New Hyundai Santa Fe review, test drive

With the new Santa Fe, Hyundai will attempt to lift brand perception and dethrone the current segment king, the Toyota Fortuner.

Published on Oct 01, 2013 03:59:00 PM

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The new Santa Fe is based on an all-new platform, but it retains the same 2700mm wheelbase as the previous model. However, the overall dimensions are quite different. It is 40mm longer and just 5mm wider, but the roofline is a good 45mm lower, which gives it its hunkered-down stance.

Step inside and you can see great strides in cabin quality. Not because the new car’s interior is that impressive – fit and finish still lags that of the Germans’ – but because it is light years ahead of the current car’s rather old-fashioned, plasticky interiors. After you adjust the 12-way electric driver’s seat to get perfectly comfortable, you find yourself in familiar surroundings if you’ve driven a modern Hyundai before. A lot of the switchgear is carried over from other Hyundais, while the dashboard and the centre console, with its ‘hour-glass’ shape, are similar to the design in the Elantra. The Santa Fe, however, gets a seven-inch TFT LCD touchscreen through which you can access all the various functions. On the India car, GPS navigation is expected to be standard and Hyundai may also give a two-tone beige interior to suit Indian tastes. The Santa Fe’s equipment levels are expected to be best in class like most Hyundais these days. It will come with all the goodies and some more. Hyundai is likely to introduce its Smart Park Assist system and there’s even the option of a self-leveling suspension.

The front seats have loads of seat travel so tall people can stretch out, but the seats aren’t too supportive and could do with a bit more bolstering. Move to the middle row and decent legroom, a generous squab and adjustability of the seats make the Santa Fe a good SUV to be chauffeured in.

The one-touch control to drop the second row seats, which have a 40/20/40 split, is really hassle-free. This gives quick and easy access to the third row, which is spacious enough for adults, but just for short trips. The 50/50-split third row folds flat into the floor to offer 534 litres of luggage space. And if you have really bulky items, you can go upto 1,615 litres by flipping the second row forward as well. The well thought-out cabin, which majors on practicality and versatility, is a strong point of the Santa Fe, especially in a market where seven-seat SUVs are increasingly popular. Continued..