Hyundai Santa Fe

Hyundai is entering the premium SUV space once again with its all-new Santa Fe. Does the SUV deliver the goods for the Korean manufacturer?

The priorities and tastes of Indian consumers have evolved, with styling and comfort, and to some extent performance gaining precedence over fuel efficiency. There's also been an increasing demand for premium SUVs over sedans, marking a clear change in market trends. When Hyundai launched the Santa Fe a few years back the SUV market was perhaps too nascent for a Korean offering for that price. The Germans dominated the segment more or less, offering compact luxury sedans at similar price points. But the current demand for SUVs sees Hyundai launch a fresh assault in the premium SUV segment, and the Korean manufacturer is betting big on the all-new Santa Fe.

Visually the new Santa Fe is quite an evolution compared to the previous generation. Just like its new generation cars the third generation Santa Fe is inspired by Hyundai's fluidic design theme making for a sharp, edgy design that looks a lot more appealing than the older model's rounded lines. It's almost like the Santa Fe was sent to the gym to get rid of the chubby fat and has returned with a chiseled body that isn't too muscular or bulky. The result is a youthful design that is pleasing to the eye. Hyundai is targeting 35-40-year-old executives and family men from the affluent class with the Santa Fe, and the styling has been tailored to suit their tastes. The Santa Fe thus boasts of a design that in Hyundai's words.

Below: Large oval pods house the clocks. MED in centre looks good and offers lots of info. Bottom: Drive selector lever in the automatic variant feels nice to hold is masculine, dynamic and futuristic.

 A chrome-garnished hexagonal grille houses the Hyundai logo, flanked by sharp headlights and large fog and cornering lamps. The design stands out and looks brilliant, making for great road presence and character. The treatment to the sides isn't as sharp as the front, but the rear looks particularly nice, more European rather than Korean. Interiors are plush and the design of the dash though instantly identifiable as a Hyundai - is fresh, and looks different from other Hyundai cars. A clever use of beige and grey on the dashboard makes for a plush, roomy feel. The interiors look crisp and modern, and the air of youthfulness is conveyed in heaps.

The 4.3-inch touch screen looks nice but is too tiny and could have been larger. That apart, a nice looking multi-function display sits between the large twin-pad dials. The driver's seat gets 12-way motorized controls but the front passenger is left to adjust his seat manually. Moving to the engine, the Santa Fe uses the same four-cylinder 2.2-litre CRDi engine as before, mated to either a six-speed manual transmission or a six-speed automatic. Hyundai claims it now offers better refinement and efficiency with lower NVH levels. Power output is an impressive 194bhp, while peak torque for the automatic transmission we drove is 436Nm. Peak torque for the manual is lower at 420Nm, produced at the same 1800-2500rpm for both.

Hyundai is expecting the automatic to do well since the previous generation Santa Fe did see a lot of demand for that variant. With close to 200bhp on tap the Santa Fe is quick, despite being a pretty large SUV. The electronically controlled VGT spools up rather quickly, reducing turbo lag and helps make power delivery linear. We drove the Santa Fe on narrow roads near Cochin and hence it wasn't possible to gauge its highway manners but it should make for comfortable cruising at 100-120kmph all day.

The chassis has been tweaked, and the Santa Fe feels confident even when thrown around corners - there is some amount of body roll but it is never a bother. The Santa Fe gets a torque vectoring system which breaks the inside wheels while turning to help cut under steer and helps you go where you want to. The electric power steering system offers three modes - comfort, normal and sport, and depending on what you choose the steering gets progressively weighted. Comfort makes the steering extremely light while sport offers a weighted feel for enthusiastic driving. MacPherson struts up front and multi-link suspension at the rear.

MacPherson struts up front and multi-link suspension make for impressive ride quality in the city. Aid handling, and also make for impressive ride quality in the city.

Manual transmission is on offer in the two-wheel drive variant only. The automatic we drove gets permanent all-wheel drive, and though it uses two-wheel drive when driving normally, the torque is transmitted to all wheels when needed, especially in conditions where traction is a concern. The Santa Fe also boasts of driver aids like traction control, ESP, hill start assist and hill descent control. It comes shod with chunky 18-inch Nexen tyres which offered good grip though there was some squealing when pushing around corners.

On the whole, the Santa Fe is an able SUV, and being a Hyundai the list of comfort and convenience features is quite elaborate including an impressive infotainment system, six airbags, air-conditioning for all three rows (though the third row is good enough for kids only) apart from the various driver aids. Outside there are nice looking LED daytime running lights along with cornering lamps integrated into the parking lights. The styling is up market - I was never fond of the previous-generation Santa Fe's styling but the new design is impressive and eye catching. Pricing is still a bit of a hiccup though, despite the Santa Fe being sold via the CKD route with a lot of locally sourced parts. The two-wheel drive variant is priced at? 26.3 lakhs ex-showroom New Delhi, going up to 29.25 lakhs for the automatic with all the bells and whistles. It makes for a great family car given Hyundai's target audience, but a whole lot of youngsters will - in my opinion - look for a bigger brand name at the Santa Fe's price point, especially the automatic. It offers a host of features, but the Hyundai badge lacks the value German SUVs offer at similar prices.