I drove Hyundai's rugged new $40,000 family SUV. It's packed with useful tech but rough around the edges

I was impressed by the new Korean-Land Rover aesthetic, strong suite of tech and safety features, and a roomy and easy-to-use interior.

However, I was let down by its powertrain's lack of responsiveness off the line, louder-than-ideal road noise, and an annoying attention-alert system.

The base front-wheel-drive Santa Fe SE starts at $33,950, while the fully loaded all-wheel-drive Santa Fe Calligraphy Hybrid starts at $48,800.

My all-wheel-drive Hyundai Santa Fe XRT test car starts at $40,600. However, freight fees and a set of floor mats pushed the SUV's as-tested price a bit higher.

Gone are the car-based crossover looks. In their place is a square-jawed SUV ready to tackle the outdoors. In fact, it looks more like a Land Rover than anything else in the Hyundai product range.

Designing a family SUV is usually a tug of war between form and function. For example, sloping rooflines give SUVs a sleek, coupe-like look but compromise passenger headroom and cargo space.

Both inside and out, it feels like Hyundai's design team chose to let form support function. The Santa Fe's square edges and rectangular body not only maximize its interior passenger and cargo room but also give it a rugged, truck-like presence.

Hyundai's then added styling touches like H-shaped lights and various front grille designs to give the boxy SUV a bit of flair.

The Santa Fe looks like Hyundai's take on a no-nonsense outdoor lifestyle vehicle for the family, with a heavy dose of Land Rover Defender and a dash of Ford Flex thrown in.

The dark green paint easily camouflages the blacked-out Hyundai logo on the hood.

The running lights are coupled with LED headlights and a lightbar across the front grille.

The active air flaps automatically open and close to help optimize fuel efficiency and engine cooling.

The Santa Fe XRT can tow up to 4,500 lbs.

While the tires that come with the XRT trim are certainly more capable of handling rough terrain, they produce an appreciable amount of excess road noise, especially at highway speeds, compared to traditional road tires.

Other trims have 18, 20, or 21-inch all-season tires as standard.

The increased length comes in handy now that the Santa Fe has a third row of seats. My test car also had a robust 8.3 inches of ground clearance.

The 2.5-liter turbo four, also found on the Sonata sedan and Santa Cruz pickup, produces a strong 277 horsepower and 311 lb.-ft. of torque. It is paired with an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

Due to its off-road tires and standard AWD, the XRT boasts lower fuel economy figures than other trims, at 19 mpg city, 26 mpg highway, and 22 combined.

The XRT and other ICE variants of the Santa Fe are equipped with automatic start/stop, a common fuel-saving tool that shuts off the engine when the vehicle is stationary.

I appreciate that the Santa Fe's start/stop function is smart enough to stand down when systems such as climate control require extra juice from the engine. However, I found it slow to react and abrupt when it did kick in.

A button on the center console temporarily defeats the system, but it will reset after the vehicle is turned off.

Hyundai's HTRAC all-wheel drive operates in front-wheel drive when cruising around but can send up to 50% of the engine's power to the back wheels when needed. At low speeds, the driver can activate an AWD Lock function that forces the system to send at least 20% of the power to the back wheels.

The Santa Fe handled solidly. Its steering was relatively quick but numb, which is the standard for a big family SUV.

The engine and gearbox were more than capable of handling the 4,400-pound SUV's heft in most situations, but dull power delivery off of the line let it down a bit.

The slow power delivery could be due to tip-in lag, which is a delay in throttle response programmed into the vehicle for better fuel economy and a smooth driving experience. It could also be turbo lag, the delay caused by the exhaust gases that drive the turbocharger needing to build up pressure before they can produce power.

Regardless, the lag was considerably more pronounced than I've experienced in other SUVs of its type, making acceleration from a standstill more of a chore than it should be.

The delay is even more pronounced when the start-stop system turns the engine off at an intersection or when waiting to make a left turn, at which point the engine has to restart and spool up the turbo before you feel the acceleration.

However, things change quickly once the vehicle is underway. Engine power becomes plentiful, and the Santa Fe quickly powers its way through the gears to highway speeds. I did not experience any power delivery issues while changing lanes or merging on the highway.

According to Car and Driver, the 2024 Santa Fe can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 6.3 seconds.

As a mid-tier model geared toward the outdoorsy types, the XRT isn't equipped with all the luxury bells and whistles of the top-spec Calligraphy trim like a head-up display or quilted Nappa leather seats.

Instead, functionality reigns supreme.

The cabin is roomy and well-designed, with good material quality. It also has a wide array of useful storage nooks for the whole family.

Instead of using the corporate steering wheel design like those found on other SUVs in Hyundai's lineup, the Santa Fe evokes the look and feel of the British SUV-brand that also inspired its exterior design.

The driver attention alert system's sensor juts out from atop the steering column and can sometimes block the bottom of the instrument display.

It's great this potentially lifesaving system exists, but in everyday use it's finicky. If you drive with your hand at the top of the wheel, the system will flash warning messages at you because it can't see your face. It won't be happy until you're back at 10-and-2 or 9-and-3 again.

The shifter is located on the right side of the steering column where the ignition key lived once upon a time.

To shift into drive, twist the silver part forward. Twist backward to shift into reverse, and press the "P" button at the end of the stalk to put it into park.

The Santa Fe's center console is massive, with giant cup holders and space for two smartphones lying side-by-side. The smartphone spot closest to the driver offers wireless charging, while the other phone can be plugged into one of the nearby USB-C sockets.

There's also a storage area with a power plug underneath the Santa Fe's center console that is perfect for small bags or purses.

The center console armrest opens forward and backward, allowing the rear cabin access to its contents as well.

Unlike the Palisade and Tucson, the Santa Fe boasts a newer version of the Hyundai user interface. The system was fairly intuitive to understand and looked great, with both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto included.

Like in the Palisade, I found this setup to be terrific. It offered a great balance between digital readouts and physical control for on-the-fly use when driving.

Pricier trims get a fancy dual sunroof that adds a second, non-opening glass panel over the rear cabin.

Most versions of the Santa Fe come standard with a 60/40 folding second-row bench seat.

The Santa Fe offers more second-row legroom than the Subaru Ascent, Honda Pilot, and Toyota Highlander.

When not in use, these handles can be flipped closed and physically locked.

As with most other offerings in this segment, the third row should be reserved for children, small adults, or short trips around town. With only 30 inches of legroom, roughly what you have in coach on some airlines, the Santa Fe offers a couple of inches more space than the Highlanders but falls about an inch and a half short of the Palisade.

The Santa Fe's second-row seats slide forward with the push of a button, allowing for somewhat easy access to the third row.

Third-row passengers also get access to a 115-volt power outlet.

This is where the Santa Fe shorter length comes into play. If the third row is up, you'd be hard-pressed to fit more than one or two carry-on suitcases back there. Its 14.6 cu. ft. of cargo room falls well short of the Palisade's 18 cu. ft., and the smallish Highlander's 16 cubic feet.

If you plan to consistently carry seven passengers and their stuff, a larger three-row SUV like the Palisade or Pilot is probably the better choice.

The expansion makes it roughly 6 cubic feet smaller than the Palisade. Plus, the smaller Santa Fe's square shape maximizes the usability of the cargo room.

That's about seven cubic feet less than the Palisade.

It's an increasingly rare feature these days. The spare tire is standard on all ICE variants of the Santa Fe but not available on the Hybrid.

The Santa Fe comes standard with blind-spot collision warning, rear cross-traffic collision avoidance assist, park distance warning, ultrasonic rear occupant sensor, forward collision avoidance assist, lane keeping assist, driver monitoring system, highway driving assist, and lane following assist.

What an about-turn Hyundai has made with the 2024 Santa Fe.

In one fell swoop, the Santa Fe has gone from anonymous to one of the most eye-catching SUVs on the market.

Hyundai knocked it out of the park with rugged looks, usable cabin, and a comprehensive suite of tech and safety features.

Even though some work is needed to fine-tune its driving dynamics, the Santa Fe is a terrific choice for a family searching for a smaller three-row SUV that stands out from the crowd.