Hyundai Santa Fe

Hyundai's all-new Santa Fe puts paid to memories of its ugly predecessor

What's New
Everything, but most importantly, Hyundai has made the latest Santa Fe far, far, far better looking than its frightening predecessor. The old car virtually personified dumpy and bulbous, but the new car couldn't be more different. All the curves and lines make sense aesthetically and while the new Santa Fe doesn't quite break new ground design-wise, it does manage a cool, understated look.

The best view is head-on where the Santa Fe's new nose is large and pleasantly unadorned with chrome. The sleek headlamps also boast strips of frosted plastic underneath the main bulbs, these are meant for secondary, accent lighting and the effect is very attractive. Hyundai has made an effort to establish an evolutionary design link, and the rear is where the new car most resembles the old. It also manages to resemble the rear of a Volkswagen Touareg.

The chassis is all-new, and much larger than the old car's. Significantly, the new Santa Fe is available as a seven-seater, and it's solely this variant that the local distributor, Komoco Motors, will be bringing in. Just one petrol engine is available, a newly-developed 2.7-litre V6 engine with variable valve timing that's not to be confused with the more primitive one currently pulling duty in the Trajet MPV.

Four-wheel-drive is also available for those who might want to indulge in a little light mud-plugging. Drive is normally sent to the front wheels but you can lock the system in four-wheel drive mode for extra traction.

Interior space is quite generous in the front and middle rows of seats. While the third row is quite cramped, and best reserved for small adults or children, the extra passenger carrying ability is still very welcome. And the rearmost row does also fold flat into the boot floor, liberating extra luggage room if necessary.

The general cabin architecture follows themes that are even more conservative and understated than those that describe the exterior, but this is no bad thing. Everything is clearly laid out, and ergonomics are pretty good. Visibility is great, too, thanks to the tall driving position. All the bits and pieces of trim feel solidly put together and the materials used are of the high quality we've come to expect from Hyundai.

How it Performs
The new Santa Fe, like the old one, does suffer a bit from a firm low speed ride. The payoff, however, is impressive body control and stability at high expressway speeds. Refinement is commendable, too, with wind and road noise quite well subdued.

The steering is quite light and a bit uncommunicative, but it is pretty accurate. Dive into corners with a little too much abandon and plenty of body roll results. That said, giving the chassis time to settle in corners helps to smooth out progress, and once you get a decent rhythm going, it's possible string a series of bends together quite tidily. Your passengers however, might not always agree…

The new V6 is a big improvement over the old engine, it's far more refined for starters, and seems palpably more eager to rev. Power output and torque have both been slightly beefed up, to 183bhp and 248Nm respectively, up from 170bhp and 240Nm previously.
You won't be blowing hot hatches away at the traffic lights, but there is enough grunt to make pretty quick progress nevertheless.

The gearbox is a newly-developed four-speed unit that proves to be smooth and quite responsive, especially if you use the Tiptronic-style manual override facility. The lack of more ratios does mean that the transmission has a slight tendency to hunt a bit for the right gear, but it sorts everything out pretty well in general.

How it Stacks Up
The fact that the new Santa Fe is so much better looking than the last car is cause enough for celebration. It's also well built, boasts a smooth V6 engine and offers accommodation for seven to boot. The only thing that might give some buyers pause is the large engine, and the attendant road tax implications.

Still, the main element in the Santa Fe's favour has to be its asking price. This starts at around $88,000 with COE, which makes the Santa Fe the most affordable seven-seater SUV you can buy. And one of the best-looking too.

Technical Specifications

MODEL Hyundai Santa Fe 2.7 (A) ENGINE Engine: 2,657cc 24v V6 Max Power: 183bhp at 6,000rpm Max Torque: 248Nm at 4,000rpm TRANSMISSION 4-speed automatic TOP SPEED 173 kmh 0-100km/h 12.0s