Crossover improves in all key areas
Through four generations, it has been a strong contender in the hot crossover market — and now, for 2019, the Hyundai Santa Fe has been completely reworked. The introduction is set to change the lineup significantly. The next-gen Santa Fe shares its platform with the Kia Sorento and its 2,765-millimetre wheelbase, which is up 65 from outgoing Sport model. This brings more room and better driving characteristics. Down the road, the new model will be offered as a seven-seat version, but for now the Santa Fe XL soldiers on as a three-row ride for 2019, until the flagship Palisade rolls out next year as a 2020 model. At first blush, the Santa Fe’s reworked exterior has an unusual look. What appear to be the headlights are, in fact, the daytime running lights; the headlights sit lower and look more like oversized fog lights. The issue is that when the lights are mounted so low, they’re prone to collecting debris and both required a wipe after the first dalliance with snow. That aside, the Santa Fe is a good looker. Yes, it’s still a two-box design, but it does have a more modern look than many of its peers. Beneath the brightwork, there is a better set of mechanicals — well, for the most part, anyway. The Santa Fe’s engines remain pretty much unchanged. The starting point is a 2.4-litre four-cylinder that pushes 185 horsepower and 178 poundfeet of torque through a new eightspeed automatic transmission, to either the front or all four wheels. The better choice, however, is the 2.0-L turbocharged four-cylinder. It fires a healthy 235 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque through the same slick-shifting eight-speed automatic transmission and a decent all-wheel-drive system. Hyundai’s HTRAC system changes its operating strategy, according to the drive mode selected. In Comfort mode, it’s pretty much a front-driver for fuel economy reasons. The best mode is Sport; under normal driving, it splits the power 63 front/37 rear, but can send up to 50 per cent of the power rearward when needed, giving the Santa Fe a sportier feel when pushed. Smart mode picks the best split according to the conditions and sensor input. It’s a little too conservative when it comes to being aggressive, though. The powertrain combinations bring vastly different levels of performance. It takes the base engine 10 seconds to get the Santa Fe to 100 km/h, which in not going to make your pulse quicken. The turbo-four gets the riders to the same speed in 7.8 seconds. The difference is larger than it appears on paper because the base engine begins to struggle in the upper midrange, while the turbo is paying its biggest dividend. The penalty for the better performance is extra fuel economy.