Range Rover Evoque vs Hyundai Santa Fe

What's the difference?

The Range Rover Evoque is more highly specified and more luxurious than ever, and this plug-in hybrid version makes the most of what’s on offer with its slick but familiar feel from behind the wheel. 

Unfortunately, it does have an eye-watering price tag to go with its classy design and the options list is a bit rude, all things considered, but the core offering is a solid luxury buy for city-slickers, nonetheless. 

What makes the Evoque P300e stand out for me is its impressive EV driving range and excellent charging specs which make it as convenient as possible to make the most of its electrified features.

It’s up to the buyer whether these conveniences and the Range Rover badge are worth swapping into a car a full size down from its luxury plug-in rivals for the same money.

It might be more expensive than before, but somehow this new and radically redesigned Santa Fe still feels like a lot of car for the money. It looks awesome, it’s nice to drive, and it has a premium-feeling, versatile cabin.

The only thing you might want to keep in mind is this hybrid version in particular doesn’t quite have the same towing, performance, and possibly off-road abilities its tough new design might suggest.

Our pick? Hyundai reckons most of the sales will go to the top-spec Calligraphy, but the right money is the Elite. It offers the best balance of price and equipment in the range.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with accommodation and meals provided.

The Evoque has always been a car all about its sleek, city-slicking design, an iconic piece of modern SUV art from Jaguar Land Rover head of design, Gerry McGovern.

With its shapely proportions, clever descending roofline, and a silhouette which successfully reflects a miniaturised version of the Range Rover, the Evoque is at once classy with a faint suggestion of toughness under the skin.

The blacked-out grille, slimline headlights, and contemporary strip across the tailgate all serve to add intrigue to this SUV, and the extra detailing in the front bumper, shapeliness of the bonnet, and contrast black trims (with extra contrast panels on our test car matching the gloss black wheels) serving to add to its premium appeal.

It’s important to remember, while the Evoque slides into a busy small SUV landscape now, it was one of the first to make a premium car so successfully appealing in this small SUV space way back in 2011 with the first Evoque, following Land Rover’s historic trend of being in front of the SUV curve.

Rival small SUV designs may have caught up in the minds of many with the likes of the Audi Q3, BMW X2, and Volvo XC40 shining in recent years, but few have won as many design accolades as the Evoque.

Range Rover seems to be leaning into a more upper luxury trend, not just with the pricing, but with the vibe of the car’s interiors, too.

The new generation Evoque, for example, took a big jump in the look and feel of its interior appointments when it launched in 2019, and over time has only consolidated its market positioning.

The HSE grade which our P300e hybrid arrives in is lavish on the inside, with lovely suede-like seats, intricate contrasting grey cloth trims in the doors (do I detect an influence from Volvo here?) and a plush-looking dash, all finished in soft-to-the touch materials.

Attention to detail, like the silver bezels which adorn the centre console and media screen, add to the premium flair which lifts the Range Rover badge above the Land Rover one, and I do like the way the additional function screen seamlessly melts into the piano finish and integrated dials. While it’s always a nightmare to keep gloss piano finishes clean, it looks oh-so primo.

It’s a little odd the P300e has analogue dials, which seems to miss the premium edge which a fully digital dash might provide although the 7.0-inch centre dash screen has a great resolution and speed, as well as a mostly well laid out operating system.

I found the R-Dynamic modes, which can sharpen up the accelerator response and steering buried two menus deep, unnecessarily hard to find, as were various EV information screens and other less important functions.

You’d have to ask why Hyundai would choose to so radically redesign a successful car, but then I’d argue radical high-quality designs is what Hyundai needs more than ever to compete with an increasing list of low-cost rivals from China.

If it was more of the same, then why pick a Hyundai when you could pick a radical design from its sister brand Kia? Failing that, why not just buy a very competitively priced rival with a more mainstream design from China, like the Chery Tiggo 8 Pro Max?

Here lies the genius behind Hyundai’s crazy new look and more premium direction for the Santa Fe. It grabs eyeballs like nothing else on the road in this class right now.

There are echoes of Land Rover’s Discovery 3 and 4 of course in its side profile, and square face, but I’d argue it’s more elegant homage than straight copy, as particularly evidenced by the very cool H pattern motif which is embedded in the DRL profile, and then repeated in the bumper highlights, and hidden throughout the rest of the car’s bodywork.

The rear three-quarter is the new Santa Fe’s most controversial angle. The low-set rear lights seem to be an endless magnet for controversy. Interestingly though, Hyundai’s product people tell us there was a reason for this seemingly oddball choice.

Apparently placing the rear lights across the tailgate allows the SUV to have a larger overall rear opening, maximising the practicality. It looks odd in pictures but having seen the car now in the metal I find it much more agreeable.

Inside, it’s hard not to make more Land Rover comparisons. The overall tall windowline, boxy seats, and squared-off dash lend the new Santa Fe an adventurous if somehow familiar feel, while the leatherbound steering wheel is quite reminiscent of late 2000s Land Rovers.

The angled climate and utility panel in the centre console looks and feels like more modern British vehicles, although it comes with its own pragmatic Hyundai treatment with plenty of dials to accompany the touch-based shortcuts.

Again, it’s more tasteful homage than straight rip-off, but it’s quite obvious from where the inspiration streams. The premium feel of it will be a big sell for most, but as a huge fan of the boxy Land Rover era from the mid-to-late 2000s, I love this new design direction.

While it still plays the role of Range Rover’s smallest SUV, the current Evoque is much bigger than the car it replaced in 2019. I would go so far as to say it’s deceptively large on the inside.

Front occupants are treated to a cabin which now feels almost as wide as an actual Range Rover, with plenty of room for elbows on either side, which are, of course, met by lovely soft-touch surfaces.

The raised console helps with the upmarket feel, as does the plush dash. The standard 14-way adjust front seats help to accommodate most passengers, with my only criticism being the large A-pillars and height of the dash can make it feel a little bit claustrophobic compared to some rival luxury SUVs.

Storage is offered through a set of large door pockets, a centre console box, dual bottle holders behind the shift lever, and a healthy nook underneath the climate controls, which also hosts a wireless charging bay.

The rear seats share the same comfortable rim as the front ones, and also have large pockets in the doors. Despite the descending roofline, I had just enough room for my head at 182cm tall although it is notable the space in the PHEV feels smaller with the raised floor needed to accommodate the batteries.

I had a little airspace for my knees behind my own driving position, too. The main drawback for rear passengers is the large transmission tunnel, making it difficult to accommodate an adult in the centre position.

There are adjustable air vents for rear passengers, but it is frustrating Land Rover has chosen to make rear USB-C charging ports an arbitrary $270 option.

The boot is also deceptively large for such a small SUV, measuring in at 472 litres (VDA), it’s above average for the small SUV class and fits the full CarsGuide luggage set, provided you remove the parcel shelf as it's just a smidge too high.

You'll also need to keep your charging cables in the boot, as there's no underfloor storage, the entire space being taken up by a space-saver spare wheel.

The new Santa Fe has grown in almost every direction. It’s significantly longer and taller than before, although width is identical.

It instantly feels versatile. Big doors join with the high roof and additional length to make access to the first two rows easy, and adjustability is excellent throughout, especially since the second row is on rails and offers various recline angles.

Up front you’re greeted by an airy space, with a commanding view of the road and massive windows. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t remind me of a Land Rover Discovery (in all the good ways), and it feels like a substantial vehicle to helm.

There’s also lots of practical touches to make the most of its huge cabin. The doors offer a large bottle holder and storage tray, with a further two giant bottle holders in the centre console.

The console area itself has benefitted from Hyundai moving the transmission shifter to a stalk-mounted position, which has cleared the space to offer dual wireless chargers and a large pass-through area underneath which is great for larger objects.

There’s also a huge armrest console box (with a false floor and an additional concealed compartment below) as well as a decent-sized glove box on the passenger side and a flip-open tray atop the dash.

Even the cut-away between the two dash sections has a rubberised finish, meaning you can actually use it as a storage area rather than it serving as an aesthetic design flourish.

The screens are huge and easy to use, and Hyundai has committed to maintaining tactile controls for all of the car’s core functions.

You score volume and tuning dials for the multimedia, with separate dials for each of the climate zones on either side of a touch panel which offers shortcut buttons for all the climate functions. Much better than negotiating exclusively with the touchscreen.

There are also plenty of USB-C outlets in the console tray for charging and connectivity, with a 12-volt outlet in the pass-through below.

The rear seat offers plenty of room, with the one caveat being it’s a bit of a climb up into it. The second-row is on rails, so you can adjust to add legroom for third-row occupants or add additional boot space if you’re not maximising space in the second row.

There are all sorts of clever features back there, too. Elite grades and above get built-in sunshades for the rear windows, while the Calligraphy adds heated outboard rear seats.

The trim is comfortable in all cars, and there’s no shortage of practical touches either, like coat hooks built into the rear seat trim (where there’s also the H-pattern motif), dual bottle holders in the doors, with a third one and a storage area in the lower section of the door.

Need more than three bottle holders? There are two more in the drop-down armrest on seven-seat variants. USB-C outlets appear on the backs of the front seats, adjustable air vents are available in the pillars, and there’s a big drawer for extra storage on the back of the centre console.

When I set the second and first row seats to a position comfortable for myself (at 182cm tall), I can fit in the third row in relative comfort. My knees aren’t hard up to the seat in front, and there’s a small amount of room for slipping my feet under the seat in front which lends it a bit of extra space.

Access isn’t the easiest. It’s still a bit of a clamber up into the third row for an adult. The floor is high and the remaining aperture for access is quite small when you slide the second row seat forward or fold it flat. 

Once you’re in there, though, there are dual air vents on either side with an independent fan controller, a bottle holder and a storage tray above the wheel arch and a USB-C outlet on either side. There’s even a 12-volt outlet in the boot if you need extra power.

Boot space is great with the third row folded flat at 628 litres, or 1949 litres with the second row folded flat. Hyundai does not offer a figure for the space when the third row is up, but like most SUVs in this class, it’s not much. Stay tuned on a future test for more.

Underneath the boot (outside the car) there’s even a full-size spare wheel, great for those longer trips.

As you might imagine with its expanded dimensions and more premium look and feel, the new Santa Fe has climbed up the price ladder, and not by a small amount, either.

The new entry-point, now simply called ‘Santa Fe’ is nearly $10,000 more expensive than the outgoing base model, now starting at $55,500 before on-roads.

It can be chosen in front-wheel drive, or all-wheel drive (which hikes the price to $58,500). From there, the range climbs to $65,000 for the mid-spec AWD-only Elite, and then $75,000 for the top-spec, which dumps the old ‘Highlander’ badge in favour of the new international ‘Calligraphy’ one. It is also all-wheel drive only, but can be chosen with a lavish six-seat interior layout at $75,500.

Helping to simplify things slightly, there is only one powertrain, a familiar 1.6-litre, four-cylinder turbocharged hybrid-electric system.

We’ll talk more about this later in the review, but Hyundai tells us a V6-replacing 2.5-litre turbocharged option will also join the line-up before the end of 2024. Tune back in later to see how it compares.

Equipment is, as usual with Hyundai, stellar, even on the base vehicle, but maybe the best part is you don’t have to feel short-changed buying the entry-spec.

Sure, it only gets cloth seat trim rather than the synthetic or genuine Nappa leather available on the higher grades, but you still get a synthetic leather steering wheel, and the cloth trim has a cool tartan finish, so even it gets some design intrigue.

The wheels also manage to measure 20 inches, you get the complete dual 12.3-inch screen set-up in the interior with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and dual wireless phone chargers

The only thing missing in terms of core non-luxury appointments is a handful of more advanced autonomous driving features, particularly ‘highway drive assist’. But it still scores all the key necessities when it comes to safety. Check out this part of the review for more.

Stepping up to the Elite adds said autonomous driving features, synthetic leather interior trim, additional power adjust features for the front two seats, integrated sunshades for the rear windows and additional sound deadening via acoustic front glass.

Finally, the top-spec Calligraphy grade adds 20-inch wheels in an alternate design, Nappa leather interior trim with heated and ventilated front seats (plus heating for the outboard second-row seats), a panoramic sunroof, head-up display, digital rear vision mirror and even an ultraviolet sanitising tray in the front dash compartment.

The best value here? I think the Elite is the right balance. It offers the best kit without going overboard on price. That said, the front-wheel drive base model is a lot of car for the money, and somehow you still won’t feel short-changed with the luxury appointments in the Calligraphy despite its relatively tall price.

Rivals include the Nissan Pathfinder (from $54,190) Toyota Kluger (from $54,420), and the outgoing Mazda CX-9 (from $47,600) but none at the entry price are hybrid, and none offer quite the same level of standard equipment.

The Evoque now sports Jaguar Land Rover’s hybridised ‘Ingenium’ engine family across the range, and the set-up which appears in the plug-in hybrid model might be the most interesting.

It consists of a 1.5-litre three-cylinder combustion engine which is said to produce 147kW/280Nm, and an electric motor powering the rear axle producing 80kW, the two of which combine for an impressive quoted total output of 227kW/540Nm, driving all four wheels.

The motor sources its power from a 15kWh lithium-ion battery pack under the floor of the car, which provides a claimed 62km of fully-electric driving range.

Land Rover also replaced the mechanical brake pedal with a drive-by-wire one to allow for improved ‘blended’ regenerative braking.

Powering the new Santa Fe is just one engine, a 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol unit in a hybrid set-up, mated to a six-speed automatic transmission.

The transmission blends the power sources via a single-clutch system rather than a transaxle like some hybrids. It’s in the name of efficiency, and unlike most clutch-based transmissions, this one is a recently-updated version with a new and more powerful electric motor, and it’s nice and smooth from a take-off, too.

The combined power of this system sounds reasonable at 172kW/367Nm, but for a vehicle which weighs 1990kg, I’d describe performance as adequate.

The other downside is limited towing performance. While the design of this new car might suggest it’s ideal for open road touring with a big trailer in tow, the maximum braked towing capacity is 1650kg, well short of the 3500kg you might expect from a ladder-frame rival.

Claimed energy consumption on the combined WLTP cycle for the Range Rover Evoque P300e is 2.0L/100km. As with all plug-in hybrids though, this will heavily depend on how it is driven.

The 15kWh battery is said to provide a 62km driving range (again, on the WLTP cycle), which seems healthy for a PHEV, and I was pleased to find that my car was reporting about 56km on a full charge, not far off the claim.

Importantly, the Evoque has stellar charging specifications, which make it ideal for a city-slicker with minimal time to conveniently charge.

I was shocked to find a DC charging port when I flipped open the panel, which is capable of charging the tiny battery up in just 20 minutes (at a peak rate of 35kW), while on a slower but easier-to-find AC charger, it can extract 7kW allowing a charge time of around two hours.

This is well above par for a plug-in hybrid, and makes charging quick, painless and convenient, even for those who can’t charge at home.

As a result of this ease-of-charging and therefore minimal time spent in the hold or hybrid modes, my car reported an astounding 1.0/100km of fuel consumption during my week, covering mostly urban kilometres.

The only drawback is the need to fill this small turbo engine with mid-shelf 95RON fuel.

The upside of this compact hybrid electric system is, of course, fuel efficiency. This big SUV has an official combined cycle fuel consumption figure of just 5.6L/100km, regardless of whether you pick a front- or all-wheel drive, and as an added bonus it’s even capable of consuming entry-level 91 RON unleaded.

On our drive program we saw between 6.5L/100km and about 8.0L/100km across several vehicles, which tells me the number you’ll see in the real world will vary depending on driving conditions significantly, but we’ll get the car back for a longer test in the future to investigate further.

The large 67-litre fuel tank suggests a cruising range (at the official consumption rate) of over 1000km.

The second-gen Evoque is still the lovely, luxury, small SUV it was when it launched in 2019, and this plug-in hybrid version only serves to improve the formula, adding sleek electric driving characteristics to the already-smooth turbo engine and torque converter automatic.

Interestingly, and like its Volvo XC60 rival, the electric motor is located on the rear axle, giving this car the odd characteristic of being rear-wheel drive when driven electrically, or predominantly front-wheel drive when driven in combustion mode.

Speaking of modes, this car does the bulk of the management, with only three driving modes available to the pilot. These include the default ‘hybrid’ mode, which as the name suggests, blends the two power sources with more of an emphasis on electric driving when the battery is charged.

There's also an electric mode, which will only use the rear axle motor until the battery runs out, and a ‘Hold’ mode which will still blend the two sources but predominantly rely on the combustion engine to maintain the car’s state of charge.

You might want to use the last mode if you're travelling long-distance, to maintain the electric range for where it is most efficient - in low-speed stop-start driving.

The regenerative braking is not adjustable, having just a single mild level. It’s far from the single-pedal driving you can experience in a fully electric car, but Land Rover has made the brake pedal fly-by-wire so it can blend increased regen with the mechanical brakes.

It makes for a familiar experience from behind the wheel for those coming straight out of a purely combustion vehicle.

The electrified brake pedal does have the consequence of removing a bit of feel for a keen driver, and the same can be said for the rather slow steering tune in the default settings which makes the Evoque feel more luxurious and less sporty or reactive than it could be.

It’s a shame, because the two power sources combine to make for a thumping amount of power when you stick your boot in, and the all-wheel drive system and nicely balanced suspension keep this little SUV well under control in the corners.

As with my original Evoque range review in 2019, though, it is notable how heavy this SUV feels, particularly compared to some rivals like the Audi Q3.

The heftiness suits the Evoque's expanded dimensions and even more upmarket feel, but despite the power on offer it’s not an agile SUV to be carving corners in.

At least the ride quality and quietness is superb, making the Evoque an ideal SUV for driving around the centre of pothole-stricken Sydney, with a notable amount of poise. At the end of the day, isn’t that what this Range Rover was built for?

This new Santa Fe feels nothing like the outgoing vehicle. It feels bigger, tougher, and more capable, and this starts with the awesome seating position and towering view over the road.

It’s easy to see out the side and rear of this car thanks to its huge windows and well-sized mirrors and the seats proved comfortable in all trims over a longer drive.

The steering feels nice and connected, which is good because some of Hyundai’s recent offerings have had a quite artificial, overly-electrically-assisted tinge to them, and acceleration off the line is decent thanks to the upsized electric motor (now producing 44.2kW/264Nm on its own) providing an instant kick.

The response from the small engine isn’t as robust for overtaking manoeuvres above 80km/h, and this is where you miss the old V6.

Still, those looking for a bit more punch will be able to select the 2.5-litre turbo version before the year ends, just don’t expect the same fuel-sipping performance. 

The brand tells us it is no longer running the same local ride and handling program which once did wonders to set it apart from rivals, saying instead the learnings from the Australian division are now part of the global ride and handling settings. The Australian market also has a regionally-specific damper setting selected from the factory.

It may as well be a locally-tuned car. The ride and handling of this new Santa Fe is excellent.

Yes, it’s a little disconcerting cornering hard in such an upright-feeling vehicle, but ultimately the SUV takes corners in its stride and shrugs off bumps and undulations with ease. Even the corrugated surface of a gravel track is reasonably filtered-out.

It particularly feels planted on the road. Yes, it’s heavy, but it’s hard to tell this is a front-biased layout as it’s so confident and grippy on the tarmac. You can feel the all-wheel drive system work its magic on unsealed stuff, but this is a safe feeling car on the road.

We didn’t have a chance to take it on anything particularly challenging off the road, nor did we tow with it, so you may want to tune in again for a future review where we get to experience more of its capabilities.

For general driving duties, though, this is an impressive large SUV. Calm, confident, comfortable, quiet and efficient.

Almost every active safety tick-box is ticked here, even on the entry-level Santa Fe, with the key missing feature for the base car being the semi-autonomous ‘highway driving assist’ features including distance and lane following control, as well as lane change assist - so basically a more advanced adaptive cruise. The base car also misses out on the clever (but slow) remote parking feature.

Otherwise the new Santa Fe has an array of 10 airbags, with the curtain set extending far enough to cover the third row. At the time of writing, it was yet to be rated by ANCAP.

The real shame is some of the active safety items are still intrusive and annoying. Particularly the traffic sign recognition - which routinely picks up the wrong speed from the back of buses and inactive school zones, and the driver attention alert, which frequently chastises you for looking even slightly away from the road to adjust something on the touchscreen. It’s a shame because it only serves to tarnish an otherwise excellent drive experience.

As of April, 2021 all Land Rover products are finally covered by an industry-standard five-year and unlimited kilometre warranty, matching its key rivals, and beating out BMW which persists with an old three-year warranty promise. Five years of roadside assist is also included for the duration.

When it comes to servicing, the P300e is available to be purchased with a five-year plan ($2650 - $530 annually) which covers 102,000km of visits.

This pack is well worthwhile as Land Rover servicing is generally quite expensive when purchased a-la-carte.

As usual, the new Santa Fe range is covered by Hyundai’s five-year and unlimited kilometre warranty, which is accompanied by five years of roadside assist (and beyond if you continue to service with the brand), and matching capped price servicing program.

Servicing is required once every 12 months or 10,000 kilometres, and averages out to $481 annually for the first five years. Not Toyota cheap, but not bad.