Hyundai Santa Fe:The third innings

Hyundai’s first big and burly vehicle for the Indian market was the Terracan. Today, it is all but a fading memory in our minds. The Tucson faced the axe too after its dismal performance in the market. The Santa Fe, however, has barely been more fortunate, buffeted by the competition and by the Indian buyer's fixated perception about the Korean brand.

In fact, each of Hyundai’s big sedans and SUVs have their share of product related issues, but there is one key trait that runs across categories and segments – all of them pack in great value. Yet, the perceived image of Hyundai as being a more capable small car maker has slammed the brakes on sales of its premium SUVs. The Santa Fe has survived the ‘veto’ till now.

In fact, instead of throwing in the towel, Hyundai has brought into the ring the new, third generation Santa Fe for the next round. Hyundai India is probably expecting the Santa Fe to deliver an image boost, even if the numbers don’t really rock the counter. But, despite its new package, with the on-road prices crossing the Rs 30 lakh mark can the new Santa Fe take on the likes of the compact SUVs from the German brands?

The new Santa Fe's design could be its biggest positive. The previous generation was quite modern, but this one takes external appeal to a new level with a very European flavour to it. In fact, though Hyundai says that its 'Fluidic' design philosophy is faithfully reproduced in the new Santa Fe, we personally saw more of what seemed like Sibling brand influences - from Kia design.

Yes, the front has the Hyundai signature hexagonal grille with three broad, chromed slats, but the rest of the body design is less 'on your face' and more elegant. There are a lot of crossover elements both at the front and the rear. And, with a co-efficient of drag of 0.34, apparently aerodynamics is still at play despite the size of this 7-seater SUV.

Hyundai has also managed to load a lot of appeal into the new Santa Fe’s exterior by adding Xenon headlamps, LED position lamps, cornering fog lamps and LED tail-lights. And to boost its rugged looks there are features like the 18-inch alloys and the front and rear underbody skid plates. An integrated rear spoiler that flows with the roof line is also a nice touch.

The crossover-like gradually rising beltline and the compact hatchdoor are mature design elements, giving the new Santa Fe its cohesive, upmarket exterior design.

Though at the rear, the compact tail-gate means that the loading height of the boot is bit high and the rear glass is small reducing visibility a bit. But the rear parking camera compensates for it.

The new third-gen Santa Fe is almost the same size as the out-going model, but its sleeker looks come from both the new design and its lowered height. However, that hasn’t led to a reduction in headroom for passengers. The new interior of the Santa Fe is equally appealing as its exterior design. There is the two-tone – beige and dark brown – colour theme that is matched well with matt silver accents and a Grey centre console. The double-stitched leather seats are comfy. But only the driver’s seat gets power adjustments, the front passenger seat gets none. A lot of the hexagonal design theme has been carried into even small elements in the cabin like the aircon vents and the power window buttons.

There are three rows of seats in this 7-seater and all the rows get aircon vents. The third row twin seats are predictably cramped for adults, though kids should be fine there. These seats fold flat and create a large, 500+ litres of boot space. But, since the second row only folds down (doesn’t flip over), accessing these third row seats can be a bit inelegant for adults. Overall the cabin feels well-appointed and is a comfortable place to be. A lot of work has gone into insulating the cabin from engine and external noise and it shows.

The new Santa Fe carries forward the same 2.2-litre CRDi diesel engine from the outgoing model. And that is the only engine option available, though there is the choice of a manual and an automatic transmission (both six-speed) to choose from. Peak power delivered is 197PS at 3,800 rpm, but peak torque is a marginally higher 44.5 kg-m in the automatic compared to the 42.9 kg-m of the manual gearbox version.

The engine is extremely refined and adequately powered to handle the heft of this SUV. We test drove only the automatic and found the gearbox is a good match, though after getting used to dual clutches, this one seemed a tad bit lazy and at times tended to shift early in the rev-range. Yet, in manual mode, this H-matic gearbox can be played with to extract the most fun. The transmission holds the gear chosen all the way to the red-line and the turbocharger spools up quick.  The engine also has a large sweet spot from about 1,500 rpm to about 3,000 rpm, The new Santa Fe is also being offered with an optional full-time four-wheel drive system in the top trim variant. 

One other unique feature in the new model is what Hyundai engineers call the Flex Steer system, which is basically three preset modes for the level of steering assistance and stiffness. The three modes - Normal, Sport and Comfort - can be chosen by toggling the dedicated button located on the steering wheel. Comfort mode is clearly focused on providing assistance in congested city driving conditions for easy maneuvering of the car. In Sport mode, the steering stiffens up and there is just a little more feedback. But the steering continues to be a bit vague off-centre and it isn't getting any help from the suspension in improving handling. The suspension seems to have been tuned for a comfy ride especially for rear seat passengers. It isn't too pliant and that shows in the way body roll is relatively contained, though not absent. Overall, the ride and handling of the new Santa Fe is a big improvement over the previous generation, though some improvements can still be attempted.

The Santa Fe lives up to Hyundai's image and delivers value for a vehicle in its size class. There could have been a few more features such as a sunroof, which customers in this segment will appreciate. There is a whole complement of safety features also including 6 airbags and downhill brake control.

But at nearly Rs 30 lakh on-road, Hyundai is trying to snap at the heels of the German luxury brands. Even if Hyundai doesn't manage significant numbers, the new Santa Fe will make buyers sit up and take notice.