Hyundai Santa Fe Test Drive and Review
Hyundai hasn’t fared too well with its Terrecan and Tuscon SUVs in India. Will it be third time lucky with the Santa Fe? The Santa Fe is an import like the CR-V, Captiva, Outlander and the X-Trail and hence there is consolation that the Santa Fe is on the same level playing field as some of its immediate competition.
The Santa Fe is not as heavily styled like Hyundai’s latest iX35 crossover but its fluid and smooth shape still looks quite contemporary. The rectangular headlamps are quite slim for an SUV and sweep upwards into the flanks. The grille, typical of Hyundais of this generation (the Sonata is one example), is built into the one-piece bumper. The bonnet too has been redesigned for 2010 and features two ridges that swoop from the base of the A-pillar to the grille.
The Santa Fe looks big from the side and hints at the space inside. The shoulder line and rear overhang emphasises its 4660mm length and you can see that the Santa Fe feels a class bigger than other soft-roaders. The rounded styling theme continues down the side and to the rear as well. The rear glass section also sports a very rounded look and the way the rear lights jut out of the body work is a nice stylistic detail.The Santa Fe is very easy on the eyes and overall, you definitely won’t be disappointed with its looks.
Unlike the exterior styling, the interiors disappoint. The dashboard shape, the layout and design of switches feel out of place in today’s day and age. The sail-like air-conditioning vents are familiar as is the gear lever. There’s a plasticky faux wood insert that cradles the entire dash and we do hope that it is an option. Elsewhere on the dash, the quality of materials didn’t live up to Hyundai’s new standards.
On the upside, there is no skimping on the equipment list. A six-CD in-dash music system with a blue-backlit screen, USB socket and Aux-in are standard. The steering wheel comes with audio and cruise controls. Blue back light is used on switches and the instrument console. The three chrome rings house the rev counter, speedometer and fuel and water gauges. A multi-functional digital display provides a variety of information like trip and distance to empty. Front, side and curtain airbags combined with active headrests, rollover sensor, ESP and ABS with EBD explain the Santa Fe’s four-star NCAP rating. Both front seats come with six-way power controls and even lumbar adjust for the driver.
The seats are quite comfortable for average-sized adults. The middle seat has a nice and tall seating position but needs more under-thigh support. The third row can only be accessed by flipping the smaller split of the middle seat. Here, passengers will find the seating position to be very knees up. Things could have been much better if the second row of seats could slide forward to liberate more knee room. Headroom too is at a premium. Which means anyone tall had better avoid the third row. With the seats flipped up, the boot space available reduces considerably from the normally generous 969 litres.
The engine is the Santa Fe’s biggest surprise and the punch delivered by the 2.2-litre CRDi motor is truly astounding. Hyundai offers this motor in three states of tune, from 150bhp all the way to 194bhp on the top-of-the-line R-engine. Incredibly, it’s the latter that Hyundai is bringing and what we experienced.
The Santa Fe claims to make its peak torque of 44.4kgm right from 1800rpm. Turbo lag can be felt below the 1800rpm mark but this 1987kg SUV isn’t lethargic either. It’s far from it. Hammer in a quick shift to second on the slightly notchy six-speed gearbox and you’ll hear the wheels break traction with a chirp. Overall, this engine is remarkably refined and possibly the Santa Fe’s strongest asset.
The Santa Fe’s steering doesn’t have the sharpness of the CR-V and the soft suspension set-up gets the near two-tonne SUV rolling around a fair bit. The MacPherson struts at the front and a multi-link with anti-roll bars at the rear do a good job of ironing out bumps and the ride is quite pliant. For highway driving and on smooth surfaces, it promises to be very composed and planted at the speeds this powerful SUV is capable of.
Like the , the Santa Fe too uses an on-demand or part-time four-wheel-drive system. For more serious off-road use, you can lock the centre differential at the press of a button and the Santa Fe will cope with most off-road situations with ease. However, with no low-ratio, hardcore 4x4 terrain is best left to the big boys.The Santa Fe may not be the cheapest SUV in its category but after looking at everything it offers, it’s pretty decent value. This could be Hyundai’s SUV savior.