10,000KM Later... Did We Stuff Up? (Hyundai Santa Fe Calligraphy Hybrid 2026 Long-Term Review)

After six months and over 10,000km of travel, it’s time to say “adios” to ‘Santa’, the 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Calligraphy Hybrid 7-Seat SUV long termer. Back in May, the Santa Fe large SUV range beat out around 50 of the finest models and variants currently on sale in Australia at the time to take out our 2025 Car Of The Year crown. So why not opt for the flagship Calligraphy hybrid version for a six-month stint in the Chasing Cars’ long-term garage. The MY25 Santa listed for $76,500, with an extra $1000 for its fancy matte bronze paintwork, making it a circa -$85K on-road proposition. Here in our final wrap-up, Chasing Cars deputy editor Curt Dupriez hands down a verdict on some key questions. These include our final hits and misses with the Santa Fe experience, whether the Calligraphy is the pick of the Santa Fe pack, and whether the popular Korean large SUV truly deserves our 2025 Car Of The Year award now that we’ve lived with it day in and day out. Time codes: 0:00 - Intro 0:38 - Six-month recap 1:24 - Design 2:02 - Value 3:02 - Practicality 3:25 - Payload 4:19 - Reliability 4:45 - Ownership 5:20 - Efficiency 6:02 - Boot space 6:35 - Powertrains 7:30 - Variety 7:58 - Driver assistance 9:00 - Car Of The Year? 10:27 - Final Verdict As always, we don’t accept advertising from car manufacturers, and we’re powered by Budget Direct. Subscribe now! https://www.youtube.com/user/ChasingC... Chasing Cars on Facebook:   / chasingcarsaustralia   Follow Chasing Cars on Instagram:   / chasingcars.com.au   Chasing Cars is Australia's most independent source of new car reviews, car industry news, comparisons and car guides. We give you a critical look at every new car you should consider!