Hyundai Santa Fe – Review
By Liam Bird
Hyundai, I’d say, is on a bit of a roll at the moment. Its faster-to-sixty-than-a-McLaren-F1 Ioniq 5N is the most talked-about hot hatch (yes, I know it’s technically an SUV) in as long as I can remember. Meanwhile, its slinky, art deco-esque Ioniq 6 brings a much-needed shot in the arm, styling-wise, to the otherwise all-too-conservative executive saloon market, and its little three-cylinder i10 is probably the current city car of choice for everyone who’s driven one (myself included).
That’s not bad going for a car company we all too recently dismissed as the maker of cheap, little, tall, and narrow cars from Korea. Talk about ambition—Hyundai is very much on the up.
And then there’s this: Hyundai’s all-new Santa Fe.
“Positively encouraging”
Now in its fifth generation, the seven-seat Santa Fe is Hyundai’s largest car on the UK market. And it is enormous. It’s so big, in fact, that Hyundai itself appears to be actively encouraging people to sleep in it. That’s thanks to a current trend in Korea called Chabak (cha meaning car, bak meaning sleep), whereby people do exactly that: sleep in their cars.
Hyundai recently invited me to the UK launch of the Santa Fe—a drive across Wales, with the overnight accommodation thereafter being very much in the Santa Fe’s boot. As there was no mention of en suites, turn-down service, or little chocolates on pillows, I politely declined.
It was, I’m told, a wise choice. Apparently, the storm that blew in that particular night meant that, commodious boot space or not, no one got a good night’s sleep. Besides, it also meant I had much longer to sample the Santa Fe’s charms a little later on. All good things…
“A bold design choice”
The Santa Fe feeling so spacious inside is simply down to the fact that Hyundai has deliberately built what is, unashamedly, a big box on 20-inch wheels. Simon Loasby, senior vice president at Hyundai’s design centre, called this generation of the Santa Fe “a brick,” while upon its arrival on our driveway, my partner, Rebecca, said it looked like something designed by Lego.
It’s my job, I suppose, to say things like, “The Santa Fe is square-jawed, imposing, and has an undeniable presence.” The truth is, from certain angles—like a lot of other people, if their initial comments are anything to go by—I think the Santa Fe looks like a cross between Land Rover’s new Defender and the previous-generation Discovery.
One thing’s for sure: the Defender is much better looking from the rear. Quite what Hyundai was thinking (or taking) when it “styled” the Santa Fe’s tailgate is anyone’s guess. Nevertheless, challenging rear ends aside—and let’s not mention the current Discovery—if it all boiled down to a reliability competition, surely you’d bank on the Korean contender every time.
“A familiar interior feel”
Climb aboard the Santa Fe and the sense of Land Rover styling déjà vu continues. You sit behind a very Range Rover-esque steering wheel—especially so if you’ve opted for the white nappa leather interior, as per our test car—ahead of which is the now-obligatory all-digital dashboard for a premium SUV. To the left of it (in a right-hand drive model) is a rather busy-looking touchpad-style array of minor switchgear for heating and suchlike.
Just a thought, Hyundai: why not put the switch—by which I mean an actual switch—for the heated steering wheel on the steering wheel itself? Not only would it be far easier to find and significantly more tactile than the aforementioned touchpad arrangement, but it would also mean you wouldn’t have to divert your attention from the road ahead.
That little flat-faced steering wheel icon is also a long reach over to the left. Not only that, but relocating it would also mean that the camera you’ve placed so neatly on the steering column to monitor the driver’s eyes (yes, really!) wouldn’t set the Driver Status Monitoring and Lane Assist systems all aflutter. Sometimes, it’s the simple things…
“A composed cruiser”
Fortunately, if you have the patience—and warm enough hands—you can switch most of the electronic nannying systems off. And when you do, the Santa Fe becomes quite the consummate mile-muncher.
I sampled the Hybrid in mid-range Ultimate spec (so not quite ultimate then?); a Plug-in Hybrid is also available. Whichever Santa Fe you choose, power comes from a 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, paired with either a 67bhp (Hybrid) or 97bhp (Plug-in) electric motor. Both Hybrid and Plug-in variants feature six-speed automatic gearboxes and regenerative braking, with the Hybrid available in both 2WD and 4WD.
The electric motor provides assistance during acceleration and means most of the slow-speed manoeuvres—parking, creeping in traffic, and initial getaways—are done on electric power alone. It also helps keep the average mpg up. Over 500 miles of mixed road driving, I averaged over 38mpg. Not bad for a brick, eh?
“More practical than premium”
It is a quiet brick, though—an almost relaxing one, in fact—although perhaps not one you can wilfully throw around. Think dependable and accurate rather than exciting and involving—this is a seven-seat SUV, after all, not a sports car. Seated high in the Santa Fe’s heated or cooled driver’s seat, you are master of all you survey over its enormous, flat bonnet, and a couple of hours behind the wheel pass with no fuss at all. The ride is nicely damped, the performance adequate for something of this size, and there’s space aplenty. Build quality is up there with the best—well, nearly all of the best.
A word of warning, though: if you’re planning on using your Santa Fe for load-lugging, check the towing capacities first. The Santa Fe’s maximum (braked) towing capacity is a meagre 1,110kg for this class. But will you actually need to tow that caravan? After all, the Santa Fe is big enough to sleep in, remember?
Big, comfy, well made, and more than capable of making you wonder whether so-called premium seven-seat SUVs are worth the extra cost, Hyundai’s new Santa Fe is both easy to live with and will no doubt prove genuinely useful. If you don’t need diff locks, transfer boxes, and wading abilities you’re never going to use, the Santa Fe could be all the SUV you actually need—and then some!
Hyundai Santa Fe Ultimate 4WD 1.6T Hybrid
Engine: 1,598cc 4-cyl DOHC 16V petrol
Transmission: 6-speed automatic, all-wheel drive
Power: 158bhp @ 5,500 rpm
Torque: 196 lbft @ 1,500 – 3,500 rpm
0-62mph: 9.6 sec
Max Speed: 112 mph
CO2: 145-157 g/km
Weight: 1,900 kg
Dimensions (L/W/H in mm): 4,830 / 1,900 / 1,770
MPG: 40.9
Price: From £52,330
