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Once seen as the poor second cousin of the automotive industry, the Koreans are fast-becoming the trendsetters. Hyundai is putting out product well worth a spot on the shopping list and nowhere is that more applicable than when the family is looking for a daily-duties wagon.
The new Santa Fe has improved driving manners and doesn't cause averted eyes in the looks department and features-wise offers value-for-money.
The middle child of the Santa Fe retails for $45,990 and the Elite has a solid features list for the outlay. There's seven seats standard (range-wide), with a rear view camera, rear parking sensors and automatic headlights.
The Elite has a power-adjustable driver's seat, dual-zone climate control with rear vents and separate fan control, a nice 10-speaker USB/iPod/Bluetooth compatible touchscreen sound and SUNA satnav system, rain-sensing wipers 18in alloy wheels (including a full-size spare) and an auto-dimming centre rearvision mirror.
Nice touches like puddle lamps that light up on approach, purely by key proximity, and side window blinds show the brand is working hard to win sales.
The 145kW/436Nm 2.2-litre turbodiesel is a quiet, forceful and worthy powerplant, teamed with an in-house six-speed auto that is one of the more intelligent units around. It's a well-matched package and returns a claimed thirst of 7.3 litres 100km - we had 9.4 showing on the trip computer when we had finished our stint of predominantly-metropolitan running.
Kia got the clever AWD system first but now it's been adopted by the parent company's car, and it's also clever - traction is ample and drive to the rear is not tardy. The Hyundai also has the SUNA real-time traffic info on the touchscreen satnav, which for the most part was accurate and well ahead of radio traffic reports.
It's one of the better-looking Hyundais yet, although perhaps that is not yet a compliment of mammoth proportions. It's from the Fluidic Sculpture design book, a more cohesive and handsome look and no one is going to mistake this for a rock-hopping off-roader.
Less ungainly and awkward outside and in, the cabin is versatile and has a more quality feel to it - the second row is adjustable and the 3rd row of seats, while still only for smaller offspring, folds into the floor for a useful loadspace.
It's got useful underfloor storage in the rear that holds the luggage blind when all three rows are in use - clever and useful - and installed without losing the full-size spare.
A top-scoring five-star effort from ANCAP, with a driver's knee airbag added to the usual half-dozen airbags, as well as the aforementioned automatic headlights and rain-sensing wipers, a rear camera (which was a little stilted in vision), rear parking sensors and auto-locking system are also on the list.
The little Korean brand that could is now a giant and its quickly-improving SUV brigade has plenty to do with that. Feather-light steering isn't always great - and the gimmicky steering adjustment system is far from the fix for that - but ride quality and handling are of a good compromise for such a vehicle.
The powerplant makes its diesel presence known, but but not as noisily as many small turbodiesels - a good shove of torque and no dislike for engine revs makes it almost spirited.
The infotainment set-up has touchscreen SUNA satnav that is on the ball for traffic snarls, as well as a sound system that is well above par for volume and quality. Only the Bluetooth phone link decided sporadically that a couple of conversations weren't worth having - two efforts at re-pairing seemed to placate the phone system.
The Santa Fe doesn't pretend to be an off-roader - 185mm of ground clearance is better than a VW Alltrack (that's not saying much) but there's no low range and bugger all (by comparison to a serious off-road weapon). But day-to-day mundanities are completed in comfort; neat touches like the rear blinds (great for keeping sun from skin and game screens) make an impression on the occupants.
The Santa Fe works well as a family wagon and feels more worthy of a little higher pricetag than its mid-$40,000s ask. As seven-seaters go, if you can do without serious 4WD ability it's a worthy contender.
| Vehicle | Specs | Price* | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active CRDi (4x4) | 2.2L, Diesel, 6 SP MAN | $18,150 – 22,990 | 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe 2013 Active CRDi (4x4) Pricing and Specs |
| Active (4x4) | 2.4L, —, 6 SP MAN | $11,880 – 15,840 | 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe 2013 Active (4x4) Pricing and Specs |
| Highlander CRDi (4x4) | 2.2L, Diesel, 6 SP AUTO | $20,020 – 25,300 | 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe 2013 Highlander CRDi (4x4) Pricing and Specs |
| Elite CRDi (4x4) | 2.2L, Diesel, 6 SP AUTO | $19,690 – 24,970 | 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe 2013 Elite CRDi (4x4) Pricing and Specs |
$11,800
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