Hyundai Santa Fe Car Review

FamilyCar Rating: Model Reviewed Santa Fe CRDi Elite Auto 7 seater $46,990* Other models priced from: SX 2.7 V6 manual $33,990* 3 word summary Spacious family SUV

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Review

OK, you've got 7 Santa Fe models to choose from, which can be quite confusing. Just work out what features you want, whether you want auto or manual or petrol or diesel. Prices range from $33,990 to $46,990, so maybe your budget will help make the decision. The model we test drove is the top of the line, all the bells and whistles auto diesel. On the road, this will set you back around 50 grand.

Driver Comfort & Visibility

Sitting up nice and high gives you great visibility out of the front side and rear. The extra rear side windows provide added visibility for safer reversing and give your 3^rd row passengers a greater sense of space. There's also a reflective mirror in the front centre that show you what's going on in the back.  This is great for keeping an eye on your baby or kids.

The auto adjusting driver's seats are really comfy and give you good access to all of the instruments on the dash. Both cruise control and audio controls are mounted on the steering wheel in a really good place, so it just takes the touch of your thumb to turn change the volume or engage the cruise control. The dash is well laid out with not too many confusing buttons. This is logical simplicity at its best.

Cheaper cars often dip out on the stylish trim stakes - not so with the Elite. The black leather seats have a red trim which add to the contemporary look and feel of the car.

Safety

Plenty to talk about here. But for 50 grand, there should be. You've got airbags throughout (6 in total), Electronic Stability Control with Traction Control, Anti Lock Brakes, Electronic Brake Distribution. It might sound like some mumbo jumbo, but these are the safety features you want on a car.

Rear Passenger Comfort

There's plenty of room in both the middle and 3^rd row of seats. The middle row seats are elevated so that kids can see out easily. The 3^rd row offers 2 very spacious seats which can easily accommodate 2 adults for trips around town. My girls' favourite travel mode was to sit in the 3^rd row with the middle row folded down. They said it was "just like being in a limo", not that they've been in one. I blame Hannah Montana for this comment.

Storage

Plenty of storage space includes a large centre console box with CD storage, large glove box, 2 very sturdy cup holders in the front centre, in dash storage, door pockets in all 4 doors, water bottle holder in the front door pockets, sunglasses holder, and pockets on the back of the front seats

The rear seat and boot offer great flexibility for people and luggage combinations. You can have the 3^rd row folded into the floor which leaves a flat reasonably generous storage space. You may also fold both the 3^rd and second row down for a huge space. The 3^rd row is 50/50 split and the 2^nd row is 60/40 split.

With all 7 seats in use there's not much storage space for shopping and luggage. We did however manage to get in the boot space one brief case and 4 bags of groceries. The bread got a little squashed though.

Green Factor

The diesel Santa Fe sits at the middle of the SUV pack in terms of greenness. It uses about 8.2 litres fuel per 100kms and has a greenhouse rating of 6/10.

Test Drive Tips

The park brake is a foot brake located on the left hand side of the brake.

If you are looking at this car, you might want to consider the Ford Territory, Holden Captiva or Mazda CX9.

Features of Model Reviewed

* Excludes on road costs

# All new vehicles sold in Australia (up to 3.5 tonnes gross vehicle mass) are tested to determine the level of fuel consumption and CO2 emissions (Greenhouse rating), which are displayed on the fuel consumption label attached to the windscreen of the car. The Green Vehicle Guide rating combines the Greenhouse Rating and Air Pollution Rating and awards a star. 5 stars is the best rating.  For more information, click here.
Information is correct at the time of the review. Please check with your local Hyundai dealer for the most recent information.

Review Date: January 2009

Reviewed By: Melissa Pye