Rent Hyundai SANTA FE 2024 in Dubai

The Hyundai Santa Fe 2024 is the year the model changed shape, and that redesign is the reason to book it. We rent it across Dubai and hand it over to people from 18, where most desks here still hold the line at 21. The boxy fifth-generation body looks nothing like the rounded car it replaced, and the gain is real interior room rather than styling for its own sake. Under the bonnet sits a turbocharged petrol four rated at 205 hp through an automatic and the front wheels, so a full car still moves with intent. Our take: if you want the current Santa Fe with the upright cabin and the bigger glass, this is the one to pick, and the thing to settle first is whether five seats suit your group.

What the new shape actually buys you

The redesign is not cosmetic. The squared-off roof and longer body open up headroom and a far airier second row than the old curved car gave you. Tall passengers stop ducking, the side windows are deep, and kids in the back can actually see out, which keeps them calmer on a long drive to Hatta or Abu Dhabi. The dashboard is cleaner too, with a wide curved screen and physical climate controls you can find without looking down.

It's a five-seater as we rent it. Two adults up front have room to spare, and the second row takes three kids or two adults in comfort. If you need six or seven seats on a regular basis, this isn't your car, and a Palisade or a van makes more sense.

Boot space and whether your luggage fits

This is where the new body pays off most. With the rear seats up the load bay is genuinely large for the class, easily a big grocery run plus a stroller, or two large cases and a clutch of soft bags off an airport pickup. Fold the second row flat and it opens to roughly 2250 litres, enough for flat-pack furniture or a bike with the front wheel out. The honest caveat: load five people plus a week of full-size suitcases and you'll still pack with a plan, because passengers and luggage compete for the same space in any midsize SUV. For most families it's more boot than they expect.

Specs at a glance

Heat, parking and the roads here

A red Santa Fe left in an open lot through a Dubai July gets hot inside, same as any car. The climate system is strong, and the large cabin drops to comfortable within a few minutes of driving with the fans up. Rear passengers get their own vents, which is the detail that keeps kids in the back from baking on a longer run. Crack the windows for ten seconds before you set the temperature and even August is manageable.

At 4830 mm long and 1900 mm wide this is a midsize SUV, not a compact, so the Marina's tighter multi-storey bays and a few older mall ramps want the reversing camera and a moment's care. The roughly 209 mm of clearance clears Dubai's speed bumps and mall lips without scraping. On Sheikh Zayed Road the 205 hp gives you confident overtaking and a settled cruise at the limit. It's front-wheel drive, so it's a road SUV rather than a dune machine. Soft sand wants a proper 4x4.

Running costs that fall to you

Salik tolls are billed 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. The roughly 67-litre tank and real-world economy around 9 to 12 litres per 100 km in mixed Dubai driving give you a comfortable few days between fills for normal errands, with plenty left for a return trip to Abu Dhabi. Children under four need a child seat by law, and we can fit one on request.

Who should rent it, and who shouldn't

Rent the Santa Fe 2024 if you want the redesigned car specifically, value the extra headroom and the bigger boot, and you're a couple or a family of up to five. It's the one I hand to people who liked the old Santa Fe but found it tight, and the rent-from-18 option means a younger driver can book it without the usual hurdle.

Look elsewhere in two cases. If you genuinely need six or seven seats, this five-seat configuration won't stretch, so size up. And if your week is mostly solo or two-up city driving with light bags, you're paying to move a big SUV you won't fill, and a Tucson or a midsize sedan will be cheaper and easier to park. For the family in between, the 2024 Santa Fe is the roomiest sensible pick, and we'll have it at your door within the hour or two.