► Hyundai Santa Fe driven
► New look, more space, more tech
► Early drive in South Korea
This is the new Hyundai Santa Fe. And when we say new, we mean it. It quite clearly looks nothing like its predecessor. Hyundai’s design department has taken plenty of brave pills in the last few years and there’s no greater example of it than this. A boxy, sharp-edged large SUV, those in Seoul hope it brings the brand that much closer to premium European models such as the BMW X5 and Mercedes-Benz GLE – while also keeping a watchful brief on value for money and reliability.
Has Hyundai succeeded? We travelled to Korea to drive the new Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, but also managed to nab a quick go behind the wheel of the Santa Fe to find out how it’s progressed from its predecessor.
What happened to the looks?
One might suggest that Hyundai’s design department recently received a consignment of Lego bricks and felt compelled to model their latest car around similar building blocks. It’s awfully squared-off and doesn’t pull any punches on the design front, but to these eyes it’s a success from most angles. Look at it dead rear-on, however, and the slight curve on the sides makes it look pinched and pursed, going against the look of the rest of the car.
And what’s the interior like?
Very impressive. No, really. From our first impressions, Hyundai has done a mega job creating an environment that feels solid and well-built, but also premium and filled with plenty of luxury materials and clever tech. An example of which being the dual wireless smartphone chargers and the UV-C Sterilisation Tray that promises to cleanse regularly used items such as mobile phones and wallets. Nifty.
You’ve also got a 6.6-inch climate control display (with physical climate control dials) and a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and infotainment system. Our early drive suggested both worked very well, with fast responses and clear, attractive menus. Maybe not quite up there with class leaders such as BMW and Audi, but certainly closer than Hyundai has ever been before. What’s also nice to see is physical dials for the climate control, as well as proper shortcut buttons on the infotainment system – something that many rivals now fail to provide.
How does it drive?
We had a go in the 1.6-litre turbocharged hybrid (power and torque for Europe still TBC) and, having spent most of our time on the motorway or in town, were impressed. There’s enough pace, plus the powertrain combines electric with ICE smoothly. It’s not the quietest under load, but the sound is reasonable and not overly loud given it’s a relatively small capacity engine towing a car that weighs in at over 2.2-tonnes. Ride comfort was supple and refinement also impressed on the smooth Korean highways.
Driving assist technology has also been updated in the form of Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist 2 (improved autonomous emergency braking), while Lane Following Assist 2 helps keep the car in lane. Drive Attention Warning aims to boost attentiveness behind the wheel and, finally, Smart Cruise Control 2 can maintain a set speed while also providing steering input on curved sections of motorway. All of this is in addition to existing driver aids such as Intelligent Speed Limit Assist, Rear View Monitor and Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist.
Anything else?
Yes – there’s a lot more space in the Santa Fe’s cabin. Second- and third-row legroom has improved by 35mm and 15mm respectively. Also, third-row headroom is up by 69mm, with seating height up by 30mm (thus giving a better view forwards). The ability to recline the third row by a further 10 degrees is also useful.
Verdict
These are very early impressions with the new Santa Fe but from what we’ve seen so far it’s very promising. Perhaps not everyone will like the radical new look, but underneath there’s a well-built, spacious large SUV. Crucially, though, Hyundai’s also been able to add even more luxury, tech and quality than ever before and while the price will no doubt reflect this, it’s still likely to be a viable alternative to luxury rivals from BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz.
