How do I know the new Hyundai Santa Fé is going to be a success? Simple. When I arrived at a recent family gathering in the Santa Fé, I was asked by a group of male relatives: “Is this the new Lexus SUV?” Before I could answer, one of the guys said: “No, it’s the new Audi SUV.”
I smiled at their confusion because they are petrolheads who pride themselves on knowing everything there is to know about cars.
“It’s the new Hyundai Santa Fé,” I told the disbelieving group.
I expected them to dismiss the car because, I’ll be honest here, my family comprises many car snobs who mostly own German (and a few Japanese) vehicles. But their reaction was surprising.
They were unanimous in their opinion that it was a classy vehicle. One relative even admitted he was keen on buying the Santa Fé and had test-driven one. Normally, if someone in my family is considering buying a non-German vehicle, they keep it to themselves, so it was quite something for him to admit this; it was even more significant that the other guys reacted so positively to his statement.
The Santa Fé is proof that Hyundai is moving away from its earlier cheap-and-nasty cars, which offered value for money but failed to inspire passion in their owners. After successful launches of the Tucson, the Accent, the Azera and the Sonata last year, Hyundai couldn’t have chosen a better vehicle to end 2006 with than the Santa Fé.
It is a good-looking SUV. From the front, which looks a bit like the Nissan Murano, to the back, which looks somewhat like the Audi Q7, its well-rounded design lines flow elegantly.
The Santa Fé offers an attractive, value-for-money package that shouldn’t appeal only to mums doing the school run but also to executives whose idea of bundu-bashing is driving along a patch of dirt road to get to a five-star country inn.
The Santa Fé comes in five-seater and seven-seater derivatives, with the option of 4×2 and 4×4 in manual and automatic, and is priced from R319 900 to R359 900. There is only one engine on offer — the 2,2-litre turbocharged diesel.
My test unit was the 4×2 manual seven-seater, which was very noisy on start-up. It quietened down on the open road, but the engine sounded stressed on high-revving take-offs.
Inside it is spacious, the leather seats are comfortable (even those in the third row) and the wood grain finishings are of a high standard. The blue instrumentation makes all the important info visible and the controls are easy to identify. But the speedometer, rev counter and such looked a little old-fashioned — and not in a cool, retro way.
The Santa Fé is equipped with a frontloading CD/radio, multi-Âfunction steering, cruise control, and a dual-zone aircon. Safety features include an anti-skid function, ABS, EBD and ESP, but only two airbags. Another disadvantage is that the Santa Fé does not have automatic locking doors.
The 2,2 litre turbocharged engine was athletic enough given it had the job of pulling a two-and-a-half ton vehicle. Acceleration was good, but there was a detectable loss of power when changing from second to third gear.
The Santa Fé is a comfortable cruiser. The suspension, which comprises Macpherson struts up front, is soft enough to ensure you don’t feel too many kinks in the road.
Yet despite the positive steering feedback and the overall dynamics, you are reminded that you’re in an SUV when you enter a bend too quickly. But I can’t criticise the Santa Fé too much because increased body roll is bound to happen with most SUVs as they are always higher off the ground than other passenger vehicles.
Being a diesel, the fuel efficiency was good and I averaged about 10 litres per 100km.
Hats off to Hyundai designers for creating a car that is appealing for those who have the sense to realise it offers great value for money and for those snobs whose only need is to be seen to be in an expensive vehicle.
Fact file
Model: Hyundai Santa Fé CRDi manual
Price: R329 900
Engine: 2,2-litre turbocharged
Tech: 110kw, 335Nm
Top speed: 180kph, 0-100kph in 11,3s
Tank: 75 litres
Services: 10 000km