Hyundai hits it out of the park with Santa Fe
SUV’S DESIGN TAKES BIG STEP FORWARD
Hyundai now has two versions of the Santa Fe — the smaller five- seat Sport and the larger seven- seat XL — but the introduction of the fourth- generation Santa Fe will change things radically. It uses the Kia Sorento’s platform and its 2,765- millimetre wheelbase, which is up 65 from the Sport, and it will also be offered in both five- and seven- seat derivatives. For now, the current Santa Fe XL will soldier on as a three- row ride, but will make way for a new crossover in 2019.
The new Santa Fe marks a big shift in style and functionality. When it is launched later this year, the Santa Fe will be offered with five seats and two engines. In early 2019, the three- row model will be added.
One of the nits with the current Sport model is rear visibility. To solve this, the new model has 41 per cent larger rear-quarter windows. The size increase not only improves visibility, it will open up the third row and give it an airier feel. The fiveseater boasts lots of cargo space; the volume is up by 33 litres to 1,036, which is larger than the Ford Edge and its 927 L, and it’s accessed through a power liftgate.
Up front, the rework adds quality materials, an attractive two-tone finish with leather-wrapped parts of the instrument panel and lots of functionality at the driver’s disposal. The instrumentation is clean and offers different looks; choosing Eco, Comfort or Sport allows the driver to pick the information displayed in the centre screen, including how the all- wheel- drive system is divvying up the power.
To the right is the infotainment screen; the tester featured the top- of- the- line eight-inch touch screen with Apple CarPlay and a good navigation system. The latter proved to be somewhat chatty, telling the driver to be cautious when a section of road was deemed to have above-average collision rates. It was novel at first, but became more annoying as it prattled on.
New is an available headup display that includes the usual info, plus directions when a destination is set in the navigation system. It proved invaluable when negotiating the hustle and bustle that defines downtown Seoul and its congestion.
Naturally, the new Santa Fe will be offered with all the desirable safety equipment. Along with blind-spot monitoring with rear crosstraffic alert, lane- departure warning with keep assist and automatic high beams, comes forward- collision assist with automatic braking and a system that monitors the driver for the first signs of drowsy driving. When the crossover is parked, there are two other safety systems: if a car or cyclist approaches from the rear, the Santa Fe will warn and can lock the doors to prevent them from being opened into the car or cyclist. It also scans the rear seats to make sure there are no children left in the car and delivers the appropriate admonishment.
The Santa Fe’s basic engines remain pretty much unchanged. The starting point is a 2.4-L four cylinder, pushing out 185 horsepower and 178 pound-feet of torque to all four wheels through a new eight- speed automatic transmission. Next up is the 2.0-L turbo four with 235 hp — down by five — and 260 lb.-ft. of torque paired to the same eight- speed automatic and all-wheel-drive system.
The intriguing engine is the 2.2- L turbodiesel that will power the three- row model arriving in 2019, making 197 hp and a healthy 322 lb.-ft. of torque. The Santa Fe tested featured the smaller 2.0- L turbodiesel four cylinder that will be offered in other parts of the world, but not Canada. Hyundai, please use it in the Tucson! It pushed 182 hp and 293 lb.-ft. of torque. On the drive route, it proved to be a willing motivator that remained quiet, even when worked at the top end of the powerband, and it worked well with the new eight- speed automatic. There was the merest hint of turbo lag off the line, but once moving, the Santa Fe pulled nicely through the mid- range and on up to speed. The unspoken plus was the average fuel economy generated over the test route: 7.4 L/ 100 kilometres. That, given the take-no-pris- oners tone of the drive and the fact the new Santa Fe is a substantial piece, came as a pleasant surprise.
The larger 2.2- L turbodiesel, which we sampled in a Kia Sorento, pulls strongly from the get- go and maintains its early work ethic through the mid-range and on to serious highway speeds. It also returns a run from rest to 100 km/ h of 9.4 seconds, more than a second faster than the base 2.4- L gas engine, and it has better economy; the test produced an average fuel economy of 7.7 L/ 100 km. It was also quiet to the point that few were able to identify it as a diesel. All of this should hold true when the three- row 2019 Santa Fe arrives with the same engine.
The power reaches the road t hrough Hyundai’s H T RA C all-wheel-drive system. It’s a good system, changing its operating strategy according to the drive mode selected. In Eco, it powers the front wheels to improve fuel economy, but can send up to 20 per cent to the rear wheels when needed. In Comfort mode, it splits the power 80/ 20 front to rear, but can send up to 35 per cent of the power rearward to quell unwanted wheelspin.
The best mode proved to be Sport; it splits the power 63/ 37 front to rear and can send up to 50 per cent of the drive rearward, which gives the Santa Fe a sportier feel when pushed. More importantly, the system remained invisible even when tested on a gravel road. The other bonus is Sport mode puts more weight in the steering; it was a tad too light in the two other modes.
Ride quality is very good without impinging on the handling characteristics. Large road imperfections were dealt with in stride, yet a fast corner saw the amount of roll limited to a few degrees. This and the all-wheel-drive system made the Santa Fe feel more substantial with better on- road comportment and sharper responses than the current Sport model.
The f ourth- generation Santa Fe takes some large steps forward in all key areas. It has more space, better functionality, a choice of powertrains and the right driving dynamics.