Hyundai shakes up its 2018 Sante Fe - A story about grace, style and practicality

By Farzana Chaumoo

I spent some time with Hyundai’s seven-seater Santa Fe. Offering a combination of quality and value, read about my surprising experience with this mid-size SUV. 

 

I already drove the new fourth-generation model at the launch in November last year, but it wasn't until having the R2.2 7-seater ELITE AT AWD to myself for this week, that I truly appreciated everything it is and offers. I also couldn't have gotten the Santa Fe to test at a better time, as the daily rain in Johannesburg allowed me to test this SUV properly in both the wet and under normal conditions across considerable distances.

 

Styling

The Santa Fe is an attention drawing vehicle. I had people surround me and people staring in a lot of places where I went. You feel good to have a car that everyone is complimenting. Despite the perception you may have of Hyundai and their cheap hatchbacks, the Santa Fe is on a Woolworths level.

Dimensionally, the Santa Fe has been given a bigger wheelbase and now features a prominent grille, a longer bonnet, and a more upright windshield. In the place you'd expect to see headlamps, the Santa Fe has squinty daytime running lamps. Like Melania Trump looking at you but can't recall where she's seen you before; yip, it's that same look the Santa Fe's top lights have. Then, much like a robot, there are your three lights on each side of the front bumper. The first lamp is your high beams (brights), the second is your actual headlight and the third is your fogs. 

It also features an electric tailgate that sensors when the remote is at the rear end and will automatically open the boot for you. I discovered this while just standing there, so imagine my surprise. The side mirrors will also unfold when you walk up to the car with the remote in your hand/pocket. though the car remains locked. 

 

The Drive and Performance

Road and wind noise, what's that?

Rain? Oh, were we driving through the rain?

If the Hyundai Santa Fe could speak, I'm certain it would be passing those comments!

 

I can't tell you how many times I tried to get this SUV to misbehave. Yes, I know it's not a sports car, but if you felt the power on tap that my foot did, you would understand my curiousity to really want to test its capabilities. With power comes responsibility, right? But it wouldn't budge. 

I then tested to see if it would skid in the rain. Nope, it was just not having any of it and refused to entertain my antics. It knew I was looking for a story, and maybe it was even warned that South Africans like to complain about everything, and so it ensured it was always on its best behaviour. I still got my story though, I just wasn't expecting to be so impressed by it.

I've never felt safer in an unknown car when driving through storms - that's how controlled the Santa Fe's handling is. The fourth-gen model received an extensively reworked suspension with repositioned dampers and revised valving, redesigned bushings, new knuckles and carriers. Take all of that and add it to the 15% increase in high strength steel usage in the body's construction, with high impact energy absorption and minimised distortion, combined with a nicely weighted and confidence-inspiring steering, and what do you get? A completely composed ride and minimal body roll. So composed, we even used it as a camera car to shoot another automaker's newly facelifted vehicle, and in the process of switching locations, Warren Wilson caught an excellent rolling shot of me driving the Hyundai Santa Fe (cover image).

From a standstill the Santa Fe feels quick: it's not blisteringly fast but it's decent. It accelerates from 0-100km/h in 11.1 seconds. On the road, however, when power is needed for overtaking, you'll find the Santa Fe to be languid. The Elite model is powered by a 2.2-litre turbodiesel engine mated to a new eight-speed automatic gearbox and puts out 142kW of power and 440Nm of torque.

As large as this vehicle may appear, and no doubt it fills a lane on the road, which also made me feel weird the first day I got into it (just a positioning thing when you jump from a sports car into an SUV), it can squeeze into the tightest parking spot with ease. No really, I’ve done it twice in our office basement. 

The one morning I pulled in and I was left with one bay, but not just any bay, the tightest bay in the most awkward corner of the basement that no one ever attempts to park in. And it has a pillar in the way, along with another car’s derrière always sticking out in front of it. I was not going to park outside and walk in the rain, (yeah I’m that girl. Well, sometimes anyway), so I attempted this shifty-corner bay, and in reverse, I might add. Easy peasy lemon squeezy! 

Yeah, it was quite a squeeze but I was so surprised. The next morning, an X1 was parked on the line between bays, so I had to squeeze in between the X1 and another pillar. I then had to make my way out the passenger’s side. But the reason I’m telling you this is because the cabin is so spacious that it was an easy climb-over from the driver’s seat to the passenger’s side, and also the light steering and parking sensors were just great assistants to my skill. *smirking in triumph*

 

Space and Comfort

The cabin is completely silent, and no road or wind noise filters through. The only thing you will hear from time to time is the diesel engine grunting. 

Inside the cabin is roomy accommodation for seven. The third row of seats is hidden very neatly under a mat, in what becomes the boot and a nearly flat-floor when the seats are folded down. Not only does it recline, but the second row of seats slides fore and aft which aids the third row of passengers with legroom and allows spacious seating for all passengers. In the boot there are two handy buttons, that will instantly drop the second row of seats for you.

The Santa Fe’s doors are massive and high, but they open wide, and make entry and exiting easy. There’s an abundance of elbow room in the front seats and everything is within good reach of the driver. Seats are super-comfy and cabin stowage is plentiful all around. 

The touchscreen infotainment system is simple to use and has been paired with a great sound system. Bluetooth pairing and music streaming is seamless and there are 4 USB ports that can be found in the car; 2 in front and 2 in the rear. The system also has Android Auto and Apple Carplay, however, my android refused to connect. Fortunately, I didn’t need my apps to be mirrored, as just being able to make/take calls and stream my music via Bluetooth was sufficient for me. 

Below the infotainment system, is a lovely climate control system, along with the heated and cooling seat functions, which are not a novelty that wears off despite what some say. I put these two features to use all the time in my own personal cars, so it's a wonderful feature to have.

I left the panoramic roof cover permanently open, it makes for a bright and airy cabin. It’s a massive glass roof that stretches all the way to the back, so even third-row passengers would get some light and a view, while the actual sunroof opens halfway. A nice touch to the roof is the grey fabric that feels padded. Even the large visors were covered in it and have that soft feel. 

What passengers all round will like is that there’s a light for them with a switch - front seat passengers get a light switch by the visor, and second-row passengers get a light switch above the door. Thanks Hyundai for giving us a choice, sometimes we like to look at the mirror without the light coming on – for instance at night when you’re driving and your front passenger is watching the car behind who seems to be following you, through the visor mirror – the light makes a huge difference. (If you’ve never done that, do you even live in South Africa?)

 

Safety

My test derivative was equipped with driver assistance systems like the Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist, the Blind Spot Detection system, Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Departure Warning, and the Safety Exit Assist which stops passengers from opening doors when vehicles are approaching from behind. The first system will beep and flash a warning on the instrument panel to alert the driver if it presumes a threat or hazard coming from the side. The Blind Spot Detection has a yellow light on the side mirrors, to indicate to you another car is in your blind spot, and let me tell you, this comes in handy because blind spot vision in the Santa Fe is blocked by the high doors and the C-pillars. That’s my one gripe with this SUV.

The Elite model is also fitted with an Electronic Child Safety Lock system whereby it is supposed to alert me that there is a child/passenger in the back when I exit the SUV. However, as I’m rarely with passengers, I didn’t get to test this feature. As can be expected, ABS (Anti-Lock Braking System); ESP (Electronic Stability Program); DBC (Downhill Brake Control); and HAC (Hill-start Assist Control) can be found standard on all Santa Fes in the range. The Santa Fe is also equipped with a rearview camera, rear parking sensors, automatic high beams and adaptive headlights.

Last but not least on the safety list, six airbags can be found around the cabin which includes two front airbags, two side airbags and two curtain airbags from the first to the second row protecting both driver and passengers. ISOFIX child seat anchorages on the rear seats are standard as well. Also notable, the Santa Fe has received a 5-star rating from Euro NCAP for its crash tests.

 

Fuel Consumption

The engine and gearbox were engineered with a transverse layout and has a 3 to 4% improvement in fuel efficiency over the outgoing model. Claimed fuel consumption for the Elite model is rated at 8.2L/100 km. At the time my test derivative arrived at the office, the trip computer displayed an average of 9.3L/100 km - which was high considering my previous exposure with this midsize SUV. But as the days passed, my consumption on a combined cycle averaged around 8.5-8.8L/100 km. Which is roughly on par when looking at rival's figures, like the Nissan X-Trail 2.0 VISIA which has a claimed fuel consumption of 8.3L/100 km.

 

Price and Warranty

Santa Fe R 2.2 Premium automatic - R599 900 

Santa Fe R 2.2 Executive automatic - R659 900 

Santa Fe R 2.2 Elite automatic - R749 900

All models and prices include Hyundai Automotive SA's 7 year/200 000 km Manufacturer's Warranty (consisting of the standard 5 year/150 000 km Warranty plus the additional 2 year/50 000 km Drivetrain Warranty extension). Additionally, there’s also a 5 year/90 000 km Service Plan, and Roadside Assistance for 5 years/150 000 km.

 

The Verdict

The Santa Fe is a solid SUV that really impressed me. It has bold, striking looks, has a long list of standard convenience and safety features, it provides a quiet and composed ride and a has a spacious interior. The Santa Fe offers great value for money and has the makings of a great family vehicle.