Rent Hyundai SANTA FE 2023 in Dubai

If your Dubai week starts at the airport with bags and ends with a long drive out to Abu Dhabi or Ras Al Khaimah, the Hyundai Santa Fe 2023 is built for exactly that kind of trip. We can have it waiting at your door within one to two hours of booking, with 250 km a day included before any extra-kilometre charge, so a couple of intercity runs won't blow your allowance. Our take: this is the midsize SUV to rent when the week is part airport logistics, part family road trip, and you want comfort and space without a full-size SUV's running cost. The first thing to settle is whether five seats and this boot suit your group, and we'll be honest about both below.

Airport runs and the long drive out

This is what the car is good at, so it leads. The Santa Fe is a relaxed, quiet cruiser on the open road. The turbocharged petrol four makes 205 hp through an automatic, enough to merge onto Sheikh Zayed Road and overtake without planning three cars ahead, even with the family aboard and the AC working. At a steady 120 on the E11 the cabin stays calm and the ride settles, which is precisely what a two-hour run to RAK or a drive down to Abu Dhabi should feel like.

DXB and DWC airport runs are easy. The high seating gives a clear view of the lane traffic, the ride smooths out the expansion joints, and there's enough boot to take a full collection of luggage in one trip rather than two.

Does the family's luggage fit

With all five seats up the boot holds 1031 litres, which is the figure that matters at the airport. In practice that's two large suitcases and a couple of soft bags, or a serious grocery run plus a stroller. Fold the second row and you open up 2041 litres, enough for flat-pack furniture or a bike with the front wheel off.

The honest caveat: a family of five flying in with five full-size cases will use all that boot and pack thoughtfully, because passengers and luggage compete for the same space in any midsize SUV. It's generous for the class, but it isn't a Palisade. If every seat is full and every bag is large, size up.

Five seats, and who fits

The 2023 Santa Fe we rent is a two-row, five-seat SUV with no third row. If you need to seat six or seven on the regular, this isn't the car and a Palisade or a people-mover is the better call. For a couple or two adults with two or three kids it's roomy where it counts, with a wide second row and reclining seatbacks that keep an adult comfortable on the longer drives.

Rear passengers get their own air vents, which matters more on a road trip than the spec sheet suggests. A back seat without vents stays warm long after the front has cooled, and on a two-hour drive that's the difference between calm kids and a fractious car. The Santa Fe cools both rows.

Spec at a glance

Fuel on a week of mixed driving

The 67-litre tank is what to plan around. On a week that mixes city errands with a couple of intercity runs, expect roughly 9 to 11 litres per 100 km, more in stop-and-go Marina traffic with the AC working hard. For normal use that's a comfortable few days between fills, and a steady highway stint to Abu Dhabi is actually the efficient part of the week. You won't be hunting for a station mid-trip, and the included 250 km a day covers most intercity plans before any extra charge.

A note on costs that fall to you. Salik tolls are charged to the renter as you pass the gantries, and any RTA fines during the rental pass to you, so keep to the posted limits and lanes. Children under four need a child seat by law, and we can fit one on request.

Heat, parking and clearance

A grey Santa Fe left in an open lot through a Dubai July gets hot inside, same as any car. The air conditioning is strong, and the large cabin drops to comfortable within a few minutes of driving with the fans up. Crack the windows for ten seconds before you set the climate, and even an August pickup is bearable from the first minute.

At 4785 mm long and 1900 mm wide it's a midsize SUV, so the Marina's tighter bays and some older mall ramps want the reversing camera and a little care. The roughly 208 mm of clearance handles speed bumps and mall lips without scraping. It's front-wheel drive, a road SUV rather than a sand car, so leave the dunes to a proper 4x4.

Who should rent it, and who shouldn't

Rent the Santa Fe 2023 if your week is part airport runs, part intercity driving, and you want a comfortable, quiet cruiser with a boot that takes a full luggage load in one trip, without a full-size SUV's fuel bill. It's the car I hand to visitors landing at DXB with a family and a plan to see more of the country, and the rent-from-18 option lets a younger driver book it where most desks still require 21.

Look elsewhere in two cases. If you regularly need six or seven seats, this five-seater won't stretch, so size up. And if your trip is mostly solo or two-up city driving with light bags, you're paying for space you won't use, and a Tucson or a midsize sedan will be cheaper and easier to park. For the family who wants comfort and range, the 2023 Santa Fe is the sensible pick, and we'll have it at your door within the hour or two.