Is Hyundai’s Santa Fe a sensible choice for the family with a yen for adventure? We put TMR’s ‘Mr Sensible’, Kez Casey, behind the wheel and told him not to come back without the answer.
Life is all about finding answers to challenging questions. Why does my dog seem to know things I don’t? How long can you keep pizza before it can no longer be classified as ‘breakfast’? Why do most of my friends seem strangely retarded?
Some of those quandaries are easier to answer than others. Some have no answers, some have dozens. Like here’s a real stumper: what car will I buy to cart my kids, my dog, my camping gear and all my sports crap on weekends, that will also look respectable for the work-day gig come Monday?
The problem isn’t a lack of options; in a crowded SUV market the answers are just too plentiful. So, which is right for you?
Hyundai has boldly tossed its hat into the ring in an attempt to solve your conundrum with the Santa Fe.
Hyundai’s seven-seat SUV contender comes with a good spread of models, a choice of V6 petrol or turbo-diesel engines and five or seven seat capacity. It would seem, on the face of it, to have all bases covered.
TMR took some time out with two examples of the range-topping Santa Fe Elite CRDi. One came with Hyundai’s ‘Trek ‘n’ Tow’ pack. This accessory raises ride height, stiffens suspension and increases the tow-ball weight capacity for that particular breed of lunatic who enjoys caravanning and camping. (Ok, alright, and towing a boat.)
Both cars featured Hyundai’s 2.2 litre common-rail turbo-diesel engine coupled to a five-speed automatic. ESP Stability Control, ABS brakes and six airbags - including curtain airbags which extend to the third row - are also featured in the entire Santa Fe range.
So, a few weeks of country cruising, off-road trails, city commutes, DIY supplies hauling and family road trips should be just the thing to find out what the Santa Fe is made of.
A restrained exterior
Style-wise, the Santa Fe is more urban cruiser than rough-and-tumble muscled-up off-roader. Hyundai’s designers have chosen restraint and checked any hard-core off-roading pretensions at the door.
There is no meaty bolt-on body cladding and no tough wheel arch flares; just smoothly finished sides with gentle curves and subtly blistered wheel arches. The only real giveaway to the car’s intent is the tall stance and ‘AWD’ badges fixed to the front guards.
At the front, low-set fog lights and twin-element headlights (underlined in an almost inverse BMW-way by park lights) remove the bulk from the front end. Even the simple two-bar chrome-trimmed grille resists the temptation to get heavy handed.
At the rear, wide tail-lights help reduce the visual height of the rear end.
From some angles the Santa Fe almost looks as though it has forgotten it’s a big car and has tried to disguise itself as a euro-style hatchback. It is actually deceptively compact.
An almost surprising feature is the twin chrome-tipped tail pipes displayed proudly beneath the rear bumper - somewhat unexpected at the rear of a diesel.
Of all the exterior features of the Santa Fe, the one that attracted most comment among observers was the tailgate handle mounted to the right of the number-plate.
Some thought it threw off the balance of the rear lines, but once it had been used a couple of times, all agreed it was a more useful leverage point for hoisting the tailgate then the usual release catch hidden behind a number plate garnish.
2009 Holden Cruze CDX 
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2009 BMW 335i Sedan
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Around town 14.7ltrs?… As a daily driver of an SLX CRD with now 48,000kms on the clock, my Santa Fe is sitting on 8.2 ltrs (averages in the 8-9ltr bracket). Longer trips sees it drop into the low 6’s). This is one competent, reliable and economical Hyundai but largely ignored.Full safety equipment including 3rd row airbags for my family protection yet Captiva gets the sales volume /attention because of a Holden badge? Need a diesel in Territory before I would consider one but more than happy with the Santa Fe
Scamma,
Badge politics do seem to play a huge role when it comes to choosing a vehicle which is often to the detriment of the buyer so its good to hear you’ve laid any badge alliances aside and are happy with your Santa Fe.
The cars we drove were both pretty new with circa 6,000 km on the clock, with time I can only see the fuel economy improving. The figure recorded in town was just that, pure stop-start driving with barely a chance for the Santa Fe to catch its stride. It really does represent the worst of the worst case situations for the car to be in. As you’ve shown there is great potential for better figures with time.
Have had my 2009 SF SLX for 1000kms now - I consider it one of the smartest car buys I have ever made. The price was good, family are safe, the economy is great (getting 11.5 so far in the inner city and 8.0 on the one longer trip we have done and expect it will improve - compares to the 20.0 we used to get around town in a Petrol Prado Grande), there are lots of comforts and nice touches (including a good stereo and iPod connect), great warranty, looks good and it is not too big on the outside or too small on the inside for the 3 kids.
I do find the front seats a bit flat and folding the middle row to enter the back takes a bit of getting used to - still fine though. I’m looking forward to getting a few more Km’s on it and putting a trailer on the back to really test it out. I can see us enjoying and driving this car for a long time.
Have covered 2500 in our new same spec vehicle sans the upgraded suspension & have to agree, forget any previous connotations of badge cred as this is a very well put together vehicle. Only criticism is rebound damping of front suspension when negotiating speed humps at more than the designated limit.
My May 2007 SXcrdi has 36,000km on it. Best consumption 7.3l/100 on a long trip. Worst 9.8l/100. A VERY good cruising vehicle. Tows better than my former 3Ltr petrol 4wd. No problems with the vehicle. Kez’s comment about the manual over-ride is valid. Pity Hyundai dealerships are often afterthoughts and add-ons to mainstream dealers. Perpetuates the badge snobbery.
I was wondering if anyone has heard about the new R type diesel engines with 6 speed auto that Hyundai has already launched in Korea and when Australia can expect the updated version?
Hi, I have a 2008 2-2tdi Santa Fe Elite. Just got home after towing my tandem van about 4000kms. Used about 13litres to the 100kms on average. Van comes in at about 1-8tonne loaded. Was staggered at its towing capacity, sounds stupid but it was as good or better than my 4-5 petrol Patrol. Every time we pulled into a c/park, people would come over to admire and marvel that a vehicle this size pulling this van. They were shocked when told it weighs 2 tonne. Put polyair bags on to give a firmer ride. Only 4wd Iv`e driven that I dont get a backacke!! Averaging 90km was easy. Very economical with no van hanging off the back. Just love it!! Bloffy
I have found the dead lock system very dangerous feature of the sante fe. I recently got locked in the car on a warm day and could not get out. Hyundai are unable to fix this problem.