Hyundai’s Santa Fe takes on Kia’s Sorento and Ford’s Everest

By Stuart Johnston

Hyundai introduced its all-new Santa Fe seven-seater late in 2018, a car with dramatic styling for this class of vehicle. So how does it shape up against the more conventional Kia Sorento and Ford Everest seven-seaters?

Hyundai’s Santa Fe was once seen as an ugly-duckling of the Korean car maker’s range available here in South Africa. That may seem a bit unfair, but with the latest fourth-generation model launched here just before close-of-work in 2018, stylistically the new Santa Fe is a giant leap into the future.

The styling, both inside and out, is pretty much accredited to the guidance of  Hyundai’s design chief Luc Donckerwolke. The Belgian-born designer joined Hyundai in 2015 and just recently succeeded the acclaimed Peter Schreyer as head of the Hyundai Group design operation (which also includes Kia). Donckerwolke previously did stellar work for brands like Bentley and Lamborghini when employed by the Volkswagen Group, so his CV is all about a mix of vibrancy and quality.

Vibrancy key to the new Santa Fe look

The new Hyundai Santa Fe is an exciting example of the design direction that Hyundai is taking into the next decade. It has a thoroughly modern exterior that manages exude both dramatic flair and quality.  Key to this is the eye-catching cascading grille, in association with diminutive LED headlights.

The new look is topped off with striking alloy wheel designs in either18-inch or 19-inch sizing

The 2019 Model year car manages to embody both edgy flair and the chunky solidity that is important to SUV buyers. The interior marries this theme perfectly, with a futuristic instrument panel and stand-out infotainment pod that brings new-tech firmly into the Santa Fe cabin. For more detail on the new Santa Fe specification click here.

Trusted diesel engine mated to an eight-speed gearbox

As far as the engine is concerned, all three Santa Fe models in the new range use the same engine, the proven 2,2-litre CRDi turbo-diesel four-cylinder that has done sterling duty in other Hyundai products. It delivers 142 kW and 440 Nm of torque. What has transformed the power delivery of the new Santa Fe is the mating of this torquey engine to an all-new eight-speed automatic gearbox hat has a much wider spread of gear ratios than before.

The new gearbox, engineered with the Santa Fe’s transverse-mounted engine in mind, offers closer intermediate ratios and a tall overall ratio for cruising and saving fuel.

The top Elite model is offered with all-wheel-drive, with Hyundai’s HTRAC system, which offers variable power split and braking force between the front and rear axles.

Safety first with High-Strength steel

Hyundai is noted for manufacturing its own steel, and the new Santa Fe uses a combination of ultra- high-strength steel for passenger compartment strength and energy-absorbing steel for areas of the car where crimple zones are desirable for accident impact-absorption. A total of 57 percent of the steel used is of the high-strength variety.

Six airbags are fitted (including curtain airbags for the rear compartment passengers) and the new Santa Fe achieved a five-star Euro NCAP crash test rating. The car also comes with traction control and emergency cornering assist, as well as the latest ABS braking package.

Electronic safety aids include cross-traffic collision avoidance, which applies the brakes if fast vehicles are approaching from the side, as well as rear cross traffic assist for reversing out of parking spots. There is also blind-spot collision warning and lane-keeping assist, which initially issues warnings of a wandering hand on the steering wheel and also automatically applies corrective steering if need be.

Space and packaging

Much thought and effort went into making the new style-orientated Santa Fe a practical proposition for large families, given that the car is a seven-seater. Leg and headroom has been increased for the second-row passengers, while a very easy one-touch access system has been designed for the third-row passenger seats. Luggage space is marginal with the third row of seats in upright position, but with these stowed away the boot is a reasonable 547 litres, which Hyundai says is a 31 litre increase over the previous model.

Fuel Economy and performance

Hyundai hasn’t issued performance figures for the new Santa Fe, but it is a safe bet that it will accelerate to 100 km/h in under 10 seconds and manage a top speed in the region of 200 km/h. More important is its fuel economy, which is rated overall at 9,8 litres/100 km by Hyundai, which of late has been issuing very realistic fuel consumption figures, based on actual driving cycles, done by local Hyundai staff.

Pricing

The new Hyundai Santa Fe is offered in three models with the pricing as follows.

Hyundai Santa Fe R 2.2 Premium at R599 900

Hyundai Santa Fe R 2.2 Executive at R659 900

Hyundai Sana Fe R 2.2 Elite (all-wheel-drive) at R 749 900.

These prices include Hyundai’s seven-year/200 000 km warranty and five-year/90 000 km service plan.

The Santa Fe’s Competitors

Kia Sorento

The Sorento is Kia’s smaller competitor in the seven-seater SUV category, and the entire range now uses what is essentially the Hyundai Group 2,2-litre CRDi turbo-diesel engine. In the case of the Kia, the manufacturers claim a slightly higher output of 147 kW, but the same maximum torque of 440 Nm. This difference is probably due to airflow management beneath the bonnet, which accounts for the 5 kW difference between the two.

The latest Sorento also uses the eight-speed automatic transmission, as fitted to the Santa Fe.

The Sorento, which was facelifted late last year, is an older design than the new Santa Fe, with a more conservative look than its Korean stablemate. This is a bit of a turnaround, for in recent years Kia has out-gunned Hyundai in the styling stakes, but no doubt this will change again when the next-generation Sorento is launched.

Equipment-wise, the Kia lags a bit behind the Hyundai, despite slight improvements to the interior in the recent update. However the Kia does have a slightly larger boot at just over 600 litres with the third row of seats folded. And it comes with six airbags.

As these two vehicles are fitted with the same driver-trains, performance will be very similar. Kia claims a much more optimistic fuel consumption figure, but expect the overall figure to be on a par with the Santa Fe’s.

Pricing for the Kia Sorento ranges between R569 995 for the entry-level LX  and R639, 995 for the top all-wheel-drive EX model. To find out more about the recent updates on the Kia Sorento, click here.

Ford Everest

Ford’s Everest seven-seater range was also updated quite recently, with the introduction of 2,2-litre entry-level models to complement the 3,2-litre models. All use turbo-diesel engines, and there are manual and automatic options, as well as a choice of rear-wheel-drive or all-wheel drive.  Click here to find the update review on AutoTrader.

The Everest is essentially based on the Ford Ranger pick-up, and in fact is now built in Silverton, alongside the very successful Ranger.

Being based on a pick-up design with separate chassis, you are never going to get the kind of ride refinement in this Ford as you will on the Kia Sorento, and especially the new, latest generation Hyundai Santa Fe. The engines, too are not in the same league, refinement-wise, as the Korean offerings.

But the Everest has a rugged charm typical of Ford, and in certain respects it is well-equipped, boasting seven airbags in some derivatives.

What’s more, in good ol’ Ford tradition, the Everest is well-priced. The range kicks off at R467 100 for the entry-level 2.2 XLS. The 3,2-litre models start at R607 900 and top out at R751 900.

So, which one is our choice?

For us, it’s the new Hyundai all the way. Or at least until the others catch up with their latest-gen offerings. The Hyundai Santa Fe surprises with tis sophistication, and it has the sure-footed handling to go with its new-age body styling too.

Hyundai has a wonderful way of speccing a car to just the right degree as far as standard equipment is concerned, and the new Santa Fe can go up against the best of German products in this market too.

Yes, it is more pricey than both the Sorento and the Everest, but it is a much more modern car than both. And for your money, you get Hyundai’s seven-year/200 000 km warranty and acceptable service plan. These kinds of family cars are the kind you will be tempted to hang on to, and with that long warranty, it won’t hurt in terms of re-sale value either.