Hyundai Santa Fe R Series Highlander 2009 Review

Hyundai Santa Fe (R Series) Highlander auto

What we liked
>> Power and refinement from R Series diesel
>> Improved on-road dynamics
>> Practical packaging

Not so much
>> Styling starting to look tired?
>> Still a one-piece tailgate
>> Access to third row could be better

Overall rating: 3.5/5.0
Engine and Drivetrain: 4.0/5.0
Price, Packaging and Practicality: 3.5/5.0
Safety: 4.0/5.0
Behind the wheel: 3.0/5.0
X-factor: 4.0/5.0

About our ratings

OVERVIEW
-- Mild update undersells refined diesel powerhouse
The upgraded Hyundai Santa Fe comes to you fresh from stealing the thunder of the newer-looking Kia Sorento during the recently held Global Green Challenge 2009.

In the SUV category, the leading diesel-powered Santa Fe ran from Darwin to Adelaide using 5.1L/100km of fuel. For a mid-sized SUV to achieve this sort of fuel efficiency -- open road and slow driving or not -- is a testament to the upgraded model's new R Series engine, which delivers improved economy and refinement.

It's been on the market since 2006, but while the Santa Fe has been through a series of significant upgrades, you'd be struggling to pick the original from the latest. The facelift for the 2010 model is subtle, just as previous upgrades have been.

Externally, the Santa Fe can now be distinguished from its immediate predecessor by a 'flying chrome wing' grille, sharing styling cues with the i30. Bumpers, headlights, fog lights, tail light clusters and alloy-wheel design have all undergone cosmetic change.

Inside, the SUV boasts restyled instruments in the mid and high-range grades and new decorative trim treatment. Comfort and convenience features are also enhanced across the range.

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT
-- Picking and choosing just got simpler
Hyundai has rationalised the Santa Fe range. No longer can you buy a Santa Fe with a V6 petrol engine or front-wheel drive. Three grades (SLX, Elite and Highlander) are available and the sole source of power is the 2.2-litre R Series diesel. The entry-level SLX can be specified with a six-speed manual transmission as standard or the option of a six-speed automatic. Santa Fe Elite and Highlander buyers are limited to the automatic transmission only.

Standard features fitted to the Santa Fe SLX include: Electric windows/mirrors (with heating), cruise control, iPod/USB connectivity, remote audio controls on steering wheel, rear map lights, front fog lights and 17-inch alloy wheels.

Over that specification, the Santa Fe Elite offers: A coolbox, conversation mirror, auto-on/off headlights, electrically-adjustable driver's seat, HVAC for third-row seating, smart key with start button, leather-bound steering wheel rim/gear knob, automatic climate control and chrome door handles.

The Santa Fe Highlander caps that with the following additional features: Reverse-parking camera, leather-trimmed seating, electrically-adjustable front-passenger seat, MP3-compatible six-stack CD audio system, 18-inch alloy wheels, rain-sensing wipers, sunroof, electro-chromatic mirror, folding exterior mirrors and 'deluxe' door scuff panels.

Manufacturer's list pricing (excluding on-road costs and pre-delivery) for the four variants follows:
Santa Fe SLX six-speed manual $37,990
Santa Fe SLX six-speed auto $39,990
Santa Fe Elite six-speed auto $43,990
Santa Fe Highlander six-speed auto $48,490
Optional metallic/mica paint $375

MECHANICAL
-- New diesel and auto combination raise the standard for medium SUVs
The major mechanical change for the Santa Fe is the adoption of the new generation R Series diesel engine. As we learned from our international drive of the Kia Sorento, a vehicle that is powered by the same engine, the 2.2-litre diesel has practically nothing in common with the 2.2-litre diesel that previously powered the Santa Fe. This is, according to Hyundai, an altogether new engine.

Featuring double overhead cams and four valves per cylinder, the engine also employs common-rail induction with 1800bar piezo injectors and a variable-geometry turbocharger to develop 145kW of power and 421Nm of torque with the manual transmission or 436Nm with the automatic. According to Hyundai, the new output figures represent a 27 per cent gain on the respective figures for the previous diesel engine.

Official fuel consumption in combined-cycle testing is 6.7L/100km for the manual variant or 7.5L/100km for the auto. CO2 emissions fall below 200g/km for both transmission variants, achieving 176g/km for the manual and 197g/km for the auto.

NVH has been tackled by specifying a 'balance module' at the base of the block and incorporating a balance shaft. Hyundai has also saved weight in the new engine by fitting a serpentine accessory belt with an isolation pulley and constructing the head cover, intake manifold and oil filter housing from plastic material. Incremental efficiency gains result from the alternator which can automatically disengage from its power take-off when the battery is fully charged.

The engine drives through a six-speed manual transmission in the entry-level SLX grade. A six-speed automatic transmission is available as an option in this level of trim, but is the default transmission for the higher-grade Santa Fe Elite and the range-topping Santa Fe Highlander.

While the manual box is carried over, the automatic is a new design, developed in-house by Hyundai. It replaces the previous model's five-speed box. In addition to the added efficiency conferred by the extra ratio, the new transmission is also 41mm shorter and 12kg lighter. It's a sealed unit for the life of the vehicle and comprises 62 fewer parts than the five-speed transmission.

Cornering has been improved with a steering ratio that's more direct (now three turns lock-to-lock, versus 3.25) and spring and damper rates have been optimised for the Australian driving environment.

PACKAGING
-- A little more bling inside
Changes inside the upgraded Santa Fe don't mark a real leap forward from the interior of the superseded model, which we've covered previously. In short though, the new model gains carbon-graphite and aluminium decorative trim throughout the cabin and the third-row seat is now standard for all three grades.

Similarly, all variants now come equipped as standard with iPod and USB connectivity for the audio system, cruise control, steering-wheel controls for the audio and heated exterior mirrors.

Formerly the flagship of the range, the Santa Fe Elite is the new mid-range model, but now features smart key entry and starting (with a button). This facility is obviously also a standard feature of the Santa Fe Highlander, the new high-grade model. Instruments are revised for the Elite and Highlander variants, labeled the 'supervision' cluster by Hyundai.

Gaining entry to the third-row seating in the rear of the Santa Fe remains just a little harder than in some competitors, although the third-row seat itself is very easily folded flat or raised. Spaciousness in the third-row seating is adequate for kids up to about teenage years -- and that's pretty decent for a vehicle that's probably at the smaller end of the scale for a medium segment SUV. Taking into account that lack of length in the Santa Fe -- see COMPETITORS below -- it's quite roomy overall.

SAFETY
-- High marks for crash safety
Rated at five stars by ANCAP (Australasian New Car Assessment Program), the Santa Fe is immediately one step ahead of most competitors in the VFACTS medium SUV segment.

To achieve that distinction, the Santa Fe comes with standard stability control, side-impact airbags for the front-seat occupants and side-curtain airbags that provide head-level protection for occupants in all three rows of seats.

The Hyundai also packs rollover sensors (a new feature introduced with the upgrade) to activate side and curtain airbags, plus seatbelt pretensioners, active front headrests and three-point seatbelts -- even in the rear-most third-row seats.

All models are fitted with reverse-parking sensors with acoustic guidance and the Santa Fe Highlander also features a reversing camera that displays the view to the rear in an LCD located in the rear-view mirror.

COMPETITORS
-- Never mind the length, feel the width
The danger in shopping for cars based on how they're positioned in the market is best exemplified by the Santa Fe. Nominally, it's a mid-sized SUV, but at 4660mm in length, it's nearly 200mm shorter than the Ford Territory -- also in the medium SUV segment -- and 5mm shorter than the Mitsubishi Outlander even, which is a compact SUV.

So tempting as it is to just cite all the medium SUV contenders as competitors to the Santa Fe, it's just not that simple. In many ways, it's just as valid to pitch the Santa Fe up against compact SUVs as the mid-size vehicles, although few of the compacts are as large as the Santa Fe and even fewer combine viable three-row seating and diesel power with the Hyundai's on-road refinement. Still, let's make a list...

If the third row of seats is less important to you, platform twins the Renault Koleos and the Nissan X-TRAIL diesel are the compact SUVs that comes closest to level-pegging the Santa Fe. Nothing else in the segment comes close to the Hyundai for its combination of on-road dynamics, offroad ability, fuel efficiency, accommodation, safety, comfort... etc.

In the medium SUV segment, there's one serious competitor to the Santa Fe and it's closely related. The Kia Sorento in its latest guise is, in the view of some, a more attractive vehicle than the middle-aged Santa Fe and the Kia offers the same platform and mechanicals. It should be noted too that the Kia is more expensive than the Hyundai, once you knock the entry-level front-wheel drive variant out of the contest.

Of the other cars that might be worthy contestants to the Santa Fe in the segment, Ford's Territory may be too large for some and it doesn't currently offer a diesel powerplant, but it is smooth, comfortable and well behaved on the road, also providing decent accommodation for three rows of occupants.

The Holden Captiva does offer a diesel engine option and is within striking distance of the Santa Fe on price. There are other vehicles in the segment that can match the Santa Fe for specification, but in the main they're more offroad-focussed cars, such as the Mitsubishi Pajero and the Toyota Prado. As is the case whenever we choose competitors to an SUV, you have to narrow the scope a lot at times.

If the third row of seats is of paramount importance, perhaps a peoplemover would be worth considering. For the same sort of money as the Santa Fe Elite, you could pick up a diesel-engined Citroen C4 Picasso. It won't go offroad, but it will accommodate seven.
 

ON THE ROAD

With improved turn-in, better steering feedback and what felt like slightly improved stability and roadholding, the Santa Fe shows the advantages to be had from a suspension specialist consulting to you on a specification for a market with unique requirements.

The Hyundai's roadholding manifested itself by exhibiting none of the trailing-throttle oversteer we could provoke on dirt in the predecessor. In a very tight bend on bitumen, the Santa Fe did understeer, but also righted itself quickly as it washed off speed.

Most potential buyers will be interested in the new 2.2-litre R Series turbodiesel four-cylinder powerplant and, it's fair to say, this engine is a significant improvement on the previous diesel powering the Santa Fe.

Over the course of a roughly 130km drive program, the trip computer recorded an average fuel consumption figure of 10.4L/100km, which doesn't sound that marvellous, but here's the rub: There was no constant cruising during that time, there was some Adelaide traffic and everything in between was typical journalistic 'hypermiling'. That's an oxymoron, by the way...

Hyundai and Kia boast that the R Series diesel engine family is as sophisticated as anything from German car companies. For NVH and output, we'd say they have a point.

As mentioned in our international review for the Kia Sorento, powered by the same engine, the turbodiesel is still discernibly a diesel. However, there's virtually none of the low-speed vibration and labouring that can be present in some diesel engines. There's little turbo lag from a standing start and, similar to the previous diesel engine, this one will spin a front wheel from a standing start -- but with a bit more ease.

The diesel drives through a six-speed automatic transmission with a sequential-shift facility operated through the lever. Changes were accomplished with reasonable smoothness and relatively promptly.

That brings us to our conclusion. The Santa Fe remains one of our preferred SUVs. It's a highly capable vehicle across a very wide selection of performance criteria and every new upgrade makes it just that little more formidable. This upgrade has been no exception.

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