Seven-seat Hyundai Santa Fe bypasses us

Hyundai was keen to get a bigger seven-seater into the local lineup to appeal to larger families, and saw the long-wheelbase Santa Fe from America as the ideal choice.

But the plan needed a go-ahead for development of a costly right-hand drive version, since the long-wheelbase SUV is only currently sold in the USA and Australia gets the ‘shortie’.

“We were keen but product planning in Korea said no,” the managing director of Hyundai Motor Australia, Edward Lee, reveals to Carsguide. “We think it would have more space for passengers and luggage. This is important to families.”

So the all-new Santa Fe will only come in one body size when it gets a total renewal in Australia next month, although Hyundai will not reveal the cabin layout. The Santa Fe came with five and seven-seater layouts from 2006 but overwhelming demand for three rows of seats led to the five-place car being dropped.

“Both are available. We'll definitely have it with seven seats,” says Hyundai spokesman, Ben Hershman, dodging the question about a return of the five-seater. He is happier talking engines, confirming both a 2.4-litre petrol motor and a 2.2-litre turbodiesel, but goes vague again on any other details.

“It will be on sale in early September. I cannot comment on the pricing right now,” he says. The Santa Fe is the next Hyundai model to pick up the company's new fixed-priced service program, which caps the cost of scheduled maintenance for the first three years of ownership.

In a major new development - and one avoided by other brands - Hyundai's iCare program also includes free satnav map updates for three years. “We have a focus on the ownership experience. It matters, says Nick Aravanis, director of aftersales at Hyundai.“ Australia is the most competitive market in the world. iCare is a holistic program, not just a service program.