Comparison: Ground clearance Hyundai Santa Fe vs. competitors 2024

Welcome to the battleground where millimeters become miles—a place where the height between your precious car belly and the treacherous road could be the difference between a scraped undercarriage and smooth sailing. In the arena of ground clearance, we raise the bar (quite literally) by delving into the Hyundai Santa Fe, a trusty steed sporty enough for the urban sprawl yet rugged for the occasional call of the wild. So buckle up as we dissect the Santa Fe's altitude throughout its life and size it up against both its kin and other beasts in the motoring jungle.

Hyundai Santa Fe - How has the ground clearance changed over the generations?

The Santa Fe's journey from an absolute mystery in ground clearance figures from its first generation (2001-2006) to a soaring height in its second (2006-2012) with a robust 203 mm clearance, only to sheepishly drop down by a few unnoticeable millimeters in subsequent refreshes. The latest facelift of the fourth-gen (2020-now) flirts with the ground at 176 mm, seemingly trimming down for a more aerodynamic profile and perhaps admitting that not every family retreat requires fording a river or climbing a rock face.

Hyundai Santa Fe generations

(Ground clearance)
Hyundai Santa Fe generations
Generation yearGround clearance
Santa Fe, Model year 2001 (1.Generation)0 mm
Santa Fe, Model year 2004 (1.Generation (1. Facelift))0 mm
Santa Fe, Model year 2006 (2.Generation)203 mm
Santa Fe, Model year 2010 (2.Generation (1. Facelift))200 mm
Santa Fe, Model year 2012 (3.Generation)185 mm
Santa Fe, Model year 2015 (3.Generation (1. Facelift))180 mm
Santa Fe, Model year 2018 (4.Generation)185 mm
Santa Fe, Model year 2020 (Santa Fe 4.Generation (1. Facelift))176 mm
Santa Fe, Model year 2024 (Santa Fe 5. Generation)177 mm
The difference in Ground clearance between first generation (1.Generation) from 2001 and last generation (Santa Fe 5. Generation) from 2024 is 17.7cm mm.
The ground clearance of the current generation of Santa Fe is 177 mm.

The ground clearance compared to other Hyundai models

Compared to the rest of Hyundai's brood, the Santa Fe's ground clearance doesn't write home about conquests over mountainous terrain. In fact, it plays middle ground—literally. You've got the nimble-footed i20 N and friends tiptoeing around at approximately 130 to 140 mm, while the giddy Kona and Tucson siblings loom at a more adventurous 170 mm. Towering over them all, like a lighthouse over choppy seas, is the Hyundai Staria, boasting a clearance that clears the 186 mm bar! The Santa Fe lounges somewhere in-between, high enough to hurdle over everyday obstacles but modest enough to retain its composure in a corner.

Hyundai Santa Fe vs other current cars by Hyundai

(Ground clearance)
Ground clearance: Santa Fe vs. other models by Hyundai
Variant nameGround clearance
i20 N 130 mm
i30 Fastback 135 mm
i30 N Fastback 135 mm
i30 N 136 mm
i30 140 mm
i30 Kombi 140 mm
i20 140 mm
IONIQ 6 141 mm
IONIQ 5 N 142 mm
i10 149 mm
Kona Elektro 158 mm
IONIQ 5 160 mm
Nexo 162 mm
Bayon 165 mm
Kona 170 mm
Tucson 170 mm
Kona N 173 mm
Santa Fe 176 mm
Staria 186 mm

How does the ground clearance of the Hyundai Santa Fe compare to it's nearest competitors?

Variety is the spice of life and vehicle heights. Take the Suzuki Vitara, which scrapes the sky, matching the second-gen Santa Fe at 185 mm, yet presents a smaller footprint with its petite length and Daewoo Matiz-rivaling wheelbase. Then we speed across to the sublime opulence of the Land Rover Range Rover Velar, which at 213 mm towers over the Santa Fe like a skyscraper, backing its metropolitical length and height with a chasm-spanning wheelbase. But let's not forget the likes of the Mazda MX-30, Genesis GV70, and Lexus UX, who, interestingly, see eye to eye with the Santa Fe, all near the 160-185 mm zone—not quite enough to trigger altitude sickness, but enough to leap over a naughty kerb. When one looks at Spartan warriors like the Tesla Model Y or the Mercedes Benz EQE SUV, their ground clearances are making low-profile tire manufacturers giddy with delight at 167 mm and 154 mm, respectively, while the aristocratic Aston Martin DBX's astonishingly lofty 235 mm altitude screams 'Do you even lift, bro?' to its rivals.

Hyundai Santa Fe vs. similar cars

(Ground clearance)
Ground clearance: Hyundai Santa Fe vs. similar cars
Car modelGround clearance
Aston Martin DBX 2020235 mm
Subaru Crosstrek 2024220 mm
Jaguar F-Pace 2016215 mm
Lynk & Co 01 2021213 mm
Land Rover Range Rover Velar 2017213 mm
Land Rover Discovery Sport 2015212 mm
Genesis GV80 2021205 mm
Toyota Highlander 2021202 mm
Renault Arkana 2021199 mm
Infiniti FX 2009193 mm
Genesis GV70 2021185 mm
Ferrari Purosangue 2023185 mm
Suzuki Across 2020180 mm
Honda ZR-V 2023180 mm
Hyundai Santa Fe 2024177 mm
Mazda CX-60 2022176 mm
Renault Symbioz 2024169 mm
GWM WEY 05 2024160 mm
WEY Coffee 01 2022160 mm
Renault Rafale 2024145 mm
MG HS/EHS 2021145 mm

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