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By
EWAN KENNEDY
15 May 2006
The new Santa Fe from Hyundai is significantly
larger in every dimension. So much so that the second-generation 4WD is
now being offered in Australia with a third row of seats. While there
were seven seats in some variants of the original model, these were
considered too small to be offered in Australian imports. Now Santa Fe
can be considered as a people mover for those with a lot of children to
move around.
Not only has the Santa Fe increased in size, it
has also gained a lot of fashion flair at the same time. We’re
not sure if we agree with the Australian importers statement that
it could be mistaken for a European 4WD, but there is no doubting
that many will buy the new Santa Fe on its style alone.
The front has a bold look that’s almost
car-like in shape and stance with a positive grille and
particularly strong curves when viewed from above. Inside, there
are sporting, yet elegant features that work well, especially in
the area of the dashboard.
It’s possible to carry adults in the rearmost
seat of the new Santa Fe as there's good head and legroom.
However, some of the space in that seat has been created by
reducing legroom in the other two rows of seats. To the extent
that taller than average drivers, not necessarily giants, may not
have sufficient space. As always, try for yourself to see if it
suits your needs, concentrating on checking all three rows of
seats at the same time.
There's not a lot of luggage space when all
three rows of seats are occupied, but Santa Fe is hardly alone in
this respect. When you specify a five-seater there's a huge amount
of underfloor stowage in the area not used by the extra seat.
Power for this Hyundai 4WD comes from a modified
version of the 2.7-litre petrol V6. It now has variable valve
timing and puts out 138 kW and 248 Nm.
However, we found the power to be just adequate
during our initial road testing, which was carried out in the
vicinity of Auckland, New Zealand. There's quite a bit of weight
in this largish seven-seat 4WD and the engine has possibly been
pushed close to its limit to cope. The fact that it’s running
through a four-speed automatic transmission doesn’t help either.
There is a five-speed manual option, but we haven’t been able to
sample one at this stage.
Hyundai is working on a larger V6 engine, this
time with a capacity of 3.3 litres, to counteract the added
weight. It’s thought to be mated to a five-speed auto, which
will further improve matters. The date of introduction is still to
be determined.
Also on the engine front is a turbo-diesel
option. It will be coming to Australia towards the end of the year
and is a modern, common-rail, 2.2-litre four-cylinder unit with
peak torque of 335 Nm. Sounds just right for a 4WD like the new
Santa Fe in this era of rising fuel prices.
Considerable work has gone into noise and
vibration suppression and we were impressed by the level of
refinement. All the more so considering this is a 4WD/people
mover.
Road holding is good for a vehicle of this type
and few drivers will get anything other than a neutral feel
through the steering and suspension. Should you push too hard,
there's a sophisticated traction control system to help you get
out of trouble.
Hyundai has worked hard to keep the turning
circle of the Santa Fe nice and tight to make it handy to park in
the suburban running that’s likely to be its normal lot.
Off-road driving had been planned as part of the
press launch of the new Santa Fe. The location was a dedicated 4WD
‘park’. However, overnight rain made the surfaces very
slippery and the event was called off. No milder off-road
conditions could be found so we have had to postpone the testing
at this stage.
Hyundai has introduced a new luxurious variant
of the Santa Fe as part of this second-generation launch. Called
the Elite, it features leather trim, a powered sunroof, 18-inch
alloy wheels, electrically adjusted seats for both the driver and
the front passenger, as well as a higher-powered audio system with
a six-CD stacker.
The Santa Fe range, with prices (excluding
on-road costs) is:
Santa Fe five-seat: $35,990 (manual), $37,990 (automatic)
Santa Fe seven-seat: $39,990 (automatic)
Santa Fe Elite five-seat: $42,990 (automatic)
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Marque Publishing Company
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