Hyundai Santa Fe 2006 Review

Not so much
Adequate only power and torque
Light and lifeless steering
Auto transmission lacks responsiveness

When the Tucson was subsequently launched in 2004, the waters were further muddied, however, now in its second generation guise, the Santa Fe has grown up. Without a four-cylinder petrol engine and the option of three rows of seats, the Santa Fe is set to take on the market-leading soft roaders Ford Territory and Toyota Kluger.

Currently, the lineup consists of a single 2.7-litre V6 model with a choice of manual or automatic transmissions and two trim levels. Prices start at $35,990 for the manual five-seater, with the automatic seven-seater stickered at $39,990. The top of the range five-seat-only automatic Elite is priced from $42,990.

Come September, a 2.2-litre turbodiesel model will be added to the range with a bigger 3.3-litre petrol V6 model set to arrive about May next year. 

FEATURES
From the outside, the butch styling of the previous generation has given way to a much more urban-friendly design with clean lines that while not overly distinctive, fit the mould of a versatile soft-roader. Stepping inside, the dash and layout are fairly conventional too, but you do notice how far Hyundai has come in the quality stakes. Fit and finish are up there with the best in class and there is no shortage of equipment.

In keeping with its "mum's taxi" nature, one particularly clever feature is the fold-down panoramic mirror that sits above the rear vision mirror and gives a clear view of the rear seats and their occupants. There is also an abundance of small storage cubbies, cupholders and a chilled coolbox in the centre console.

Standard equipment levels are good with the base model including air conditioning, power windows and mirrors, remote locking, 17-inch alloy wheels, cruise control and an MP3/WMA six-speaker CD audio system. Controls for both cruise and the audio system are also mounted on the four-spoke leather wrapped steering wheel.

Over and above this, the Elite model gets an automatic dual-zone climate control system, an in-dash six stack CD player, power adjustable driver's and front passenger's seats and sunroof, leather upholstery and bigger 18-inch alloy wheels (including full-size spare). 

COMFORT
Looking at the car, there is no doubt that it is significantly bigger than its predecessor and much of this translates into increased interior space. Overall, the all-new Santa Fe is 175mm longer, 45mm wider, 55mm higher and sits on a wheelbase that has been stretched 80mm and widened 15mm at the front and 20mm at the rear.

There is plenty of space in the first and second rows for adults and even the optional third row 50/50 split seat provides enough room for an adult over short distances. It is, however, like most third row seats in this class, largely designed for children. On initial impressions and without having the benefit of back-to-back testing, it probably offers greater comfort than its rivals.

The seats themselves are reasonably comfortable although they are of the 'sit on' rather than 'in' type and lack decent side support. Getting a good driving position is easy, however, with plenty of adjustments on offer in the seats and steering column that is both rake and reach adjustable. One odd compromise in the comfort arena, however, is the foot-operated park brake that sits low above the left footrest and can scrape on the top of your ankle if you don't keep your foot firmly planted on the floor.

As customers expect in this type of vehicle, the seats all fold and flop -- the second row is split 60/40 -- to offer myriad people/cargo combinations. The two third-row seats fit neatly under the rear floor  (five-seater versions get an extra underfloor storage area here) and the second-row seats fold almost flat to provide a cavernous 2213-litre cargo space should you need it.

Top tether child seat restraints, however, are limited to three fitted into the back of the second row seats so if you are carrying more than one in a child or booster seat, it does limit your options slightly. 

Good ride comfort is offered by a suspension comprising front MacPherson struts and a compact independent rear multi-link arrangement.

SAFETY
As part of its branding, Hyundai is pushing its "affordable safety technology" line and in terms of safety kit, the Santa Fe comes well endowed.

Apart from the obvious benefits of on-demand all-wheel drive and a stiffer, more solid chassis and body, active safety features include electronic stability control (ESP), traction control and anti-lock brakes with electronic brakeforce distribution on four disc brakes.

Six airbags come as standard (dual front, front side and side curtains that cover the entire length of the car ), all seats have three point seatbelts with the front two featuring pre-tensioners and load limiters and all seats offer adjustable head restraints. The driver and front passenger also benefit from active head restraints to help minimise whiplash injuries.

The car has not yet been tested by the independent NCAP crash-testing regime but Hyundai claims internal testing has achieved the equivalent of a five-star rating for the US NHTSA frontal and side impact tests.

MECHANICAL
Currently, the Santa Fe is offered with a single 2.7-litre V6 petrol engine. Although this is of the same capacity as its predecessor it gains power and torque thanks to the addition of continuously variable valve timing.

Peak outputs are 138kW at 6000rpm and 248Nm at 4000rpm against the previous engine's 129kW and 241Nm.

Despite the increase in power, Hyundai is pushing the engine's fuel economy, which according to the official ADR 81/01 dyno test, is listed at 10.4lt/100km for the manual and 10.6lt/100km for the automatic on the combined city/highway cycle. This, Hyundai claims, makes it's the most frugal in its class and the only mid-sized SUV to achieve a sub-11lt/100km figure.

The five-speed manual gearbox is new while the four-speed automatic (complete with tip-shift sequential manual mode) is an upgraded version of the old model's auto transmission.

The drive system is also new and is no longer a full-time all-wheel drive arrangement. The new system is an electronically-ontrolled on-demand unit that normally drives the front wheels and only sends power rearwards in the event of traction losses. It does have a switchable 4WD lock that apportions torque evenly between the front and rear axles,however,this is only operable at speeds of up to 30km/h.

In September, Hyundai will add a second engine to the lineup in the form of a 114kW/335Nm 2.2-litre turbodiesel four cylinder unit which is expected to be mated to a new five-speed automatic transmission. In the second quarter of 2007, the Santa Fe gains a third engine option with a 173kW/304Nm 3.3-litre petrol V6 -- the same that powers the Sonata sedan -- also expected to drive through a five-speed automatic.

COMPETITORS
There are no fewer than 15 models in the mid-sized SUV segment but Hyundai firmly has its sights on the seven-seat soft-roaders. Chief among these is the market-leading Ford Territory and second ranked Toyota Kluger over both of which Hyundai claims a significant price advantage -- a $6000 saving against a TX AWD Territory and $4000 saving against the base model Kluger.

Spec and equipment levels vary but where the Hyundai Santa Fe falls well short of these two rivals is in the engine department with the auto-only Kluger's 3.3-litre V6 generating 172kW/328Nm and the Ford's 4.0-litre straight six offering 190kW and 383Nm.

Other contenders -- although ones that are more adept off-road -- would be Mitsubishi's ever-popular Pajero, the Toyota Prado and the new Nissan Pathfinder and if you are looking at the five-seater version, then you would also include the Jeep Cherokee and Nissan Murano.

ON THE ROAD
The launch drive program for the Santa Fe in New Zealand was brief and for CarPoint and a couple of other major publications, made briefer through some misguided navigation issues. Put briefly, we got lost through a combination of factors -- one of which was not our inability to read route instructions -- but still managed to gain some initial insights into the car's on-road behaviour.

First and foremost, the engine: it is a smooth and refined unit that delivers its power in a linear fashion but its fuel economy comes from the relative lack of power and its gearing. With the base vehicle now weighing in at 1845kg as an automatic (145kg more than the outgoing model) the Santa Fe feels underpowered and needs to be revved very hard to get any serious forward motion.

On the flat and cruising around town it is adequate but once you are faced with any hills, it struggles. Overtaking needs some very careful calculations. It is simply a case of having a very low power to weight ratio.

Luckily, the engine is happy to be revved hard and never feels or sounds particularly harsh, in fact, overall noise levels are quite good. Only on the freeway at around 100km/h was there any discernable road noise.

The automatic shift is smooth, although it seemed a little reluctant to kick down in some instances and could do with an extra ratio to make the most out of what power there is from the small V6. The hold your own function is responsive enough but it does have an override that will shift on redline approach if you don't.

In terms of suspension tune, Australia gets the European spec, which means slightly firmer springs and dampers. The end result is a car that feels pretty solid with no more body roll than you would expect and a feeling of stability and composure on the road.

Only the steering lets down the handling component being light and lifeless, although it does offer a tight 10.9m turning circle for easy parking and city manoeuvrability. At the same time, the ride quality is good with the suspension soaking up most road ruts and bumps.

As mentioned though, it was only a short drive of about 80km so it will take living with the car for at least a week before any definitive judgements can be made.