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Rod Chapman29 Jan 2015
REVIEW

Hyundai Santa Fe 2015 Long-Term Test #2

The long-term Santa Fe tackles its toughest test yet: the family holiday
Review Type
Long-Term Test

Ah, the Aussie family Christmas holiday – a time for putting aside the daily grind, reconnecting with those who matter most and lazy days that play out to the laughter of happy children…

Well, that's the theory. However, as any parent of younger kids in particular rightly knows, the reality can be far different. Holiday-traffic-choked roads, blistering summer heat and children staging a back-seat scale replica of the D-Day landings can all take their toll on parents' patience – and that's where worthy family transport comes into its own.

It was against this backdrop that motoring.com.au's latest long-termer, Hyundai's Santa Fe Highlander, quickly won hearts and minds. While our beach-side destination may only have been four hours' drive from home, four hours can seem like forty when kids start howling, kicking the seat in front of them and uttering those immortal words on a two-minute rotation: "Are we there yet?"

Fortunately the Santa Fe boasts abundant space and rather luxurious comfort, with a list of features and appointments to impress family members of all ages.

To begin with, the Santa Fe is a dream to pack for an extended trip. With the third-row seating folded flat – no need to employ it for our family of four – there are masses of space for all of the family's gear.

In the front the door side pockets (with bottle holders) are generous, as is the centre console bin. In contrast the lockable glove box is tiny (especially with the phonebook-sized owner's manual in situ), but the open storage compartment below the centre stack is a very handy space, kitted out with two 12-volt sockets, a 3.5mm jack and a USB input as it is.

The leather-appointed seating is attractive and comfortable, with a wide scope of electric adjustment up front (plus lumbar adjustment for the driver) and three-stage heating/ventilation. There are ISOFIX child-seat mounting points for the outboard seats in the second row.

The expansive 'panoramic' glass sunroof adds a pleasing touch when the weather permits and can be screened off by an electric head lining when it doesn't. As noted in our first article on this long-termer, the air-con could do with a little more oomph. Still, with the seat ventilation and the sunroof concealed it's a haven nonetheless on a hot summer's day.

The sound insulation is very effective, with barely any wind noise and just a little road noise intruding upon normal conversation unless the diesel engine's spinning towards the upper end of its range.

There's a 12-volt outlet on the back of the centre console bin – perfect for plugging in a hand-held DVD system for the kids – and there are retractable sun blinds for the second row too. It's a handy feature, but a bit of a temptation for fiddling for your average four-year-old (at least it was for ours!).

There are too many convenience features to detail here, but we loved the auto tailgate, the excellent reversing camera, the easy-to-use touchscreen, the puddle lights incorporated into the side mirrors and the quality sound system (sadly without digital radio, however).

Of course safety is never far from a parent's mind and here too the Sante Fe Highlander delivers. A five-star ANCAP safety rating is peace of mind when it comes to family motoring and the lane-departure warning system is a welcome addition.

The rear three-quarter vision isn't great, mind you – a not uncommon issue with SUVs – and we would have appreciated blind-spot assist. Adaptive (radar) cruise control was also absent from Hyundai's top-of-the-line SUV, although the standard cruise control was easy to use.

On the road the Santa Fe feels planted and secure through the bends, with suspension that's biased towards comfort yet still entirely capable at higher speeds. For a boxy SUV there's surprisingly little body roll, too.

There's a bit of step-off lag on burying the pedal but it's only momentary – initial launch aside the six-speed auto is smooth, responsive and decisive, with excellent low-down urge and plenty of useable grunt from below 2000rpm to around 4250rpm (just shy of its 4500rpm indicated redline). Highway overtakes are also reasonably rapid, fuss-free affairs.

That grunt translates to good towing ability, and indeed our test vehicle has been kitted out with a factory tow kit comprising a towbar rated to 2500kg and an electric brake controller.

On a separate holiday outing to the bush the Santa Fe lugged our camper trailer with ease. The trailer only has a 500kg tare weight and so isn't fitted with trailer brakes, but it was barely noticeable behind the Santa Fe even when tackling some appreciable gradients.

The editor of sister website bikesales.com.au also took full advantage of the Santa Fe's tow-tug potential, making a Melbourne to Sydney dash to collect his latest toy: a second-hand ski boat. With the boat and trailer weighing in at around 1500kg, he too had nothing but praise for the SUV's towing capability.

In our care the Santa Fe returned some excellent fuel economy figures given the loads involved and the performance on offer. On the open road it achieved 7.3L/100km, while that crept up to 8.0 around town and 10.5 when towing the camper.

Our only real criticism concerns the Santa Fe's brakes. They're perfectly adequate, mind you, with good feedback and progressive modulation, but they could do with a touch more power. It's more an observation than a deal-breaker.

Also, the external lower plastic door trim requires a good old scrub to keep clean, and it shows up the dirt and grime in no time.

Life with the Santa Fe was easy for the two weeks it was in our care, and when it was time to pass on the keys the wife's wistful parting look said it all. For family transport, the Santa Fe Highlander really is a measure of just how far Hyundai has come.

2015 Hyundai Santa Fe Highlander CRDi pricing and specifications:
Price: $53,490 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 145kW/436Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel: 7.3L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 192g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star (ANCAP)

Related reading: Hyundai Santa Fe Long-Term Test (#1)
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Written byRod Chapman
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Our team of independent expert car reviewers and journalistsMeet the team
Pros
  • High level of comfort
  • Impressive towing ability
  • Flexible approach to space
Cons
  • Lower plastic trim shows dirt
  • Brakes could be a little stronger
  • No blind-spot assist
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