2019-10-01_CAR_UK

130

A to B so easily you’d

happily press on to T

Spacious, comfortable and effortless over distance, the Santa Fe

starts to look like a prospect if you shop around. By Chris Chilton

Hyundai Santa Fe

Premium SE

Month 6

To a full head of hair, July’s

heatwave and all the other things

you don’t fully appreciate until

they’re gone, I can now add the

Santa Fe. Usefulness isn’t usually

cool, unless it’s delivered by a Land

Rover Defender or Leatherman

multi-tool, but it’s an admirable trait

in a big family car.

And the big seven-seat Santa Fe

proved itself indispensable over

six months, whether we were

pounding the motorway seven-up,

or making use of the huge van-like

loadbay to cart DIY stuff home for

our over-budget house resto with

the easily folded second and third

rows of seats dropped flat.

‘Over-budget’ springs to mind

when you discover the once-cheap-

and-cheerful SF now starts at over

£33k and tops out at gone forty. Our

top-of-the-range 4WD Premium

SE lists at £43,320 and that’s a lot

of wedge no matter how many

baubles are on the tree. What else

could you get for the money? How

about a 19-plate seven-seat Audi Q7

with two more cylinders, two fewer

seconds to 62mph and only 50 miles

on the clock for just £150 more?

There are at least two on the Parkers

website as I write.

Then again, there are some great

deals around on the Hyundai, too.

A quick search on a car comparison

site revealed Wakefield Hyundai

had a brand new example of our

top-spec car on offer for £35,995.

At that sort of money the Santa

Fe starts to look like stronger value,

and with a seven-grand saving over

list price tucked up safe in your

wallet you’d find it easier to overlook

its faults. The most annoying of

those included an erratic adaptive

cruise control system, slightly harsh

low-speed ride and coarse engine

sound under load at low speed from

the mandatory 2.2-litre turbodiesel.

The less annoying gripes

included tall doors that loved to

take bites out of ankles (we got them

back by accidentally driving into a

wall; the standard surround-view

camera system is great, but only

useful if you use it), a fairly large

turning circle and a lane-keep assist

system that tugged on the steering

on twisty B-roads like a front-drive

race car with the mother of all

limited-slip diffs.

Balancing that lot out was an

uncharacteristically bold design

and an ability to deliver you from

A to G so easily you felt like you’d

only driven to B and would quite

happily carry on to T. The SF’s ride

is a little harsh around town but it’s

an excellent long-distance cruiser:

quiet and comfortable, with a dash

layout that may lack wow but more

than makes up for it in equipment

a nd usabi lit y.

Which, in a sense, encapsulates

the spirit of the Santa Fe. We’d be

lying if we said it revolutionised

the sector, but it’s a solid, likeable

effort. If you’re in the market for a

seven-seat SUV, it’s worth making

the effort to check it out.

Not as

affordable as

you’d hope, but

there are deals

Price £43,320 (£43,985 as

tested) Performance 2199cc

turbodiesel four-cylinder,

197bhp, 9.4sec 0-62mph,

127mph Efficiency 38.7mpg

(official), 35.8mpg (tested),

164g/km CO2 Energy cost

16.5p per mile Miles this

month 328 Total miles 12,998

Logbook

Simon Thompson

CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | OCTOBER 2019

G oodbye

130

The story so far

Eye-catching new Santa Fe

looks expensive next to rivals

until you factor in the standard

kit on offer

+Styling; space; equipment

• Noisy under load

Count the cost

Cost new £43,985 Part exchange

£28,595 Cost per mile 16.5p Cost

per mile including depreciation

£1.35