2010 Hyundai Santa Fe First Drive Review

ALTHOUGH IT WON’T be in showrooms until December, Hyundai Australia has decided to jump the gun and launch its updated Santa Fe a month ahead of dealership deliveries.

Timed to coincide with the new Santa Fe’s involvement in the 2010 Global Green Challenge, Hyundai used the launch to highlight the car’s new diesel powertrain, new transmissions and improved fuel economy.

The Santa Fe competing in the Green Challenge won the Medium SUV category – a good omen for Hyundai perhaps – but does the refreshed soft-roader kick goals in areas other than long-distance economy runs?

Cosmetically, the new Santa Fe is largely unchanged over the old. The grille, bumpers, sideskirts and wheels are different, but sheetmetal is the same.

Although mild, the external update is an improvement. The horizontally-slatted front grille borrows a few cues from the i30, and the more pronounced cheeks of the front bumper house new fog-light surrounds.

The lower air-dam, sideskirts and underside of the rear bumper continue to be finished in matte black plastic, but subtle tweaks in shaping modernise the lines.

Both front and rear light clusters have had the jewellery refreshed, although the basic shape is unchanged. The rear lamps, with contrasting white-on-red lenses, are nicely ‘eye-grabbing’.

The twin tailpipes are new too, now featuring a trapezoidal chrome tip instead of the old oval one.

As with the exterior, the 2010 Santa Fe’s interior is also familiar but lightly refreshed.

The same basic layout remains, except clothed in new trim and with a few extra features. A faux carbon-fibre trim-strip runs across the dashboard and door cards, and is joined by aluminium-look accents and subtle touches of chrome.

The centre-stack and steering wheel are identical to the outgoing Santa Fe, but the higher-specification Elite and Highlander models now get a high-contrast “supervision” instrument cluster and keyless starter button.

The Highlander also gets leather upholstery and a reversing camera as standard, while all models benefit from rear-parking sensors.

A USB input for iPods and other music players is standard, and the Highlander boasts a six-CD stacker. Steering wheel-mounted audio controls feature on all variants, and are joined by cruise control buttons on the opposite side of the wheel.

All models score a wide-angle rear-seat monitoring mirror, which is housed in the roof console next to the flip-down sunglasses holder. A nifty gadget, and one that will no doubt be appreciated by parents of rowdy children.

All Santa Fe models get two third-row seats as standard. Those third-row passengers will like the fan controls that are fitted to the rear cabin of Elite and Highlander models. The Elite and Highlander are also equipped with dual-zone climate control.

Importantly, safety has been given a big boost for 2010. The updated Santa Fe range now wears a full 5-Star rating from ANCAP, scoring 33.34 points out of a possible 37 for occupant protection.

Front, side and full-length curtain airbags are standard on all models, as is electronic stability control, traction control and ABS with EBD and brake assist.

A rollover sensor is also part of the 2010 Santa Fe’s safety suite, firing the curtain airbags and front belt pretensioners should the car start to topple over.

But despite these improvements in appearance, specification and safety, the biggest changes are under the Santa Fe’s bonnet. The  mechanical spec for the 2010 Santa Fe has come in for a serious upgrade over the model it replaces.

Gone is the old 2.2 litre CRDi diesel and V6 petrol engine, both replaced with the same R-series 2.2 litre diesel that powers the Santa Fe’s corporate cousin, the 2010 Kia Sorento.

Developed at a cost of roughly AU$227 million, the 2.2 litre R engine is a twin cam common-rail diesel that utilises a variable-geometry turbocharger to increase output.

Touted by Hyundai as the smallest, lightest and most powerful turbodiesel in its segment, its numbers certainly impress.

A healthy 145kW of power is generated at 3800rpm and torque peaks at 436Nm for auto-equipped models and 421Nm for manuals. Peak torque is produced between 1800 and 2500rpm, boosting low-down response.

In comparison, those numbers are a 27 percent increase over the old 2.2 diesel’s output.

Fuel consumption has improved by a claimed seven percent, bringing combined fuel economy to just 6.7 litres per 100km for the six-speed manual. The auto requires 7.5 l/100km over the same cycle.