Santa Fe Plug-in
Purchased new and began driving it on the 28th of October 2023. Today, the 7th of February 2024, the car has 8,738 miles on it. Previously owned a 2020 Santa Fe non-hybrid. I feel the car is somewhat underpowered although adequate for routine driving. The plug-in is supposed to have a 30 mile EV range. I believe this is inadequate for the area in which I live, which is within 30 miles of downtown Denver. Realistically, to fully benefit from the EV propulsion the EV range should, at minimum, be 60 miles.
I have just driven 25 miles (local, routine drive) on a full charge and the car indicates an average mileage rating of 109 mpg with 6 miles of EV range remaining. Since refueling (104.5 miles) the average is 53.2 mpg and the all time average is 31.0 mpg. The 8,738 miles include one drive of 4,200 miles and two drives of over 900 miles each on hybrid only with no plug-in charging. The hybrid only mpg averaged between 25 & 30 mpg which I believe is less than should be expected. Long drives can become a bit uncomfortable as the seating support is less than optimal and marginally adequate for a man of 236 pounds. Ergonomics are mostly excellent. I am not enamored with the button gear selection scheme. It is not easlily, safely, intuitively, and/or quickly activated. I greatly appreciate the on-dash screen display of the lane along the side of the vehicle when the turn signal is activated. A dash cam option to utilize the four cameras for full time recording would be a welcomed addition. I have some objections to Hyundai's chosen programming for specific safety features (adaptive cruise control, lane keeping, forward collision avoidance, etc.). Overall the car is of high caliber of construction, stylish, and comfortable. I believe it to be, in the whole, above average in value for the cost.