The Santa clause
Hello Hyundai Santa Fe £43,295 OTR/£44,485 as tested
Believe it or not, the Hyundai Santa Fe has been around since 2000. That precedes plenty of the familiar SUVs we know today. Like the BMW X3, Audi Q5, VW Tiguan and many more. The original was, as you can imagine, quite terrible. In fact, sadly it’s taken until now for Hyundai to actually catch up with its European heavyweights, mainly on quality, ICE and dynamics – OK, that’s just about everything important, then.
But the rise of Hyundai continues and the Santa Fe is now knocking at rivals’ doors both for quality and, more importantly, bang for buck. One can only be impressed at the level of kit it comes with, and the only thing we added was metallic paint and a towbar. Madness. We opted for the Premium SE 2.2 auto diesel. So what’s included? The list is as follows: 8spd auto, 19in alloys, 7 seats, heated leather seats, smart adjusting LED lights, panoramic glass roof, heated steering wheel, self-levelling suspension, smart key, head up display, Apple CarPlay, wireless phone charging, touchscreen, satnav, Isofix, lane departure warning, rear cross traffic alert with brake assist. And then there’s annual vehicle health checks for five years, unlimited mileage warranty for five years, roadside assistance and 10 years of map updates. Yes, it’s pricey for a Hyundai, but first impressions suggest that there’s a premiumness to match the cost. Land Rover might yet be shaking in its muddy boots. Here’s to finding out how good it really is.