Hyundai Santa Fe 2012 review

All current Hyundai models are about style and the all-new Santa Fe is certainly no exception. Gone are the days when SUVs were expected to have a rough and rugged look, the South Korean car maker has given its large crossover SUV flowing lines that look almost futuristic.

Even better from our point of view, the lead designer is an Australian. Thirty-seven year old Casey Hyun is of Korean ancestry but was born in Australia and speaks with an educated Aussie accent.

Highly regarded globally, he hopefully points the way to the future for the Australian automotive business. A future where high costs may make it all-but impossible to manufacture cars here, but where we can still be heavily involved in the design and engineering processes.

Value

Value for money is exceptional, with the large Santa Fe station wagon beginning the price list at just $36,990 for Active with a petrol engine and manual gearbox. It ranges up to a still reasonable $49,990 for a Santa Fe Highlander diesel with the six-speed automatic transmission.

There’s a big emphasis on in-car entertainment with a large central screen on the higher grade models and inputs available through all the normal means and a good satellite navigation system with Suna traffic information.

Design

Hyundai Santa Fe, now in its third generation, is longer and wider than previously but, in a sign of the times, is lower. Only a small minority of buyers are looking for off-road SUVs these days. They want a big practical station wagon to cart kids, possibly from blended families with all that means in the need for extra seats from time to time.

Santa Fe can carry two adults and five children and have a decent amount of luggage space, 537 litres even when all the seats are in use. Four adults and three juniors will still find room to move. The second row of seats has a sensible 40/20/40 split and can also be adjusted forward and backwards to further improve versatility.

Interestingly, there are four heated seats in the new Santa Fe, not only the two front units, but also the outer seats in the second row. Now there’s something new for the kids to squabble over. Interior styling is as futuristic as the outer body, with a dashboard that flows in three directions rather than just the usual two. We find it slightly contrived in looks, but may get used to it in time. In any case beauty is in the eye of the beholder – and many of the beholders may well become buyers.

Technology

The body not only provides added style, but also aids aerodynamics, with a cd figure of just 0.34. It’s not so many years ago that sedans weren’t as efficient as that. Better airflow benefits fuel economy as well as making for a quieter interior.

Power comes from either a four-cylinder 2.2-litre turbo-diesel engine, with 145 kW of power and a big 436 Nm of torque with an automatic transmission (421 Nm with six-speed manual); or a 2.4-litre four-cylinder petrol (141 kW, 242 Nm).

Safety

If you push hard in a new Santa Fe, the South Korean engineers have developed a wide array of sophisticated electronic stability and traction systems that are up there with the best in the world. These will keep you out of trouble unless you do something really stupid. Other safety features include a reversing camera and parking sensors on every model in the range. Naturally there is a full suite of airbags, including a knee bag for the driver. 

Driving

A bit of suspension and steering design work was done in Australia and our road test route as part of the Santa Fe launch used some of the demanding stretches of road to the north of Sydney that the wagon was developed on. 

We road tested both engines and found the petrol powerplant to have decent performance on the level and good grunt for overtaking, but struggles a bit at times on hills where it had to be revved hard to make it work. May we suggest you take the tribe along on your test drive to check you’re happy with the performance of the petrol engine with a load on board.

The body has a good rigid feel that’s almost as good as that in many European vehicles and will prove a real plus for those intending to work their Santa Fe hard and keep it for a long time. Handling isn’t quite to European SUV standard, but isn’t all that bad and unless you push the Santa Fe too hard it will remain neutral and balanced.

Verdict

The diesel was our preferred choice with that 400 plus Newton metres making light work of just about any terrain.