Car companies: no matter what is said, they trade on optimism. Anybody who can come up with an idea, develop it in four years and sell the product in its thousands, or even millions, must have it in spades.
Hyundai Australia executives are upbeat at the arrival Down Under of the Santa Fe Series II. And why shouldn’t they be? The large seven-seat sports utility vehicle walked away with awards worldwide, including Australia’s Best Car in the popular SUV $45.000 to $65,000 category in 2014, the third consecutive time it had taken out the motoring club gong.
With its new looks, fresh interiors and an advanced range of active safety features, comfort and convenience, plus better communication and entertainment technology the big Hyundai SUV has every chance of continuing on its winning ways.
There’s a choice of petrol or diesel power in three specification levels – Active, Elite and Highlander – the new Hyundai Santa Fe Series II presents a new face with cues from its little brother, the Tucson, in new-design bumpers, headlights and grille.
The entry-level Active is marked by chrome-on-silver Hyundai ‘Family’ grille, while Elite and top-spec Highlander feature a satin-chrome grille surround and inserts. New front and rear bumpers carry a silver-effect skid plate, the latter housing dual trapezoidal chrome exhaust tips.
Designers took the pen to headlights and tail-lights, together with new fog-lamps and LED Daytime Running Lights. New tail-lights on Highlander incorporate LEDs in the bulb turn signal and reverse lamp.
Series II Active variants ride on new-design 17-inch alloy wheels, while Elite and Highlander variants get new 18-inch and 19-inch alloy wheels respectively.
The Santa Fe Series II Active comes with a choice of either petrol or diesel power mated with a six-speed manual or automatic transmission, while the upper-level Elite and Highlander take the diesel only with six-speed automatic gearbox.
The updated 2.4-litre petrol engine delivers 138 kW of power at 6000 rpm and 241 Nm of torque at 4000 rpm, down 3 kW and 1 Nm, respectively because the engine has been optimised to deliver improved drivability at lower-to-mid engine speeds.
The revised 2.2-litre diesel engine now produces 147 kW of power at 3800 rpm, up 2 kW, and 440 Nm of torque from 1750 to 2750 revs, a 4 Nm improvement. The increases and broadened torque spread improve performance and drivability under all conditions.
Hyundai continues its love affair with Australia, local engineers having significant input into Santa Fe II chassis and suspension development.
Eighty-five damper steering and suspension combinations were evaluated – 59 at the rear and 26 up front – while rear spring rates eventually were increased by four per cent, partly to improve Santa Fe Series II’s load-carrying ability.
A small but important upgrade was made to the rear suspension, where new-shape trailing arm bushes reduce shake and improve ride quality, while an additional control arm increases lateral stiffness for improved handling.
While mechanical upgrades are incremental, safety is where the Hyundai Santa Fe Series II makes major gains. So significant are these changes that we’ll cover them in a separate story. Suffice to say that the topline version of the Santa Fe is right up with the big name Europeans in its active safety features.
The take-up of new technology extends to the new Santa Fe’s infotainment system, with new touchscreen multimedia systems utilising larger displays, 7.0-inch in Active variants, 8.0-inch with satellite-navigation in Elite and Highlander, and offer a wide range of connectivity, including USB, Aux, digital iPod, and Bluetooth.
The 7.0-inch audio system in Series II Active integrates with Siri (on compatible iOS devices) or Google Now (on compatible Android devices) via voice activation. The ‘Voice’ button on the audio unit allows users to make calls, play music, compose text messages, access calendar information, add reminders and more.
Available in Elite and Highlander, a new Infinity 550-Watt Logic7 10-speaker premium audio is optimised for Santa Fe’s cabin acoustics.
The interior also benefits from a new-look instrument cluster and revised interior trim. On Active there’s a woodgrain effect while Elite and Highlander get a matte carbon look.
The input of Aussie engineers enables the Santa Fe Series II to deliver a smooth yet responsive ride with minimum body roll and ample stopping power. The big wagon is built for bitumen cruising.
There is minimum diesel engine noise intrusion into the cabin where firm, flat seats offer only average lateral support. However, there was little to find fault with on a media’s launch drive program on Victoria’s Mornington Penninsula.
With sales in the Australian SUV market shooting up, there’s every reason for Hyundai execs to be optimistic about the future. The Santa Fe Series II should hold its own in segment sales and possibly even add to its haul of industry accolades.
AT A GLANCE
MODEL LINE-UP
Active 2.4 GDi petrol AWD: $38,490 (manual), $40,990 (automatic)
Active 2.2 CRDi diesel AWD: $41,490 (manual), $43,990 (automatic)
Elite 2.2 CRDi diesel AWD: $49,990 (automatic)
Highlander 2.2 CRDi diesel: AWD: $43,990 (automatic)
Note: These prices do not include dealer or government charges. Contact your local Hyundai dealer for drive-away prices.
