Hyundai Santa Fe
Looking for a family-friendly vehicle? Our
husband-and-wife team of car enthusiasts, Royce and Angela
Pedersen, check out the Hyundai Santa Fe.
What she says
When the team at Hyundai loaned us the latest Santa Fe Elite for a
week, I'm quite sure neither Hyundai, nor Royce and I, anticipated
the diverse ways in which we would use the car. In fact, we have
introduced a new measure for testing a car - sound-proofness: The
ability of a car to greatly reduce the volume of a crying child in
a quiet campground at two in the morning!
Going on a camping trip means you need to
be able to pack lots of gear - so much gear, in fact, that we took
two cars this year (one just to fit the tent!). The Santa Fe had
plenty of space to pack the rest of the luggage, lounge, kitchen,
and dining gear that would be necessary for the week ahead. The car
comes in five- and seven-seater options, another indicator of how
spacious the back seat is. We had originally thought to take all
three kids in the Santa Fe - all three of their car seats fit in
easily, all with anchor points. Upon realising that I would be the
one with three children in the car by myself, I decided it be
best if Royce took one in his car for "company".
The trip up was really pleasant, right
from the start when I pressed the iginition button and reversed
down the driveway, using what probably is my favourite gizmo in
this car: The LCD screen in the rear-view mirror which allows you
to see right behind the car while reversing. I know other
cars have rear-view cameras in them, but the fact that you are
looking in the same place instead of two different areas was
great.
Another handy feature on the drive to the
campground was the space. The Santa Fe is a little bigger than the
SUV we own, so I enjoyed a kick-free ride for a change as the
kids were unable to reach the back of the driver's seat with their
feet! The kids also enjoyed having their own air conditioning in
the pillars by the rear seats.
I enjoyed the power that the diesel turbo
had when you put your foot down. Since I was the one driving
long-distance for a change (Royce usually takes the wheel on long
family car trips), I had to have the confidence to overtake the
seemingly endless procession of trailer-and boat-towing cars,
campervans, and trucks as they cruised along the motorway at 80km
on their holiday journeys. Putting your foot down, there was
instant power, which meant passing these queues was a total breeze.
The only thing I felt slightly uneasy about was driving around
corners on the rural roads. I had the confidence of knowing the car
has a five-star ANCAP (Australasian New Car Assessment Program)
safety rating, ESP (electronic stability program), ABS, and
traction control, but I still felt cornering was a little
"couchy".
Overall, I think that the Santa Fe is an
attractive-looking car, the power of the turbo in the Elite
was great, the safety features that come as standard are excellent,
and the space in the car (fitting three car seats in the back seat,
driver seat kick-free) is fabulous. This mid-range SUV certainly
ticks a lot of boxes for a good family wagon in its class, and it's
safety rating provides great peace of mind for parents.
What he says
The Hyundai Santa Fe, a popular family wagon, is long
overdue for a review because of its position as one of the leading
affordable SUVs on the Kiwi market. The model we test-drove was the
2.2R CRDi, Elite, six-speed automatic, seven-seater.
Hyundai have paid attention to detail
throughout the Santa Fe, and while it's lacking the gadgetry I
enjoy in many modern cars, it still has everything your average
driver could want, including a few clever little extras such as the
conversation mirror which folds down from the roof to give
you a full view of the inside of the car. Great for surveying
the carnage the McDonald's ice cream is doing to the car's leather
interior at the hands of your little one!
The rear video camera is another winning
concept - I like having the video display appearing on half of the
rear-view mirror so that you don't have to look away to check each
view.
I don't know why, however, quite a number
of modern vehicles don't have parking sensors in the front
bumper! I would think this should be standard in all cars.
Perhaps car manufactures don't want to insult their customers by
insinuating they need "training wheels" for parking.
The rest of the interior is spacious and
simple, yet stylish, with a nice amount of fake chrome to add a
little zest. The "his-and-hers" climate control is a real
marriage-saver. Also notable is the air-conditioned cooler box in
the centre console - great for storing energy drinks and snacks on
long-distance adventures.
The Santa Fe is a very practical vehicle.
It tows well, has a large boot, has four-wheel drive, and boasts so
many safety features and ratings that you'd think it was built by
OSH.
One particular feature I got up close and
personal with was the ability to use the car to sleep in, and as a
sound dampener. (Yes, I need to explain!) We took the Santa Fe away
on a week-long family camping trip, but our kids developed a
stomach bug and were up all night, so I volunteered to bunk down in
the car with my youngest daughter, allowing our fellow campers a
peaceful night's rest, free from at least one child's misery. The
Santa Fe stood up to this task remarkably well. We were quite cosy
and less than claustrophobic thanks to the back seats, which folded
down quite low, and the sizeable width of the vehicle, which
allowed us to stretch out.
I was most impressed with the diesel
engine, which puts out a modest 145kW, but a whopping 436Nm of
torque. Torque is what pushes you back in your seat. It's the
stuff horsepower is made of, and it's sadly underrepresented in
motoring these days. The turbo has quite a bit of lag, but if you
are already moving, you don't really notice this, and compared to
petrol vehicles it's not really that bad, as it spools up at low
revs. When taking off, if you are too vigorous with your
right foot, you almost lose traction with the front wheels and feel
a degree of torque-steer. This isn't really too much of an issue
for the average driver, though.
The large oil companies won't be singing
the Santa Fe's praises however, as it averages 7.3L of diesel
per 100km, and tests have shown usage to be as low as 5.9L per
100km on long trips. With a 70L tank, this means you'll get over
1,000km per fill! This sort of fuel economy can't be ignored. In
fact, it's fast becoming the deciding factor for people choosing
between the many family vehicle options available.
The handling left a little to be
desired. I felt it could have been equipped with stiffer
shock absorbers to eliminate some of the unwanted movement, but the
body roll wasn't too bad.
Under-steer and over-steer weren't too
much of a problem due to the electronic stability control and the
soft compound tyres which grabbed the road well.
I highly recommend that anyone buying a
Santa Fe select a wheel upgrade package. These will not only
transform the appearance of the very average-looking standard
wheels, but also improve the handling, as they are considerably
larger and will have a lower-profile tyre.
All up, the Hyundai Santa Fe is good to
drive and great for families.
Royce and Angela Pedersen are the parents of three children: Ella
(four), Eva (two), and baby Jesse. Angela is OHbaby!'s Managing
Director and Publisher.
As seen in OHbaby!
magazine Issue 9: 2010
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