Page 14 - Motoring Spring 2021

TEST REVIEW HYUNDAI

HYUNDAI SANTA FE 2.2D PREMIUM

The Santa Fe recently received a product enhancement. We drove it at the launch and came
away highly impressed.

ollowing its launch, a new version of the Hyundai Santa Fe then came overall consumption was 6.3l/100km.
our way for testing - this was the Premium model that features front- One drawback of all vehicles in this category is that boot space is
Fwheel drive instead of the 4wd drivetrain in the Elite model. extremely limited when all seven seats are in use, and the Santa Fe is
Both the Elite and Premium models feature an improved version no exception. However, with the rearmost seats dropped down into
of the 2.2l 4-cylinder turbodiesel engine that now delivers 148kW and the floor, there’s an easy reach into the boot area and, at the press of a
440Nm through a new 8-speed dual clutch automatic transmission. button, the middle row can also fold forward to reveal a cavernous space.
Unusually, the gearbox is operated by push buttons placed on the The Santa Fe has always been overlooked among its competitors in
large and wide transmission console. It features various drive modes, the 7-seater SUV market. With the latest updates and improvements, it
including ECO, Comfort and Smart. I left the test vehicle in Smart for the certainly deserves to become a contender in the sector.
test period – this allows the gearbox to electronically decide on the best The Premium is currently priced at R769 500, with the 4WD
mode for the prevailing conditions. Elite model at R869 500. A 6-year/90 000km and 7-year/200 000km
There is also a selector for various surface types, such as sand, warranty are included. n
snow or rock, to enable the vehicle to best handle whatever roads you
may encounter. Click here for video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QNIeYx4LLs
Another innovative feature is the console slot for cellphones that
allows your phone to be out of sight, plus it includes inductive charging
whilst there. There is also an additional, concealed storage area under
the console with both USB and 12V sockets.
The Santa Fe provides excellent space for three passengers in
the middle row and also features a one-touch button on the left side
that moves the seats forward and tumbles them to create access
to the two rearmost seats. Personally, I found that access to these
seats required a bit of contortion for me but the seats were quite
comfortable once ensconced.
On the road, the Santa Fe is a superb cruiser and feels far smaller
from behind the wheel. Our Sunday cruise was an absolute pleasure
and the relaxed drive brought an added bonus when we covered 270km
showing fuel consumption of only 6.0l/100km. This is astounding for a
vehicle of this size and power. Even with lots more urban driving, our

MOTORING | Spring 2021 | 12