Santa Fe SUV loads up on hi-tech
The new seven-seater is full of advanced features – including some clever ones specifically aimed at families, writes David Linklater.
It seems like the perfect time for the new Hyundai Santa Fe: seven-seaters now make up 80 per cent of the large SUV market and 88 per cent of the segment is AWD. The new Korean is exclusively both.
Make me an instant expert: what do I need to know?
This is the fourth-generation Santa Fe since 2000 and it’s 70mm longer (most of that in the wheelbase) than the outgoing generation.
Santa Fe brings the choice of the familiar 2.4-litre petrol engine or the
2.2-litre turbo diesel. The latter is definitely the star performer, with
200Nm more torque than the petrol and an extra two gears from its new eight-speed transmission.
The AWD system, called HTrac, is also new. It’s more sophisticated than the previous models and operates with a different torque split, depending on drive mode: 90 per cent to the front in Eco, 70 in Comfort and
50-60 in Sport. You still get a 4x4 Lock mode.
Gavin Young, national service manager for Hyundai New Zealand, describes the new Santa Fe as ‘‘the most technologically advanced SUV on the road today’’. Bold claim.
But disagreeing with him might be a hard task. The new Santa Fe is the showcase for the latest the Korean giant has to offer.
You can take for granted all the driver assist stuff available in other Hyundais. The Santa Fe also introduces to the brand blind spot collision avoidance, rear cross-traffic collision avoidance and leading vehicle departure alert.
Also consider new stuff like safety exit assist (which prevents the rear doors unlocking if there’s traffic approaching), rear occupant alert (it’ll remind you via mobile phone that you’ve left a child or animal in the car – hey, it happens) and a frankly staggering array of functions available through the new ‘‘live’’ Auto Link Premium service, which links your phone to a SIM card embedded in the vehicle, and it’s clear this family SUV is super-smart.
Other parts of the package just reek of practical good sense. There are buttons on the side of the front passenger seat that enable the driver to move it forward to assist with passengers’ rear legroom, there’s an ingress/egress handle for third-row occupants and 41 per cent more rear quarter glass area so they can see out. And so on.
Where did you drive it?
From Auckland to Hokianga in the Far North return, on a mix of motorways, rutted backroads and even a quick diversion over some farmland onto a beach to play in the sand. With permission, honest.
There were Elite and Limited models on the fleet, but turbo-diesel only. Not a petrol in sight – which pretty much reflects Santa Fe sales, which are expected to be more than 80 per cent in favour of the CRDi.
That’s out of line with the segment by the way, which is 54 per cent petrol – but it’s also skewed by everybody’s favourite large-SUV rental, the Toyota Highlander (which is petrol only of course).
The Santa Fe is refreshing in that it’s content to be an SUV rather than a sports vehicle. The turbo-diesel engine is muscular and the smooth eight-speed gearbox keeps it nicely on the boil.
The chassis has benefited from some Hyundai Australia tweaking. It’s relatively firm, but nicely controlled on Kiwi backroads.
The steering is still no great shakes and the steering/lane-keep