[Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid] Add a generator function with high-wattage AC and DC outlets

This is my comprehensive list of all the big things and small nitpicks I have with my 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe.  By the length and detail of this list it might seem like I hate this vehicle but in fact I enjoy it a lot.  I’m not in a cult to worship the Santa Fe, it is just a product with a lot of features, and I like what I like, and I don’t like what I don’t like.  It is simple as that.  I get that this is a crossover and some of these elements that I want are more SUV-ish but that doesn’t stop me from wishing they were present in this vehicle.  Also, a lot of these are specific to the one I own, a 2025 Hybrid Calligraphy AWD in Phantom Black with the Black Ink Interior, purchased in the US.  Other trims or other markets might have different option/features.  1. The biggest problem for me for the exterior – All of the plastic trim panels on the exterior of the Calligraphy trim are done in gloss black for a more “premium look” but the way Hyundai executed this is a massive fail.  They all appear creased and dented at an angle along almost every panel every 1 to 2 inches.  My brand-new car shouldn’t look like someone walked around it with a ball-peen hammer and tapped every panel every inch or so.  Some people have said it is because of the way they are attached (clips or glued) and others have said it is they way the plastic was formed in molds.  Either way, it sucks. Once you see it, you can’t unsee it. It is on every plastic body panel in the pillars and along the lower trim but is most apparent in the wheel wells.  You can’t really tell when looking on it straight on but at an angle it looks like garbage.  It isn’t as apparent on lower trims that have the more basic plastic trim that is more matte. 1. Once you see these imperfections, you will find more.  Where the sensors are in the front bumper, and where additional trim was added, in the rear tail lights where the hole is from the mold, they all create these distortions in the panel that look really rough.  They are pinched in the edges, or creased, or dented. Really bad fit/finish.  No issues with the metal panels, just the plastic ones. The marks are all symmetrical around the car, so you know it is just in the manufacturing process of building the vehicles.  Almost all the issues can only be seen at an angle, so straight on it looks OK.    2. I wish the rear tailgate was split, or at least the glass opened independently. It will never be made like that though as it is a crossover 3. The power lift gate has no manual (non electric) opening option accessible from the outside that I am aware of.  4. I wish the XRT was a package like it is in Australia instead of a trim like it is in the US.  I would have gotten it on my 25’ Calligraphy Hybrid AWD if it was available as a package.  1. If I could get the XRT as a package I would have gotten the smaller 18 inch wheels. The big 20 inch wheels with low profile tires look on but are a bit of a detractor from the ride quality and durability of the tires. Eventually, I’ll get some 17 or 18 inch rims and replace the OEM 20s. 5. The hybrid should come with a spare tire. A donut, or, more ideally, a full-sized spare.  You can add the OEM spare tire elevator to a hybrid, but it should come standard.  6. The Hyundai Logo is sunken into the body panels and has 2 posts going through the body panel so you can’t remove it without leaving an empty oval divot and 2 holes. 1. The current Hyundai logo doesn’t match other blocky logos all over the car or the new 4 dots on the steering wheel.  Odd to have the round swoopy H logo on a car that is trying to be super boxy and is covered in boxy H symbols. 2. This thing has so many H’s its insane.  Headlights, taillights, front bumper, seats, etc.…  Admittedly, all cars nowadays seem to be covered in Logos for the brand.  I guess I should be thankful they don’t have the model’s name spelled out on the passenger side dash like the new Tacoma.  7. The trailer hitch is an add on, but I think it should be standard for any SUV, along with the 7-pin wiring harness.  1. While it has a 7-pin connector at the trailer there is no option for a factory brake controller, which seems odd, especially given the specs for the vehicle give higher towing ratings with a brake controller.  2. The XRT is the only trim with a towing mode (button above the traction control off button).  3. All the trims should have a towing mode that include: 4. Changes to handling and shifting, Options to “add a trailer” on the infotainment and enter trailer specs for increased handling modifications, Trailer blind spot detection, Trailer connection notification, Trailer light status, Pitch and roll degrees with trailer attached, ETC… these are the kinds of things the ford maverick hybrid have so Hyundai should be able to do them too 5. They should make an optional 4k towing package for the hybrid in all trims that includes physical changes IE. transmission cooler to increase the towing capacity.  This could include an OEM Trailer brake controller installed 6. “Trailer Sway Control” is listed as standard on all 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe models in the American specs and features sheet, but I can’t find any reference to it in the manual.  Trailer sway control is an active feature in Ford Maverick hybrids that can be enabled or disabled on the infotainment screen 8. The rear turn signal is red instead of amber in America – they are amber on the international version.  I would much rather have amber rear turn signals.  9. The reverse lights aren’t LED’s in any trim that I am aware of, and many people claim they aren’t bright enough.  They should be LED’s at the very least.  They are a W16W bulb for those that want to replace them 1. The housing for the reverse lights is bright white and looks out of place on the black bumper, especially given the headlights are given a smoke finish to the housing.  10. The muffler seems to hang down kind of low. It is very visible from the rear of the vehicle.  I wish it was tucked up higher 11. I don’t love any of the paint colors.  I understand colors are very subjective and these are just my opinions.  Not looking to yuck someone else’s yum. 3 grays (metallic, pearl, matte) seem like a bit much. shouldn’t have matte on a non-lux brand.  hard to clean/maintain and people might not know what they are getting into. Green isn’t great – too taupe/brown.  It looks OK in some lighting, but not others.  Blue is OK IMO but wasn’t available until MY 25 for some weird reason.  The Red and the Orange are too close in tone for the same model, but are both OK IMO. I wish there was a black roof with a different body color option.  Hyundai does have models with a different color roof, so this is in Hyundai’s wheelhouse.  I got a black one so I could wrap the body in a color at some point and leave the roof and front bumper black.  12. The side reflectors are a bit too bright, especially the amber reflector over the front wheel well.  Some people tint them, but that is illegal in some jurisdictions  13. The side view mirrors have no puddle lights like the outgoing model.  I park outside at night and the lack of exterior side light is very apparent.  I really wish it had puddle light (or lights) mounted under the mirror that illuminate the ground on the entire side of the car.  Maybe even 2 lights, one facing forward and one rearward 14. Self-dimming side view mirrors are not available in America.  this is on the current palisade and the international version of the Santa Fe.  I’ve been in a car that has these once before and they are amazing, and I really wish they were included.  15. The outline of body color around the vents in the front bumper looks just plain bad to me. I would think that a rock chip in this thin line of body color is inevitable.  At the very least they should have omitted the body color from around the vents, and at best I would have preferred a solid black bumper without any body color to give a more SUV look 16. No fog lights for some weird reason.  This car screams for the need for some square or rectangular yellow LED fog lamps built low into the front bumper but integrated to maintain the great CoD.  17. No fuel door release on the interior, just press the door when the car is unlocked.  I would prefer a fuel door release button. Has a fuel cap.  Would prefer a capless system.  I know there are trade offs, but it’s just what I prefer 18. DRLs are white – wish they were amber – newer Kias have amber DRLs and so does the Hyundai Ioniq 5 so it is definitely within Hyundai’s wheelhouse.  I recently had 2 Kias behind me in traffic, one a newer telluride with white DRLs and a Sorento with the amber DRLs and I feel like the Amber stands out so much more than white and have a distinct utilitarian SUV feel.  Just something I prefer 19. The center light bar isn’t on with the DRLs.  It comes on when the parking brake is engaged and when the headlights are on.  Very odd to have a more decorative light like this only on when it is washed out by the headlights.  Wish it was amber too.  20. The headlights are OK but not great.  I wish they were curve adaptive.  Check IIHS ratings.  21. Grab handle is gimmicky and useless for me (I’m tall). Could be nice if they eventually make accessories that fit in the handle space and lock in, like the go pro holder and Jerry can holder that were on the prototype XRT.  They would be lost on me personally, but people do love adding accessories! Drains for the grab handle are in the sides of the cavity and not the bottom.  Could collect water in there if they get clogged 22. C and D Pillars are a different shade of black trim in spots on my calligraphy.  They are more matte, which under certain lighting conditions at night looks super weird as they absorb overhead light.  I wish it was all consistent trim on the pillars.  23. The interior buttons that are touch sensitive are a fingerprint magnet. I find myself cleaning them A LOT.  I always keep a black microfiber cloth out on the center console for this purpose.  It needs more physical switches/toggles like the new land cruiser. I find myself looking down off the road to make changes to the climate control which is super annoying that I can’t just feel what I’m doing. I have a hand tremor, so it makes it harder to hit the right button from an unsupported hand too.  24. No sunglasses compartment or holder.  I got a 3d printed one that fits on the front screen between the infotainment and the gauge cluster.  Not as good as something built in, but I found it to be the best aftermarket option available.  25. On the Calligraphy with the black ink interior, the door and dash trim piece aren’t faux wood trim but instead are a hard plastic that looks vaguely like cheap carbon fiber.  I don’t like the look, and it is a fingerprint magnet too.  Soft touch black leather would have been better.  On this same interior a lot of the brushed chrome trim is blacked out (like the door handles) and I love that, but not everything.  I wish everything was blacked out.  The shifter and the knobs for the infotainment and the climate control are still chrome.  26. Ergo Seats are omitted from the north American model. Front driver seat has relaxation seat, which I never use, but not the passenger or rear captains’ chairs where it might be more useful. Outgoing model had an extendable thigh rest that was useful for taller drivers because it extended the thigh support outward from the base of the seat.  Current model has a leg rest that swings out from underneath like a recliner, so it doesn’t provide thigh support progressively as it extends, and just supports the calves when fully extended. IMO a downgrade.  27. Rear captains’ chairs have power tilt seat and back, but manual front to back adjustment 28. Rear captains’ chairs are heated but don’t have a cooling function 29. Brown leather is not available in the Calligraphy and the OEM color is too light for my taste anyway. I do wish it had a dark brown leather interior option or something like baseball glove leather.  30. Power tilt/telescoping steering wheel is omitted from the American model 31. Right side of trunk opposite the sub woofer has nothing.  Could at least had a storage cubby.  More storage is appreciated, especially in the hybrid with the reduced under floor capacity with the battery in there. Or another accessory like a built-in air pump Or simply a molle panel.  I feel like everyone (Ford, Toyota, and Honda for example) is integrating molle panels on their vehicles now.  32. Rear AC outlet is only 115 volts, and 150 watts.  Weak.  The Ford maverick hybrid AC outlet is 400 Watts.  The Toyota Sienna has an optional 2k watt AC outlet. Should be ideally a 2000 watt option with 2-3 AC plugs and 1-2 DC Plugs in the trunk. Location should be more in the trunk area, opposite the subwoofer instead of aligned with the 3rd row where they are now. Each seat can just have a dedicated USB-c.  I see no reason why the 3rd row passenger side needs a USB-c and a DC and an AC plug specifically, like the current placement suggests.  I wish there was a generator function that would just run the AC and DC outlets and use the motor to power them and the hybrid battery.  33. The hard plastic material on the doors and seats has a very fine printed pattern, so it shows scratches very easily.  In the first 2 month of ownership, I’ve scratched my door already twice on this hard plastic just below the interior grab handle.  Its not going to wear well.  34. The steering wheel leather is way too soft and I’ve scratched mine in 3 places badly enough that I can feel the scratches every time I turn the wheel.  2 of the scratches are on the lower left of the steering wheel  (between 6 and 8 o’clock) that I expect were caused by getting into it early on in my ownership when the seat wasn’t property adjusted and the pocket clip for a flashlight, I keep on me in my right pocket dragged against the wheel as I got in. I have another scratch on the far-right side of the wheel (3 o’clock) and I have no idea how I got that one.  I never had this issue with my 2011 Sonata and it is severely disappointing that it scratches so easily.  I can’t imagine it will wear well over time. The scratches occurred over the winter and now that it is in the summer they seemed to have smoothed out more and are much less noticeable. I’ve noticed that creases are developing on the leather steering wheel along the top and in the corner edges alongside the steering wheel controls.  I get that leather is a natural material that will wear over time but I’m just 6 months in to a vehicle I plan to keep for over a decade and the wear is concerting this early on. I’ve felt sharp edges on the stitching on the inside edge of the steering wheel that I find very annoying.  35. The map pockets design is bad, pivot at the base means anything that goes in and slides to the bottom will leave the pocket wide open at the top – middle of the seat back has nothing – could have recessed molle or leather zipper pocket or something.  The seat backs have that same fine detail printed pattern as some of the other trim that scratches super easily. I put cheap seat back protectors on them before I let my kids sit in my new car.  Other people have reported that their kids in child seats like to rest their feet in the ledge of the map pocket and some people have even reported that their kids have accidentally broken the elastic at the bottom of the map pockets by resting their feet on it.  I could totally see my kid doing this.  36. There are no interior lights in the following locations that I think could use them: 1. In the 2nd row pull out drawer low on the center console. 2. On the shelf above the glove box – although I fully admit a light here that is constantly on in an open area could be distracting at night.  It would be nice to have one that turned on and off.  3. No floor interior lighting option – I wish there was a separate ambient light for the foot wells in all rows. 4. No interior puddle lights on the front or rear doors that would shine on the ground when the doors are open (mentioned in the exterior section, but reiterated here for continuity). 5. No lower cubby lights on the doors, front or rear, either.  6. No light In the UV cubby. 7. If you are expected to put your phone in the UV cubby, you should have some way to charge it too, but there is none.  37. USB-C ports in the car are only rated for 36 watts max I think, maybe less (haven’t tested it).  Should be at least one 100-watt USB-C plug available for each passenger to charge a large mobile device. USBs in sides of front seats are not back lit 38. No dash cam – there is one with the digital rear-view in the international version. Not having a dash cam was a big bummer for me.  I know you can add one, but it seems like a no brainer that a top trim car should have one built in. 39. The wireless charger is notorious for heating up your phone.  In the Edmund’s YouTube first look they mention that an engineer told them the wireless charging pad would have a built-in fan to reduce the temp, but I see no evidence of that.  Some people claim that it “cooks” the phone but I’ve seen no evidence that the temp exceeds any limits on my current phone (pixel 8 pro) to trigger an emergency shutdown.  At worst, it will feel warm to the touch when handling.  This summer I have occasionally gotten a message from the infotainment stating that I should remove the phone from the wireless charger to improve performance.  I’m not sure if this warning relates to how hot the pad is getting or not, but I suspect it is. While I haven’t have any severe issues with the heat of wireless charging, I can’t imagine the phone getting this warm on the wireless charger is good for it though. The wireless pad is in a weird place where it is directly exposed to sunlight coming through the windshield, instead of tucked away in a shaded location which can contribute to phone overheating in warmer months, or the screen reflecting causing a bad glare. I will put a microfiber cloth over the screen of my cell phone when it is in the wireless charger to reduce the glare. The tacky texture of the material for the wireless charging pads to prevent phone slipping (I assume) and the little grooves in it make it harder to clean as debris sticks to it and gets caught in the grooves 40. Visor lights are manual.  Feels cheap 41. The top edge of the infotainment/gauge cluster is way too shiny and reflects in the windshield under certain conditions.  It can be very distracting.  42. The rear-view mirror’s dimming doesn’t extend to the edges of the mirror.  There is a noticeable edge of mirror that isn’t dimmed, and it is annoying, but I’ve gotten more used to it over time.  My old 2011 sonata had an auto dimming rear-view mirror that had the dimming for the entire width and length of the mirror.  Not sure why we are going backwards in usability.    43. The garage door opener built into the rear-view mirror doesn’t work when the car is off.  I know this is for security purposes, but it would be nice if you could activate it maybe 10-15 seconds after you turn the car off.  44. No second-row climate controls.  Tri zone climate should be standard.  The third-row climate controls are AC only, no heat.  45. The 2nd row seat belt buckles are stuck at a weird angle and my kid has a hard time getting it buckled with their booster seat. The trick is you can’t have your fingers wrapped around the latch plate grip as you insert it into the buckle.  You have to line it up and then just push don’t on the top of the latch plate grip.  It is a bit tricky for a little kid to understand.  46. While I love the front cup holders in the center console front seats, none of the other cup holders got the spring-loaded clips that make the extra-large center console ones so great. All of the lower door cup holders are misshapen and at weird angles.  They should be completely vertical and include those spring-loaded clips like the center console and be tall enough to fit a full sized large water bottle.  The 2nd row cupholders on the door handles have one small one that seems useless for anything but a plastic water bottle and a bigger one without spring loaded clips that will likely have bottles wobbling.  Nice on them for connecting the two though to account for bottles with handles.  Without the spring-loaded clips like in the front seats, my kids metal water bottle raddles and can be annoying.  The 3rd row gets the same 2 piece poorly designed cup holders.  They should all have those spring-loaded clips inside! The lower door storage seems like an afterthought.  It is in a weird shape and at a weird angle.  I’m not sure what you would put in there.  I’m all for more storage but make it useful.  The way it is angled is into the car and into the cup holder portion so if you have a cup down there and remove it and if something is in the storage part it will slide into the cup holder portion and you won’t be able to put the cup back without removing whatever slid in there.  Super annoying.  47. The UV disinfecting light is gimmicky – no need and I’ll never use it. My wife does seem to like it though 48. The fingerprint scanner is entirely useless for me.  49. The Inattentive Driving Warning light is way too sensitive, nonspecific, and can’t be turned off.  It always surprises me, and not in a good way what would increase my attention. If I am drifting in and out of my lane, it could tell me that, if I am not watching the road enough, it could tell me that.  A bunch of beeps followed by a warning that maybe it is time for a break doesn’t give me any good info on how I can make corrections.    50. I’ve had a warning saying the front sensor is blocked just after starting a drive after my car has been sitting out in the rain.  I expected it may have issues if there was caked on snow and slush, but It is concerning to me that rain might impact the front sensors.  51. I find the fingerprint reader to be useless.  Upon start up I get a prompt on the screen asking about my profile that times out in 10 seconds.  I’m always driving it, so I just let it time out and default to my profile.  52. Certain sunglasses can interfere with HDA2.  I have prescription Maui Jim’s and I haven’t tried it with them on yet.  I’ve had them for years and they cost an arm and a leg (even had new lenses installed just recently) so it will be a big bummer if they don’t work with HDA2.  53. The windshield washer nozzles are aimed kind of low which makes it harder to get the top of the windshield clean.  I find myself using gas station squeegees more often to get bug guts off the top of the windshield than I did with my old sonata.  Increased bug strikes might have to do with the steeper angle of the windshield though too.  54. The manual says you need to regularly clean the hybrid battery vent under the passenger seat, but I see no mention of how often it needs to be done, or even how it can be done.  They do mention not to let any liquid get in there.  55. When the low gas warning comes on it shuts down Android auto and the map defaults asking if you want directions to the closest gas station. In the case of my hybrid, I still have 60 miles of range left when it comes on. Maybe they should just have a softer reminder at first, and then when you are down to like 25 miles have something more serious. I think this is way too much overkill for a gas light and 60 miles of range left. 56. I’ve found if I have low gas or low wiper fluid, I will get constant reminders from the Hyundai app. I woke up one morning and had like 12 notifications about low wiper fluid. That’s overkill. 57. The ICE has an easy to access engine air filter, but this does not carry over to the hybrid.  The hybrid has the old annoying metal clip system that isn’t very user friendly.  Same clips that were on my 2011 sonata.  They work fine but can be annoying. 58. To get the EPA rated gas mileage you must be very attentive to how you drive which can be a fun game or super annoying. 59. Hill decent control slows the car down to \~3 MPH.  I wish it was slower than that, but that’s just me.  I’ve only just played with the setting. 60. The rain sensing wipers seem off.  The best setting I’ve found is the 2nd slowest but I find I must tap the wipers every now and then to have them run a bit more frequently.  On the next setting up they move way too fast and are too sensitive.  I had this setting one once on the highway in a drizzle and the wipers went on max speed for some reason.  I find max speed wipers distracting while driving and only like them in a downpour. I’ll likely treat the windshield in a rain repellent soon.  It desperately needs one with the auto wipers being so inconsistently variable in relation to the amount of rain.  I’ve had the auto wipers come on randomly when driving and there is no rain.  I keep them off because I find it annoying.  I’ve noticed that sometimes the rear wiper will turn on when the auto wipers are on, put just when I start the car. I know the sensor is in the front but I wish there was a way to slow down the rear wiper to slower than the “”low” setting that seems to be \~3 seconds between wipes. I feel like I could use settings that delayed it to every 5 or 10 seconds. 61. I wish there was a setting on the infotainment that combined aspects of the 360 camera, camera views of all four tires with additional data like pitch and roll for light off-road use. You can only view the 360 camera alongside the front tire view OR the rear tire view, not all 4 tires at the same time.  I wish you could track elevation gain and fall data in the infotainment as part of both the hybrid system info and for navigation purposes.  The new Honda passport trail sport appears to track elevation.  If it could log the elevation info on a route maybe it could optimize the hybrid usage for maximum MPGs along that route.  Just a thought.  The compass on the center of the gauge cluster seems to jump a lot when turning.  I wish it was a smoother transition as you turned, even if there was a delay. I also wish it displayed degrees on the compass.  62. I really dislike the “auto” Climate control.  Like it really sucks.  Nothing automatic about it so I am constantly fiddling with it. I even put a digital thermometer on the center console to prove to myself that on auto set at 68 at the third level of auto, it won’t get above 50 during my 35-minute commute home when it is \~20 degrees outside. I expect the Climate Control on auto to crank the heat or AC until it gets close to my desired temp, and then trickle in the air but it never works like this.  It is a constant trickle. Even if I increase the auto fan speed by hitting the auto button to high, the temp of the out-coming air doesn’t change.  When the heat is on the trickle is also automatically directed at my feet so it takes forever to feel it in my hands and torso.  It is terrible.  If it is very cold out, I crank the heat up to the Hi temp setting (above 82), change the vents to the front facing ones, wait till I feel warm, and turn it off the completely.  Prior to turning it off though, you need to change the direction of the air to the foot well otherwise you will still feel heated air still coming out the front vents.  The heated steering wheel and heated seats don’t stay on after the car is turned off.  The heated seats were on a toggle in my old sonata which I much preferred, so they were always on the same setting every time I turned the car on.  While I do like that the 2nd row vents are in the pillars, a lot of people have complained that the 2nd row gets a very small fraction of the fan speed that the first row gets.  I wish that you could use the climate control to just dehumidify the cabin without the AC or heat on, especially if it will improve MPGs over cooling as well.  There is an auto defog option which is nice and does dehumidify when the heat or ac is on.  The climate control system needs a major overhaul IMO 63. The “sounds of nature” all have some instrumental element added to them.  Like imagine walking through the forest, while playing a piano.  I genuinely like nature sounds as white noise so this was a bummer when I realized they all had instrumentals added and makes this feature unusable for me.  64. The radio is maddening. I spend most of my time on Android Auto but when I do use the standard radio it sucks. Generally speaking, I find reception in the Santa Fe to be worse than in my old 2011 Sonata. You should be able to customize what the “Mode” button does on the steering wheel, but it just scrolls though all of the available media options. When using the mode function it displays the media along a thin line at the top. It also automatically seems to go to the favorites for FM, but will just give you the station name. if you go to media and select FM, the default is all of the stations. I’ve never been in a car that doesn’t default to your favorites. To get to favorites, you need to then select the favorites on the left from the FM screen. There is a setting that says you can scroll to favorites with a long or short press of the steering wheel button, but no matter how this is set I find that either a short or long press while in the standard FM menu (the default) just takes you to the next station in the list, weather it is a favorite or not. One you are in the favorites, you still can’t see the song name, to see the song name, hour have to tap on the station itself. and there appears to be a long delay to get that name once you are in the station. for some reason the album art seems to take precedence in loading over the song name and the album art is visible in the lower right hand corner where you can barely see it when in the FM menu. Once you get to the level of detail to see the song name, you are like 3 menus in and the use of space to display info is terrible and the album art is big and bright and annoying as hell. From here if you can even go a level deeper to see the HD stations. I was excited to get HD radio for the first time on this car but the way these stations are buried in menus on menus on menus has ruined the experience for me.. In a perfect world the default would be the FM favorites and you could toggle HD stations on once and select them to add as favorites too. If 92.3 had HD channels they could be displayed as 92.31 or something like that. I swear on everything holy, who ever designed this GUI for the radio was a complete and utter moron. The terrible use of space and data hidden in sub menus is atrocious. 65. I find that a lot of the button locations make no sense at all.  For instance, the rear hatch button is in a hard-to-reach spot down low in front of my left knee.  On my wife’s minivan, that same function is on a button on the roof where it is much more accessible.  I would have preferred it there. They could have swapped the hatch open button with the auto overhead lights when doors open option. I get that certain things you might want to toggle on and off while driving are within easier reach, like the 4wd lock or the hill decent control, but auto hold makes less sense to me (but I also don't like auto hold). The Climate controls feel jumbled to me. There is no obvious solution to me though. 66. Regen braking can only be set while in drive and must be set upon starting the vehicle EVERY TIME.  It is wildly annoying.  67. Auto High beams must be turned on each time the car is turned on 68. I believe an NFC card used to be issued with the outgoing generation, now is an accessory that must be purchased separately 69. The key fob is too big.  Twice the size of my 2011 sonata key.  It is clunky and lightweight and cheap feeling.  Also, the separate physical key is annoying.  On the 2011 sonata key the physical key was built into the fob, not separate.  Also the cover on the physical key keeps falling off so I just removed it entirely.  A cheap annoyance.  Also the way it is on a pivot point feels like a future point of failure instead of just, you know, a standard key one piece metal key with a key ring hole.  I wish I didn’t have to carry it but if I don’t and the car battery dies, I’m potentially SOL 70. Rumor has it that they are working on a Range Extended EV version.  I would be totally on board for something like this 71. I’m no fan of the sunroof.  I don’t see a point to having one.  If they have a range extended EV I would love to see an option to delete the sunroof and add a built in solar panel.  They did this on a previous version of the Sonata so it isn’t outside the range of possibility.  I bet with the size roof they could get 400 watts up there.  Bonus points if they could integrate some panels that have tech that is optimized to work in partial shade. 400 watts of solar wouldn’t have much of an impact on range, but if combined with a generator function, they could power something like a DC fridge in the back with minimum use of the engine to top off the batteries. I’ve said this already, but I would kill for a generator function.  Minimally it could power several high watt 115 volt plugs in the trunk. In a perfect world it could do that and power an external 240 volt plug for V2L and power my house like a whole home generator.  72. Instead of the UV light I think they should have had a better interior filter instead.  I would have liked to have seen the car be a sealed system from outdoor air (like a Tesla) with washable outer cabin air filter, granular carbon filter and HEPA filter like an air purifier.  You can get multi part filters for the car already, but the system might not work as intended with there types of filters.  73. IIHS states models made after November 2024 had improvements to manufacturing that improve the safety to the rear occupants. No word from Hyundai if they will offer any retrofit to existing MY24 or MY25 Santa Fe vehicles to match the safety of these newer vehicles.  If you got one made earlier, you are SOL like me.