Hyundai Santa Fe Review

FamilyCar Rating Styling Performance Value EcoFriendly Safety Overall Rating Model Reviewed Hyundai Santa Fe Highlander 4WD 2.2 litre diesel auto $48,990* Other models priced from: Hyundai Santa Fe SLX 2WD 3.5 litre petrol auto $36,990* Why you'd buy it 7 seats, economical to run, plenty of features

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The Santa Fe is a 7 seater SUV that's available in three different feature levels and with a choice of petrol or diesel, manual or auto, 2WD or 4WD. Prices start from around $37,000 (plus on road costs) and climb up to about $50,000. We test drove the 2.2 diesel auto Highlander. It has all the gear for getting your kids to and from school/sport/birthday parties (the list goes on..) or heading outback for some bush bashing. Our test drive kept us in the urban environment around Sydney and was perfect for all of our luggage and Christmas gifts. The seven seats came in very handy when  my nieces and nephews couldn't bare to miss out on the fun in auntie Mel's big black "car".

Driver Comfort & Visibility

One of the best features of the Santa Fe is its 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 rear view mirror has a very cleverly integrated reverse parking camera.

The auto adjusting driver's seat is generous and comfy and provides 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 change the volume or engage the cruise control. The dash is well laid out with not too many confusing buttons.

Leather seats complete the luxury feel and look.

Safety

The Santa Fe has got all the safety features you need. You've got airbags throughout (6 in total), Electronic Stability Control with Traction Control, Anti Lock Brakes and Electronic Brake Distribution.

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 has great side and headspace for 2 adults, but lacks a little in the leg room. I lugged 4 burley men and 2 kids around town, and there were no complaints.

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. Enough for some men's "Christmas cheer" but not much else.

Green Factor

The diesel Santa Fe sits at the middle of the SUV pack in terms of greenness. It uses about 7.5 litres fuel per 100kms and has a greenhouse rating of 6.5/10. If you are looking for something a bit more fuel efficient, go for the manual diesel. It consumes about 6.7 litres per 100kms.

Test Drive Tips

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

If you’re considering buying this car you might also like to test drive the Ford Territory, Holden Captiva, Mazda CX9 or Kia Sorento.

Features of Model Reviewed

*Manufacturer's RRP. Excludes dealer delivery and statutory government 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 Hyundai dealer for the most recent information.

Review Date: January 2012

Reviewed By: Melissa Pye