteristics.
Darker colour options like Abyss Black Pearl emphasize the vehicle’s imposing presence, while lighter options like Creamy White Pearl highlight the contrasting design elements and character lines. The colour choice significantly impacts how the controversial design elements appear, with some shades minimizing the divisive aspects while others amplify them.
Light That Defines Character
Perhaps no element defines the new Santa Fe character more than its lighting design. The H-shaped LED signature lights create an unmistakable presence that ensures the vehicle remains recognizable day or night.
The vertical rear light signature continues this distinctive approach, creating visual cohesion between the front and rear designs. These lighting elements serve functional and aesthetic purposes, becoming defining characteristics of the bold redesign.
Several owners mention the lighting elements specifically in their reviews, noting how these features distinguish the Santa Fe from competitors and previous generations. The lighting design represents the Hyundai commitment to creating a vehicle with a strong visual identity.
From Concept to Reality
The dramatic redesign didn’t happen overnight. The Hyundai design team spent years refining the concept before bringing it to production. This generation represents a bold gamble for Hyundai – moving away from the safe, conventional styling of previous models to embrace a distinctive design language that challenges category norms.
The connection to the brand’s latest design direction appears in other models, but the Santa Fe pushes these elements further than any other Hyundai vehicle. This commitment to distinctive design has resonated with many buyers seeking something different in the crowded midsize SUV segment.
Owner Reactions: Beyond First Impressions
Initial reactions to dramatic redesigns often focus on shock value, but the true test comes after owners live with these bold styling choices for months or years. For many Santa Fe owners, the distinctive design has transformed from a surprising departure to a source of pride.
“It’s a really handsome vehicle in person,” notes one forum member discussing their neighbour’s new Santa Fe. “About the size of a GCL, and has a quality look to it as well as being very stylish.”
The subjective nature of automotive design means that reactions remain mixed, with some owners embracing every aspect of the bold new direction while others appreciate certain elements more than others. Several owners mention receiving compliments and questions from strangers, highlighting how the distinctive design generates conversation.
Distinctive in a Crowded Segment
The midsize SUV segment represents one of the most competitive automotive categories, with numerous models vying for attention. The bold redesign successfully distinguishes it from competitors that often blend visually.
Consumer Reports gives the Santa Fe an “excellent” overall score of 81 points, suggesting that the distinctive design hasn’t compromised functionality. While some competitors maintain more conservative styling, the Santa Fe embraces its unique identity to stand out in parking lots and on highways.
This differentiation strategy appears to be working, with one industry observer noting, “Hyundai is hitting on all cylinders today.” The willingness to take design risks has positioned the brand as an innovative player in a market often criticized for visual conformity.
Does Function Follow Form?
Despite its radical styling, the Santa Fe focuses on functionality – a crucial consideration for family SUV buyers. The boxy shape translates to exceptional interior space, with the third row offering usable accommodation for passengers and flexible cargo options.
The squared-off rear enhances cargo capacity, providing 413 litres behind the third row and expanding to 2,254 litres with all rear seats folded. These practical benefits demonstrate how the controversial design elements serve functional purposes beyond mere aesthetics.
Even features like the distinctive lighting contribute to safety and visibility, showing how the Hyundai designers balanced form and function throughout the redesign process.
Future Forward: Design Legacy
The current Santa Fe represents a pivotal moment in the Hyundai design evolution. This bold approach will likely influence future models across the lineup, with elements already appearing in other vehicles.
Automotive design trends typically move in cycles, alternating between conservative evolution and revolutionary change. The dramatic transformation positions it as a trendsetter rather than a follower – a relatively new role for Hyundai in the global automotive market.
Whether this distinctive design ages gracefully remains to be seen, but it has successfully carved out a unique identity in a segment where differentiation proves increasingly difficult.
2025 Hyundai Santa Fe: Design That Demands Attention
The bold redesign of the Hyundai Santa Fe represents a calculated risk in an industry often criticized for playing it safe. Hyundai has created a vehicle that generates conversation and stands out in the crowded midsize SUV segment by embracing distinctive, polarizing styling elements.
Owner reactions remain mixed, with many praising the front-end design while expressing more divided opinions about the rear styling. However, the overall response suggests that the distinctive design has successfully differentiated the Santa Fe from competitors.
As automotive design continues to evolve, the bold Hyundai approach demonstrates how distinctive styling can become a competitive advantage. Love it or hate it, the design demands attention, which is exactly what Hyundai intended when reimagining this popular SUV for a new generation of buyers.
