Hyundai SANTA FE 2.0 DIESEL
Although we lag behind the US, it seems that the compact SUV still ranks pretty high on the wish list of many urban twenty and thirty somethings. Rugged good looks, the whole healthy lifestyle image thing, enough space for a dogs, kids and luggage and without the dowdy image of an MPV. The reason for the less than stratospheric take up is down to two factors upfront price and ongoing running costs, two boxes the Hyundai Santa Fe diesel certainly looks to have ticked.
They dont have that problem in the States, where cars cost less than a dental appointment and fuel is so cheap that a cars gas mileage is about as important in a buying decision as the cup holder count. Unfortunately, the same doesnt hold true here, and running a compact 4x4, especially one with the pulling power of a six-cylinder engine is going to have you cancelling those holidays to Bali, and reaching for the Butlins brochure instead. Comparing the running costs of a Hyundai Santa Fe 2.7 V6 and the 2.
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"You have to take your hat off to the Koreans"
What the figures dont tell us is quite how well the Santa Fe diesel stacks up against its principal rivals such as the Land Rover Freelander and the Ford Maverick. It certainly has the market leader, the Freelander, well and truly licked in terms of price, the £20,200 TD4 GS five-door being most directly comparable in terms of trim to the £17,995 Hyundai, although Land Rovers branding and rugged product design will still attract the faithful. After all, if youre going to appeal to those who wear all the right labels, youve got to wear the premium badges yourself, and the Hyundai badge has yet to macerate that particular mustard. Not to worry, it just means a blindingly good deal for those who take a more pragmatic view of such matters.
A series of small cosmetic nips and tucks have been visited upon the Santa Fe which, while extensive and no doubt costly to engineer, are nevertheless quite tricky to spot. As well as the staples of any facelift, namely grille, bumper and headlamps, the side panels have been reprofiled and the tailgate has been redesigned. The selection of alloy wheels available look that little bit sportier and the interior has come in for a fettling with leather trim standard across the range and a revised instrument panel giving the fascia a classier look. Hyundai claim the Santa Fe diesel features an additional £2,250 of extras, which goes some way to justifying the £1,000 price rise visited upon each model.
As well as the leather, theres cruise control, side airbags a front windscreen de-icer, heated door mirrors and heated seats. The Santa Fes winter credentials have just been given a big boost. For the comparatively modest asking price, the Santa Fe offers a 115bhp direct injection common-rail turbodiesel engine that develops exactly the same 192lb/ft torque figure as the Land Rover Freelander TD4, easily outstripping even its own 2.7-litre V6 twin, which can muster 184lb/ft of twist action.
Its an all-new engine, developed in house at the Namyang RandD facility in South Korea and its introduction in the Santa Fe marks Hyundais first diesel passenger car for sale in the UK. As a first stab you have to take your hat off to the Koreans, as the engine is reasonably smooth, notably torquey and admirably economical, returning an average fuel consumption of 37mpg. Hyundai plan an entire family of four, six and eight-cylinder common-rail diesel engines and if this 2.0-litre baby is anything to go by, the larger engines should deliver some serious shove.
The Santa Fe wont appeal to all tastes and falls just shy of the Freelander in a number of dynamic areas, but certainly not as far shy as its price differential would suggest, making it appear conspicuously good value. The specification also runs to air conditioning, ABS, CD stereo, electric sunroof, alloy wheels, metallic/mica paint and twin front airbags. Theres no three-door option, but Hyundai compensates by providing a chunky five-door body thats bigger than all its rivals in the Land Rover Freelander/Toyota RAV4 sector. The chunky looks were penned by Hyundais Californian design studio but dont let them fool you into thinking this to be a real mud plugger.
Full time four-wheel drive with a 60/40 split bias front to back is good enough to cope with ploughed fields and rutted roads but without either a tough ladder-framed chassis or a low ratio gearbox, the Santa Fe cant hope to cope on anything much more demanding. It says much for the modest standards of the class that it nonetheless still manages to better everything bar the Land Rover off the beaten track. Step inside and its rather surprising to find that a car just 205mm shorter than a Land Rover Discovery hasnt got more interior space. Still, since the Koreans are pitching this car into the class below, that shouldnt matter.
Hyundai says that three adults can be seated in reasonable comfort at the back though that may be pushing things a little since the bench is a little narrow. Two people should be quite comfortable however, and only those over six feet tall will feel cramped below the standard sunroof. Getting in and out is slightly more difficult for rear seat occupants since the rear wheelarch intrudes into the door aperture. The Hyundai Santa Fe 2.
0 diesel is the most sensible choice in what is a manifestly label-conscious market sector. If you need the space, the torque and the modest off-road capability, its a sound bet. You may get what you pay for in most instances, but one cant help but feel that the Santa Fe diesel is worth more than the sum of its parts.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Hyundai Santa Fe 2.0 diesel
PRICE: £17,995-£18,995 on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 11D
CO2 EMISSIONS: 202g/km
PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 14.6s / Max Speed 103mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (Urban) 30mpg / (Extra Urban) 43mpg / (Combined) 37mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front airbags, ABS
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Heightmm 4500/1820/1730mm
