The new Hyundai Santa Fe is so much better looking than its predecessor that comparing the two cars does not actually make sense. Gone is the dissonance that characterised the last Santa Fe’s “design”, such as it was, and in its place you find a harmony of curves and surface treatments. The overall look eschews adventurousness and really very pleasing.
The new Santa Fe now has styling. The nose gets a larger grille that happily has not been subjected to any overenthusiastic applications of chrome, flanked by two sleek headlamps with neatly designed internal elements.
Our test car, an all new 2,656cc 2.7-litre V6 is vastly smoother, and much quieter to boot. It is also much more eager to rev. Performance is slightly impeded by the four-speed automatic gearbox, though, which tends to hunt a bit for the right gear. This is only happens during overtaking manoeuvres at high freeway speeds when you need the gearbox to quickly make its mind up as to whether to kick down a gear or not. During the city driving, there is enough low end grunt to keep gearshifts to a relative minimum.
The new Santa Fe’s high speed stability is particularly impressive, it has no real tendency to wander, even in stiff crosswinds or when passing heavy trucks. The brakes are quite authoritative.
Body control in the corners is not bad. The new Santa Fe will roll if you are a bit too enthusiastic with your starting speed.
Inside the cabin, it can be folded flat into the boot floor to free up extra load lugging room. If you need even more space, the seatbacks in the middle row can be folded forwards to liberate 1,582-litres of room.
The front of the car is spacious and visibility is excellent. Normally, SUV proportions tend to be a bit hard to judge especially during parking but this is not really a problem in the Santa Fe.
The build quality is as per Hyundai’s usual standards, and considerable effort seems to have been put into making sure that most surfaces come with some form of soft touch finish. The dashboard architecture is clearly laid out and logically arranged.
Oddments storage is well served, with plenty of cubby-holes and you even get a chilled compartment in the centre console.
Hyundai cars are generally priced to sell. The entry level Santa Fe is a manual five-seater priced from $35,990.00, you get a V6 2.7 litre engine and that is as good looking as any SUVs out there. The standard safety equipment includes six airbags, active front head restraints and electronic stability controls.
The new Santa Fe is a very attractive SUV. During my drive I have lots of people wanted to know what SUV it was and were surprised when told it was a Hyundai.
Nuts & Bolts
HYUNDAI Santa Fe
Engine: 2,657cc 24 valves 6 cylinders AWD
Power: 138KW at 6,000rpm
Max torque: 248Nm at 4,000rpm
Fuel grade: unleaded
Brakes: disc brake ABS EBD and Brake Assist
Transmission: five speed manual / four speed auto
Weight: 1863kg
Fuel Tank: 75 litres
Basic Price: $35,990.00* plus ORC (SLX model)
Warranty: 5 Years / 130,000 km