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One of the major stars of Hyundai New Zealand’s new-vehicle sales show has always been its Santa Fe SUV that has built a strong following here around its seven-seater capability, spaciousness, and strong safety credentials.
These days the Santa Fe is available in both hybrid and petrol engine forms across three specification levels.
First model out of the blocks is the affordable $69,990 petrol Active; next rung up the model ladder finds the mid-range $74,990 Elite.
From there it’s time to take a deep breath — and a giant monetary leap — to the flagship Calligraphy, sitting close to the cusp of $100k at $94,990.
AWD drive is standard across every model, and a major drawcard with our challenging terrain and weather. The same variants are offered with a hybrid powertrain at $5k price premium over its petrol siblings.
We reviewed the $79,990 Elite hybrid that’s well equipped for its mid model range positioning.
An energetic 172kw hybrid power train in the test vehicle was zesty enough, and especially energetic between 1500 and 4500rpm. This is rev nirvana for ensuring a driving experience like a good coffee — smooth, strong, and invigorating. Acceleration is strong for a non plug-in hybrid of this size and weight. A rich vein of torque, and the extra kick of a battery pack lay the groundwork for punchy takeoffs from standing starts, and purposeful mid-range pulling power.
Managing this impressive hybrid petrol electric is an ageing but still capable 6-speed automatic.
Passenger and load space is excellent with every centimetre of people and cargo capacity utilised.
Adding a nice creature comfort touch is a power front-seat adjustment to lock in your perfect seating position.
I liked the intuitive 8-inch touchscreen multimedia system, incorporating Apple CarPlay & Android Auto for fully integrated smartphone functionality. Also included is wireless smartphone charging.
The Santa Fe puts its best safety foot forward with driving assistance technologies like blind-spot collision warning, forward collision-avoidance assist with pedestrian detection, and lane keeping assist. A head-up display transmits relevant driving and safety information directly on to the windscreen in front of the driver. This makes it easier for them to view, and keeps their eyes where they should be, and that’s fixed on the road ahead, and no excuses, because now this information is literally right under their noses!
A re-work of the previous model’s suspension adds greater control and reduces body lean when the vehicle is hounded along twisty roads, or called on at short notice to make unexpected changes in direction.
A 15mm reduction in ground clearance over the old model brings a more composed feel to the suspension. Through the bends, it sits noticeably flatter with fewer rear end palpitations, when the handling heat is applied over more severe road surface corrugations, or clusters of gnarly potholes.
With no high/low ratio 4WD system, and ground clearance shrunk back to a modest 185mm, the Santa Fe’s serious off-road adventuring capabilities are not what they were in what seems to be a subtle urbanisation of the vehicle. That said, it does a decent enough job and feels assured navigating reasonably well-formed tracks.
Understanding the vehicle’s cross-country terrain limitations is the safest route for owners when weighing up the risks of venturing down a road less travelled, or worse, totally unknown.
The three-year or 100,000km warranty is among the least generous on our new-vehicle market. It’s not competitive in my book, given the large number of new vehicles on our market with seven-year and 200,000km-plus warranties. Perhaps Hyundai NZ needs to take a leaf out of the book of its Australian counterparts who offer a seven-year unlimited-kilometre warranty on their new vehicles.
Hyundai Santa Fe SUV
Rating out of 10:
Performance 7
Road holding 7
Build quality 7
Comfort
Space 8
Styling 6
Fuel economy On-road test average consumption 6.9L/100km
Value for money 6
Safety 2024 Ancap five-star crash rating
Price $74,990
Vehicle warranty Three years or 100,000km, whichever comes first.
Overall points out of 10: 7