Review of the new Hyundai Santa Fe Range

No longer content to offer budget alternatives to mainstream products, these days Hyundai is aiming for parity on grounds of quality, performance and desirability. This isn't pie in the sky stuff either. Underpinning the Korean marque's ambition is a real advance in the standard of its merchandise. The latest Santa Fe has its sights set on the SUV sector's big guns but is it up to the challenge?

This Santa Fe was launched in 2006 before Hyundai really started to get its act together and challenge the European market's established brands on equal terms. As a result, it has relied on low prices to an extent but with the latest facelifted model Hyundai looked to up its game. Performance, engine efficiency, safety and the cabin's look and feel all came in for attention but the pricing remained distinctly affordable.

Driving the Santa Fe forward is a 194bhp 2.2-litre diesel engine and it represents a key area where Hyundai is hoping to leverage an advantage over rivals. Nearly 200 horses is a lot to extract from an engine of this size and 422Nm of torque is also not to be sniffed at. These kinds of outputs are more readily associated with six-cylinder diesel engines but this all-aluminium unit developed by Hyundai makes do with four pots. It can get the Hyundai Santa Fe through the 0-60mph barrier in 9.8s, which is rapid for a large 4x4 vehicle like this one and it's offered with a choice of manual or automatic six-speed gearboxes.

"Thanks to Hyundai, there's yet another competitor in the compact SUV sector's mainstream"

The Santa Fe's MacPherson strut front suspension and multilink rear set-up has been set up for optimum driving dynamics on road but off-road jaunts aren't beyond its capabilities. An electronic 'torque on demand' four-wheel drive system directs drive to the rear wheels via a multi-plate clutch when slippage is detected at the front. It reacts a lot quicker than many similar systems, although in really slippery conditions, the driver can engage a 4WD Lock facility which is especially useful when encountering terrain such as sand, standing water or in slippery bends. The seven-seat versions of the Santa Fe also have a self-leveling rear suspension system to help cope with the extra weight.

There's more aggression about the Santa Fe's styling these days, perhaps reflecting a newfound confidence in what lies beneath the skin. The rising waistline and the cutaway section in the bumper below the chrome ringed grille help create a sporty look. The rear end is less shapely but benefits from some attractive light clusters and trapezoidal headlamps.

Trim materials in the cabin have been modernised with the dreaded faux-wood inserts taking their rightful place in the skip. Instead, there's carbon black detailing which looks pleasantly more up to date. The overall quality of the plastics used and the general design will still lag behind the class leaders but the Santa Fe's trump card is its practicality and it's a tough one to beat.

This is one of the bigger compact 4x4s and it uses its space to maximum effect by making a seven-seat option available. Adults will not thank you for installing them in the rearmost seats but kids will fit quite happily. Settle for the five-seater version and there's a vast 969-litre boot behind the second row and an underfloor storage area that makes use of the space that the extra seats would have occupied. With all the seats folded down, the Santa Fe takes on a 2,247-litre capacity - enough room to swing a wildebeest, if you're that way inclined.

The Santa Fe may have been on a bit of a stroll upmarket in its latest form but its pricing structure has stayed put. Style and Premium models come in between £20,000 and £25,000, putting them on a par with versions of Honda's CR-V, Nissan's X-Trail and Toyota's RAV4 which can't match them for pace or space. The Hyundai badge doesn't yet carry the kudos that some of these brands do in what is an image conscious market but who'd bet against that changing over time?

The equipment quotas give the Style models 17" alloy wheels, parking sensors air-conditioning, ESP stability control and an iPod compatible CD stereo with AUX/USB connectors. The Premium, meanwhile, adds, 18" alloys, climate control, heated leather seats and automatic operation for the lights and wipers. The automatic gearbox is a somewhat costly £1,500 option but the engine generates an extra 15Nm of torque with it installed. The seven seat option looks more reasonable at £750 and is likely to be taken up by lots of customers.

Running costs are low for a 4x4 vehicle of the Santa Fe's size and if you compare it against other models with the capacity to seat seven occupants, they look more affordable still. The engine incorporates a system which operates the alternator only when required to save fuel and there's an optimum gear shift indicator to prompt drivers when to select the next gear for better economy. Combined cycle economy now creeps over the 40mpg barrier and emissions of CO2 are measured at 176g/km. Service intervals for the 2.2-litre engine are usefully long at 20,000 miles.

Thanks to Hyundai, there's yet another competitor in the compact SUV sector's mainstream. In the past, the Santa Fe would have been viewed as a budget alternative to the major players but today, its styling and practicality warrant comparison with the best while its performance and economy should give it a genuine edge.

The Santa Fe looks a good option for family buyers who need a 4x4 with big capacity at an affordable price. The seven-seat option should also prove attractive in that market. What seems clear is that the Santa Fe is no longer just a support act to its better known rivals.

TOP 5 SANTA FE DEALS

The results below show the top SANTA FE deals on buyacar

Hyundai Santa fe 2.2 CRDi Premium 5dr [7 Seats] Diesel Estate
Price £22,633 Read Santa fe Reviews	Save £4,097
Hyundai Santa fe 2.2 CRDi Premium 5dr [5 Seats] Diesel Estate
Price £21,823 Read Santa fe Reviews	Save £3,907
Hyundai Santa fe 2.2 CRDi Premium 5dr Auto [7 Seats] Diesel Estate
Price £24,030 Read Santa fe Reviews	Save £4,395
Hyundai Santa fe 2.2 CRDi Premium 5dr [Media Pack] [7 Seats] Diesel Estate
Price £23,524 Read Santa fe Reviews	Save £4,306
Hyundai Santa fe 2.2 CRDi Premium 5dr Auto [5 Seats] Diesel Estate
Price £23,220 Read Santa fe Reviews	Save £4,205
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