A very good buy - especially now as the 'new' fluidic shape Santa Fe is due out soon.
Ok, so it isn't a 'real' 4x4 - doesn't have lo-range option - but from my experience it will get you out of most situations.
Don't know the petrol ones. We only had the diesel here.
Somebody sensible tweaked this one. Somebody sat down with a notebook and pencil, put himself in the shoes of the potential buyer and said ‘if it was me, what would I want from this vehicle that it hasn’t already got?’
A glaringly obvious statement about vehicle design, you may think. But you’d be wrong.
Often we see mid-model facelifts which boggle the mind. Every bit of new kit or technology is simply stuck onto the old, without rhyme or reason, or any thought to the practicalities.
Keeping up with the competition means that if said rivals come up with a new innovation, design feature or – God forbid, a radical new styling change, frantic engineers rush to incorporate their own into the next model. So you end up with a car looking like a dog’s breakfast, far too many things to go wrong, and a pricetag which leaps way above the original.
Hyundai, however, seem to have chosen the right path – their new range, of which five new models have been launched this year, has been incredibly well received, especially for its originality and uniqueness of concept. And that shows in the exceptional sales figures. For the existing models, such as the Santa Fe, the philosophy seems to be: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it… too much.
So what’s new with the Santa Fe? A hell of a lot, but mostly subtle changes.
On the outside, there’s a new bumper, new grills and lights, and a new rear end, which features a renewed – and quite racy – exhaust layout. 18 inch wheels replace the 17s from the old model.
Under the exterior, however, is where it all gets beefed up. The chassis and bodywork has been stiffened up, suspension components have been strengthened, and the new 2.2 litre turbo diesel, mated to the 6-speed box, is a significant improvement on the older powertrain.
Yep – the old one was pretty good, but try this for size – a 35 kW boost in power (up to 145kW from 110) and another 99NmM of torque – 436 plays 335!
Push that through the 6-speed automatic box, and the Santa Fe will certainly hold its own amongst its competitors. It certainly has a lot of pick-up, as they say, and having been spoilt recently with a Sonata, I was on the edge of decrying the lack of flappy-paddles until I realised that the flappies weren’t actually necessary, as the Santa Fe had enough grunt available when you put your foot down. Horses for courses.
Likewise, I started wondering why the Sonata has those beeping reverse sensors; the iX35 had one of those rearview cameras with a gree/yellow/red tenniscourt arrangement superimposed to show you how close you are to mashing somebody’s bumper, yet the Santa just has a camera. Can’t these guys standardise?
Simple answer, really. No. A hell of a lot of Santa Fes will be deliberately reversed close to stuff like boats, trailers, caravans and into bushes, and you’d like to see where it is - as opposed to having the car howl at you - and make your own judgements.
From the driver’s seat – very adjustable, as is the steering wheel - visibility is pretty good all round, all the controls fall easy to hand, and the new instrument console is comprehensive without being overpowering. Window, sunroof and central-locking controls are also exactly where logic says they should be.
The steering wheel features buttons for the cruise-control and sound system – the latter is a dash-fitted radio and CD set-up, with iPod compatability. I particularly liked the CD player, which loads six CDs into the slot one after the other like a moneybox! Sadly, though, the radio doesn’t feature RDS, which means you’ll be constantly retuning on long trips.
The dash itself has a grainy finish – matt, but not so matt as to be a devil to clean, and works well with the overall feel of the car.
The get-you-out-of-trouble stuff – 50/50 AWD lock and ESP override – are on the right of the wheel.
The ‘comfort’ side of things is also looked after – no cupholder jokes here – the centre console compartment can store and chill a few tins of your favourite beverage, and there’s a dual-zone climate control to chill *ital* you down just as quickly. But here’s the beauty – the Santa Fe has a cluster ionizer… Yes, I also had to ask what that was, and it’s a pretty cool bit of kit – “Ionizers introduce a small amount of ozone into the air to attack the root of bacteria-related illnesses by actually destroying airborne germs.”
According to a quick google, they also cuts down on dust, pollen, or smoke particles in the vehicle. And after an extended drive, I certainly felt much better than I have in other vehicles where the aircon has been running full-bore for a few hours.
Legroom in the back is more than adequate, and the new model offers a seven seat option as well, though access and room in the two rear seats relegates them to a kids-only position. Also, the quality of interior fittings means little Johnny can fiddle with them to his hearts content without actually breaking anything – or until he gets his bottom smacked. Always a good option.
Other great ‘holiday’ features are the huge sunroof, a six-CD front
Safety features include six airbags (up from two), additional crumple zones front and rear, and three-point seatbelts for six of the seven seats.
So, it’s still a Santa Fe. But better. It does what it does well, with no qualms, no let’s-be-a-bit-clever stuff, and here’s the best news – it is down R10 000 on the previous model!
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Hyundai Santa Fe - Hyundai Santa Fe - Thinking of Buying - Ian (Cape Town)
