Review: Hyundai’s successful Santa Fe just got smarter

The facelift large SUV has a new array of safety elements and family-friendly features

Hyundai has celebrated 20 years of the Santa Fe large SUV with a facelift version. Photos: Liz Dobson

When Hyundai New Zealand’s general manager, Andy Sinclair, announced a few years ago that the top-spec Santa Fe was going to cost Kiwis more than $80,000 he was poo-pooed by some motoring journos, but the brand’s boss got the last laugh.

Kiwis loved the Santa Fe and shelled out over $80,000 for the top-spec model, the Limited. And Kiwis kept paying that money from the fourth-generation model when it was launched in 2018, as competitions upped their game to take on the Santa Fe that has revolutionised the large SUV segment.

It became one of the top-selling SUVs for the brand then late last year, Hyundai NZ announced a facelift for the fourth generation of the Santa Fe.

The seven-seater Santa Fe is priced from $62,990 f to $89,990.

“The Santa Fe is one of the most capable SUVs on the market, which is reflected in it being the number one selling large SUV for the last two years. We are confident that will long continue with the introduction of this new model,” said Sinclair.

“What better way to celebrate 20 years of the Santa Fe than with the safest and most powerful model yet. The new Santa Fe is packed full of ultra-modern features to help keep you and your loved ones safe on and off the road. It also boasts improved powertrains with better fuel economy, power, and overall performance,”

The family-oriented SUV comes with a vast array of options and features, with petrol and diesel powertrains, safety and convenience technologies, and colour options. Hybrid and PHEV options will also be available in 2021.

The redesigned fourth-generation Santa Fe sits on Hyundai’s latest SUV platform. The change is most noticeable in the interior space where more legroom and cargo area provide a premium seating experience while meeting the storage needs of an entire family.

For the new Santa Fe, Hyundai has worked to reduce the weight of the powertrain and the friction of its moving parts, resulting in improved fuel economy and more satisfying driving performance. 

Rated 5-stars by both Euro NCAP and US NCAP, the facelift Santa Fe includes a full complement of Hyundai SmartSense safety technology, including Forward Collision-Avoidance (FCA) with Junction Assist (JX) for additional safety at intersections; Lane Following Assist (LFA); Reverse Parking Collision Avoidance assist (PCA), Blind-spot View Monitor (BVM), Safe Exit Assist (SEA) and Rear Occupant Alert (ROA).

The seven-seater can have the third row folded down to cope with more luggage.

The Santa Fe comes with two petrol and a new diesel engine. The 2.5-litre petrol produces 132kW of power and 232Nm of torque, paired with a six-speed automatic transmission and comes as an AWD. The 3.5-litre petrol 2WD produces 200kW/331Nm and has an eight speed auto transmission. 

The most popular is the diesel model thanks to its towing capacity of 2500kg. The 2.2-litre produces 148kW/440Nm and the AWD has an eight-speed transmission.

Pricing starts from $62,990 for the entry-level 2.5L Petrol AWD to $89,990 for the top-spec 2.2L (Limited) Diesel AWD.

AutoMuse had the 2.2-litre Limited diesel with all-wheel-drive, with 20 in alloys and priced from $89,990. It also had a power-operated tailgate, and power-adjustable front seats.

The Santa Fe comes with a full complement of Hyundai SmartSense safety technology.

Key changes inside the cabin include a 'bridge-style' centre console that elevates key controls and provides storage space underneath.

The seven-seater Limited came with the optional 10.25inch AVN (audio, video, navigation) touchscreen display, which supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The Limited had 10-speaker premium audio,  and a built-in voice amplifier between the front and rear seats so you don’t need to yell, “don’t make it stop this car” on road trips. 

So, we headed on a road trip, first to Parihoa to take photos of the Santa Fe, then onwards to a friend’s nearby farm. 

From the moment I picked up the Santa Fe from Hyundai’s head office in Auckland, I was impressed with the lack of engine noise in the cabin (thanks to extensive sound-proofing material between the engine bay and panels. I also liked the smooth flow through the gears. 

The Santa Fe has a built-in voice amplifier between the front and rear seats.

Sitting in comfort drive mode and you were fine for city driving, but move the dial to sport, and put your foot down as you enter the motorway and that torque from the diesel engine kicked in. 

Handling was impressive for such a large SUV, even when I swung into tight corners, it held the road.

For those adventurous types, the Santa Fe had off-road, mud, and sand modes, but the everyday use of this SUV would be a family transporter. 

The exterior of the facelift Santa Fe is 15mm longer, 10mm wider and 5mm taller than outgoing model. The second row of seats is claimed to have 39mm more legroom and we tested this with our friends and their teenage daughters. The front two rows could fit five adults comfortably and the two teens could fit in the third row.

The side mirror images are projected into the instrument cluster.

As owners of a competitor’s seven-seater, my friends were impressed with the luxurious interior styling such as the leather power seats and the safety features such as side mirror image projected into the 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster. It’s a great feature that keeps your eyesight straight ahead, rather than glancing to the side.

The head-up display reflected onto the windscreen was a hit too as it included the speed zone on your route. Unfortunately, the Santa Fe’s speed-zone warnings rely on navigation data, which can quickly become out of date and doesn’t detect roadworks zones so it didn’t pick up on the speed change in Kumeu, from 60k/hm to 50km/h and SH16 to Waimauku was now 80km/h (not 100km/h).

Hyundai isn’t the only brand that relies on navigation data rather than a front camera picking up the speed signs, but I’d suggest a visit to your Hyundai dealer for an update if you travel around New Zealand often. You don’t want to get caught out.

The Santa Fe Limited had 360 degree camera, and parking assist.