For as far
as I remember, my parents have always preferred sedans as the choice of family
car. But there was once when they decided to get a sports utility vehicle
(SUV). There was no expansion of the family or anything like that; they just
wanted to try driving a bigger car.
At that
time Hyundai was gaining popularity over the Japanese carmakers and so my
parents picked the Hyundai Tucson. Suddenly, life on the roads was brought to a
new high because of the taller ride height. There was a lot more space and it
was pretty comfortable.
The Hyundai Santa Fe
2.4 should easily satisfy just about anyone looking for a well packaged
three-row people moving SUV
I did enjoy
the SUV era we had but they switched back to a sedan after that because they
felt we didn’t need that much space. In fact, the Tucson was the first car I
ever drove (not counting the car used during driving school) after acquiring my
licence. Thus, Hyundai did play a significant role in
my life!
Recently, I
got to test drive another Hyundai SUV – the Santa Fe. Named after the city of
Santa Fe, New Mexico, the Hyundai Santa Fe has come some way since it was first
launched in 2001 as the brand’s first SUV. The seven-seater
crossover is into its third generation now and holds a design concept called
Storm Edge.
Hyundai has
definitely been stepping up its game in both the design and technology
departments and this Storm Edge theme is said to represent the “powerful yet
fragile moment of nature in motion during the rise and fall of a storm”.
Basically, it reminds us to treasure meaningful moments in our life and not
miss them in the blink of an eye.
Panoramic sunroof
helps to give the interior a bright and airy ambience
I would
describe the Santa Fe as a big, friendly giant. It is big, sitting on its
19-inch wheels, but is really a gentle giant in your hands. Housing a 2.4-litre
four-cylinder engine, the Santa Fe has a peak performance output of 192bhp at
6,300rpm and 242Nm at 4,250rpm. As I said, it is not a small vehicle, but it
gave an enthusiastic drive, with its lithe suspension soaking up bumps and humps
for a well-cushioned ride. If you floor it right, with the six-speed automatic
gearbox, you should be able to take just under 11 seconds to hit 100km/h from a
standstill.
Steering is
a joy, with the Flex Steer feature that provides three levels of assistance –
Comfort, Normal and Sport. You can adjust the steering preferences anytime you
want while driving and not only when the vehicle is stationary. In its default
Normal mode, the steering is already pretty responsive though.
The cabin
of the Santa Fe has three rows to seat seven people, but if the third row is
being used then there is less cargo space of course. If you really need more
space, you can always lower the third row. The third row is more than just back
seats, with an air-con system and considerate features like cup holders, so the
people in the back wouldn’t feel left out.
With the rear seats
folded down, a 969 litre cargo area will see to all
your luggage and shopping bags
The list of
standard equipment is impressive too – there is the smart key system, engine
start button, cruise control, automatic cornering lights, rain sensors,
downhill brake assist, tyre pressure monitor and a
panoramic sunroof for natural daylight.
Indeed,
Hyundai has made a practical and well-equipped SUV to be proud of. It reminded
me of the Tucson days, especially when I was still new to driving and had to
master such a big car! I guess driving an SUV as the first car helped loads.
