Surprisingly Not Bad
by David Finlay (27 July 06)

If badge snobbery works to the same extent among lifestyle SUVs the same way it does in other sectors, the Santa Fe may have a bit of a problem. I mean, picture the scene. Chap goes into pub and says, "Hey, guys, I've just bought a Hyundai." Does the response consist of loud huzzahs and trebles all round, or a stony silence and tumbleweed drifting across the floor? Well, quite.

If, on the other hand, this doesn't matter to you, and a large-ish SUV is what you're looking for, the Santa Fe has a lot going for it. Hyundai offers a certain amount of mixing and matching within the range; you can choose to have either five or seven seats, and whether to go for a 2.2-litre turbo diesel engine or a 2.7-litre petrol V6.

Hyundai Santa Fé 2.2 CRTD CDX Five-SeatThe V6 is the sexier choice, but Hyundai believes that 80% of buyers will go for the diesel. Quite right too. The V6 is more powerful, but you only get it with automatic transmission. In manual form, the diesel provides about the same flat-out performance, pulls far more strongly from low engine speeds and is calculator-pixellatingly more economical (38.7mpg combined as opposed to 26.6mpg).

It's also remarkably quiet, and indeed Hyundai has generally done a very fine job of giving the Santa Fe a feeling of high quality. That's helped by the ride quality, which is quite something for a car of this size and weight. Through corners you can feel that there's a lot of bulk, and that it continues a long way above the road surface - there's quite a lot of body movement, but it's pretty well controlled.

Bumps and undulations are dealt with calmly and slowly, so the ride is never harsh, though at the same time the chassis is always ready for the next disruption. Since the grip levels are also impressive (certainly compared with other, more expensive SUVs of about the same size), the Santa Fe also turns out to be a more sporting drive than you might expect on first looking at it.

All four wheels are driven, but not all the time - power goes to the rear wheels only when the electronics think it would be a good idea for this to happen. It should already be clear from this that the Santa Fe is not a serious off-roader, and the lack of a low-ratio option confirms it.

More . . .

Hyundai Santa Fe 2.2 CRTD Five-Seat Video Test
More Hyundai Santa Fe Photos
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