Santa Fe shines in quality, no joke
Before it built its first Really Good Car, Hyundai was always good for a giggle.
A disconnect between reputation and marketing made for some unexpected naming choices.
For its sporty coupe, Hyundai adopted the name of Tiburon, a tony town across the bay from San Francisco. The Spanish word for shark, Tiburon is a fine name for a little coupe. The association with a chardonnay-and-brie kind of town seemed a touch presumptuous, though.
Then there was the compact crossover called Santa Fe. Who’s kidding whom? It’s a long way from Seoul to the Southwest.
Undeterred, Hyundai launched yet another crossover and christened it Tucson. Must be some kind of desert envy happening on the Korean Peninsula.
But a funny thing happened along the way: Hyundai started building pretty darn good cars. Santa Fe may still be an amusing name for a crossover from Korea, it’s no longer a laughing matter.
Serious Business
As Hyundai quality has improved, so has the price of entry: Shoppers should no longer expect a bargain-basement sticker. A base, two-wheel-drive GLS starts at $20,945, while a fully equipped Limited can blow through the $30,000 mark.
Our well-equipped tester pegged the meter at $29,090.
The Santa Fe is a little larger than its prime competitors, which include Toyota’s RAV4, Honda’s CR-V and the Mitsubishi Outlander. And, like the Outlander, it’s only available with a six-cylinder engine. The RAV4 fields a four and a six; the CR-V has only a four.
Of the four, the $23,770 Mitsubishi is the most expensive, the $20,600 CR-V least expensive.
Prospective buyers must also consider standard equipment as part of that equation and here the Hyundai shines. Even the base GLS is well equipped, with power windows, power outside heated mirrors, keyless entry, tilt-and-telescoping steering, cruise control, an MP3-compatible CD player and 16-inch wheels.
Every Santa Fe also receives four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes, electronic stability control, traction control, side-impact and full-length curtain airbags, front active head restraints and a tire-pressure monitor.
Hyundai’s 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty is the best in the business.
Smart New Look
Like the Outlander, which we reviewed last week, the Santa Fe needed a serious interior makeover before it could hold its own against tough competition.
Our tester’s faux wood and aluminum-look trim were as close to convincing as they get in this class. The leather-trimmed seats were firm and comfortable and, unlike some seats Hyundai has produced, felt as if they would hold up over the long haul.
Dash-panel lights glow a cool blue, creating an upscale ambience, and the tilt-and-telescoping steering column made easy work of finding a comfortable driving position.
Cupholder rims are lighted and a soft flocking material lines the storage cubbies.
Occupants of the front and second-row seats enjoy generous amounts of leg-, head, shoulder and hip room, and child seats sit three across in the second-row bench, which reclines and folds flat.
The optional, fold-flat third row is for children only.
With both sets of seats folded, the Santa Fe yields 78.2 cubic feet of cargo space, more than any other competitively priced CUV.
For all the improvements, though, the Santa Fe doesn’t yet rival its more established competitors. A friend recently chose a CR-V, having found the Santa Fe’s interior uninspiring.
Oddly, the MP3-capable audio system does not include an auxiliary jack and the cargo area lacks hooks to secure shopping bags.
The new-look exterior is assertive in a cute-ute way, replacing one that might charitably have been called unfocused.
A jaunty nose is the most dramatic element, but an assortment of bulges, swooping lines and manly body cladding add up to a statement that’s as bold as anything we’ve seen from Hyundai.
Purpose-built Platform
Hyundai says it purpose-built the Santa Fe’s unibody platform for the specific demands of the CUV market. The benefits, it says, include a rigid body structure and more interior room than competitively sized vehicles.
At 184 inches, overall length is up by 7 inches, making the Santa Fe almost the same size as Toyota’s Highlander. An inch wider than before and 2 inches taller, it rides on a track that’s nearly 3 inches wider.
Two engine choices include a 185-horsepower, 2.7-liter V-6 with variable valve timing and variable intake technology. A new 3.3-liter six makes 242 hp, 42 more than the old uplevel engine.
The smaller engine is available with a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic with manual shift mode. The 3.3 pairs only with a five-speed automatic with manual-shift.
The all-wheel-drive system can be locked, for a 50/50 torque split.
A longer wheelbase —it’s up by 3.1 inches —adds to a ride and handling package that’s smoother and more refined this year. The Santa Fe is surprisingly quiet at highway speeds and more agile than before in traffic. Its turning radius is shorter by a foot.
A rose is a rose by any other name, and a good compact CUV is a good CUV whether it’s called Santa Fe, San Ramon or Santa Claus. Too bad, though: no more cheap laughs at Hyundai’s expense.