Hyundai Santa Fe Highlander AWD CRDi
Long-Term Test
Price Guide (recommended price before statutory & delivery charges): $48,490
Options fitted to test car (not included in above price): N/A
Crash rating: Five-star (ANCAP)
Fuel: Diesel
Claimed fuel economy (L/100km): 7.5
CO2 emissions (g/km): 197
Long-Term Tests
motoring.com.au aims to make your choice of vehicle easier. Hopefully, our Editorial section does this via our mix of news, international and local launch reviews as well as our seven-day tests.
From time to time we also take the opportunity to spend more time in a vehicle. These longer term tests can be as short as a couple of weeks, but more recently we've settled on a six-month period as indicative of 'normal' ownership.
Long-term tests give our staff writers and contributors a chance to get to know a car as an owner would. While the car is with us, we pay for fuel, pay for the servicing and generally use and live with the car as a new owner would.
We believe long-term tests give car buyers an added insight into the vehicle on test, but also the qualities behind the brand and nameplate. The extended period also allows us to touch base with the dealer networks in question.
No surprise manufacturers tend to have a love-hate relationship with long-term tests ... Six months is plenty long enough to fall out of love with the latest and greatest, and start to nitpick -- just like real owners do.
Sante-Fe summer holiday
Mid-sized SUVs like Hyundai’s Santa Fe are generally asked a lot when it comes to the needs of busy families and their eclectic transport requirements.
From the weekly shopping to ferrying small fry to soccer practice, weekend getaways and towing caravans or boats, seven-seat wagons like the Santa Fe fulfill a similarly broad role to the big Aussie station wagons of a few years ago -- and then some.
So it was appropriate that only a couple of weeks after motoring.com.au picked up its latest long-term test vehicle, a barely run-in Hyundai Santa Fe Highlander, it was called into duty for one of most challenging and important roles for any decent-sized family hauler: the summer beach holiday.
Facing a two hour drive to our beachside abode at Cape Paterson (about 20 minutes further down the coast from Phillip Island), the first real test was trying to squeeze in everything required for a fun-filled, three week family trip, including three large suitcases, beach gear and recreational items including two scooters and boogie boards.
I needn’t have worried as the Santa Fe’s roomy rear cargo space (1151mm wide between the wheel arches by 807mm deep) swallowed it all, albeit with some thoughtful packing. One trick was to lift the rear headrests to maximum height (our six and eight-year old rear seat passengers weren’t tall enough to need them) so I could safely stack items almost to the 908mm high roofline (and maximise 969 litres of space).
There was also enough room for the extra goodies from Santa on the trip home; which meant the standard roof bars with their 100kg limit were not required on this occasion.
It would have been a different story with the third row of seats in operation though, with barely room for a few small shopping bags with the third row in play. I knew there was a good reason we decided to stop at two children!
Priced at $48,490, the top-spec diesel Highlander is no budget family option, but the little things you pay extra for, like electrically-adjustable front seats, leather seats, and sunroof, certainly add to the driving pleasure when you’re spending a lot of time in the car.
The climate control system, including adjustable vents in all three rows, was particularly effective, rapidly cooling down the cabin on one particular 39 degree day with coolroom-like efficiency.
The broad, well-cushioned seats were also very comfortable during longer stints behind the wheel, ensuring all occupants arrived relatively refreshed.
The dark grey leather (with matching duco) proved a good choice in resisting the perils of sandy, salty sojourns to the beach. After the obligatory post-trip wash and detail, the only evidence is some minor zinc cream stains that should come out with leather cleaner.
And despite copping the equivalent of several bucket loads of sand, the interior vacuumed up pretty well, although next time I’d put a plastic liner down on the carpet-lined cargo area to keep those pesky grains at bay.
The one thing I did miss during the entertainment-craving longer drives was Bluetooth phone and audio connectivity – a standard feature on many of its rivals, and one that should be fitted at this price point.
As our vehicle was missing the dealer-supplied USB cord necessary for playing iPods – the standard Apple cord won’t work – and without any CDs, we were pretty much stuck with FM radio. Audio quality from the premium, seven-speaker stereo was first class though.
There’s no doubt the Santa Fe is solidly built; almost too solid, in fact, with the weighty, one piece rear tailgate (with man-size grab handle) requiring a fair shove to close properly – and often requiring more than one attempt.
The passenger doors also require a decent slam, and with no sidesteps fitted the kids sometimes struggled to hop up into the cabin.
While the Santa Fe’s bulk can sometimes prove a handful in cut-and-thrust city traffic, it wasn’t an issue on the high speed, sweeping country roads and coastal routes we experienced. In fact, despite a few jiggles over broken-up tarmac, there were no complaints with its ride/handling compromise.
While perhaps not as refined or poised on road as Ford’s Territory, the Santa Fe’s gutsy 2.2-litre diesel combined with responsive six-speed auto more than makes up for it, and ensures it eats up the miles in a relaxed, stress free manner.
Reversing in cramped confines – often an issue with bigger SUVs – was a cinch too, thanks to the combination of rear parking sensors, rear view camera, and big side mirrors.
Another ‘real world’ attribute worth mentioning was the powerful headlights; the clean, broad expanse of low-beam illumination proving particularly useful during one late-night trip home on dark, 100km/h ‘B’ roads after a visit to Phillip Island’s fairy penguin parade. In fact, they were so effective high beam was rarely required.
Our only ‘mechanical’ niggle was a nail discovered embedded in one of the Kumhu Solus 235/60R18 rear tyres. A quick visit to a nearby tyre shop proved it hadn’t penetrated far enough into the sidewall to cause a puncture, but it was reassuring to know a full-size spare was close at hand if required.
The Santa Fe’s interior versatility also came to the fore when faced with a couple of domestic chores after arriving back home. Folding the second row seatback completely flat opened up a cavernous space that easily swallowed a big load of rubbish that had been languishing in the garage for months.
It saved me some money, too. As it would have cost up to three times as much to take the same amount of rubbish to the tip using a van or trailer, which attract higher entrance fees.
A day later, with just one of the split-fold rear seats folded, a 1.8m long box of shelving from Bunnings was easily transported home.
All up, the Santa Fe clocked just over 1300km, with the trip computer indicating 8.3L/100km. Despite much of this being ‘country kilometres’, and an official combined figure of 7.5L/100km, it’s still impressive economy for a two tonne SUV.
It’s also meant that with the 70 litre tank, trips to the bowser have been kept to a minimum.
So having passed the family beach holiday test, next on the list of challenges for the Santa Fe is a test of its towing capabilities. Another out-of-town adventure to see just how far this 4WD softroader can venture off the tarmac is also on the cards.
We’ll also keep an eye on the fuel gauge as the weeks roll by, to see if it remains as frugal within its more ‘natural environment’ of the ‘burbs…
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