I drove ‘2026’s best car’ that’s not a BMW or Audi | Tech News

I will fortunately admit I have not been the world’s greatest fan of the current stratospheric rise within the recognition of SUVs (Sport Utility Vehicles). Being fully sincere, for those who don’t have kids or canines (plural) to hold round, I have questions over why you’d go for a vehicle outsized to your wants.

hatchback or small property will do nearly as good a job as its high driving SUV equal and can use much less fuel and be a higher drive on the similar time. At least, that’s what I thought.

At the tail finish of February, I had CarsGuide’s 2026 car of the 12 months (a Hyundai Santa Fe) on take a look at for a week and the decision I reached has modified my view on SUVs endlessly.

We had on take a look at a Hyundai SANTA FE Hybrid Ultimate, 1.6T 239PS Hybrid 6AT, Automatic, 4WD. In layman’s phrases that’s a huge £55,895 petrol hybrid SUV with seven seats, a huge boot, and a few good non-compulsory extras hooked up.

The car in query is 4.8m long, 2.2m broad, 1.72m high and comes with 5 doorways. Boot space with the seats up is round 620litres, however with them down is wherever between 985 to 1,949litres. So far, so sensible and versatile. But there’s more.

Slot your self into the driving force’s seat and that is the place the intrigue actually begins. The Santa Fe’s system can keep in mind what place you wish to have the seat in and has a system the place it can save you your place. This means while you open the door, the steering wheel and seat transfer aside. When you’re in they transfer into your most well-liked place; helpful for those who’re switching between drivers.

The infotainment is a combination of buttons, dials, contact screens and haptic contact pads. Most of your time utilizing the system is thru the close to sprint broad contact screen in entrance of you. In phrases of ease of use it’s proper up there, though adjusting the heated seats and aircon on the transfer is a bit fiddly with the contact pads.

Above the driving force sits the controls for the panoramic sunroof and below their left elbow is a very deep and cavernous cubby gap which was huge enough to suit our filming tripod. It was lined with some kind of non clean materials on the backside, so those that like eating sweets within the car best save these for the come out tray.

Overall, in our spec at the least, I discovered it to be a comfy and liveable place to be with no awkward aches after a long time on the wheel during a weekend spin to Caffeine and Machine for a espresso.

This journey was a good alternative to have a correct look inside and marvel on the sheer quantity of charging stations – wired and wi-fi – inside the car.

The center row of seats are, just like the entrance, heated. Furthermore, they got here with entry to the cavernous central compartment and blinds that passengers can pull up above their home windows.

The rear seats reveal themselves simply enough with toggles atop and behind to allow them to be folded out whether or not somebody is coming from the boot or via the rear set of seats. Returning the center row to their electrically assisted authentic place is a bit fiddly, however it’s not the worst system on this planet.

The third row of seats comes with its own charging ports and aircon systems which is all nicely and good. However, it was identified to us by one household that for those who don’t use the third row that usually, having aircon that the second row passengers can’t entry is a bit pointless. Something to kind out within the facelift?

This was the place the Hyundai actually modified my thoughts in regards to the future of SUVs. Every particular person I talked to in regards to the car identified how huge and long it was.

But right here’s the factor, it might look huge, long, and heavy, however it doesn’t really feel like that. It feels via the controls like a hatchback or a small property. Driving throughout London (whose potholes it dealt with with backbone softening ease) to see mates, it was simple to neglect how huge a car you had been in.

The car felt much less like an elephant and more like an athletic and energetic golden retriever. Yes, you’re very removed from the entrance and rear of the car, however the steering offers you superb suggestions while being.

On the street, the hybrid system engages in a fixed balancing act between charging the battery and shifting you alongside. It can run on electric solely mode for a whereas, however very not often hangs round in there for very long. There are driving modes, however truthfully simply depart it in Eco and ignore Sport. There are terrain modes, displaying there are some off street contingencies in place for once we return to winter.

I suppose a lot of this comes from the truth that the car seems and feels real, it’s actually not about being sporty in any respect. Yes, the engine pulls nicely, however it doesn’t look sporty and it isn’t sport, and that’s the purpose. It pulls off the cool, boxy styling schtick higher than Land Rover’s Defender, and it’s quite comfy. On the street it’s not thrilling to drive, however it corners very flat; there’s a little low velocity understeer, however that’s to be anticipated.

It received’t win lap time checks or set B roads alight, however that’s not what it’s for; its household centered. Even the dreaded lane help (essentially the most pointless function in fashionable vehicles) isn’t that intrusive, a lot so I didn’t all the time really feel the need to show that blasted factor off all of the time.

Is the Hyundai Santa Fe excellent? No. I do really feel the facilities of the third row of seats needs to be moved to the second row, or at the least the second row ought to have the identical choices because the third.

The haptic contact pads needs to be changed by buttons, and the 4 cylinder engine sounds very stretched when it’s revved laborious or charging the battery. There had been a number of events when I was on the town at sub 20mph speeds and the battery is 50 %, however the engine continues to be charging it and I thought ‘Why isn’t it ready till the battery is at 20 % to begin charging?’.

In the grand scheme of issues these are solely little or no issues to contemplate; and it has modified my thoughts that SUVs aren’t all leaning an excessive amount of in direction of the S aspect of the acronym. If you’re searching for a succesful household SUV that isn’t German or British, give this a look.

Christopher’s verdict: 7.5/10