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Santa Fe Gallery
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| DRIVING RATING: |
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This is a large vehicle, and it feels it. It's not hugely heavy, however (that four-wheel-drive system is relatively compact and lightweight); all its four corners are clearly defined; and there's a good, confidence-inspiring view of the road ahead. Parking sensors would be handy, though.
The Mercedes-style foot-operated parking brake may not appeal to everyone, but it's easy to get used to. The steering is - rarely, these days - an old-fashioned hydraulic set-up and, as such, it gives a bit more feedback than many over-assisted electrical systems - though it is still sometimes overlight and lacks feel in certain wheel positions.
Not that you're likely to want to drive this like a sports car, anyway. The five-speed manual gearbox standard with the diesel is a little sticky, though it should loosen up with mileage, and the four-speed auto that comes with the 2.7 V6 is slow to respond, constantly 'hunting' for gears and not always choosing the right ones. The five-speed auto 'box optional with the diesel is better, though still not as good as VW-Audi's Tiptronic or similar. Both autos have a sequential-shift option to manually select 'gears' - you'll need to use this, and keep dropping down a gear, to make progress on country roads.
Hyundai has done a good job to make sure the Santa Fe's bulk stays under control when cornering hard; it takes a lot to get it off-balance, though it can get a little wallowy if pushed and gets floaty over sudden camber-changes.
The four-wheel-drive system is simple to operate too - basically, you need do nothing, as the drive to the rear wheels kicks in automatically if the front end loses grip. Up to 50% of the torque can be directed to the rear axle and this split can be locked via a button on the centre console for extra traction in the mud at speeds of up to 25mph. It all works via an electrical multi-plate clutch system, electronically controlled: no separate low-ratio gearbox, no freewheeling hubs, no selectable modes.
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