Hyundai Santa Fe Test Drive
The customer loyalty level of Korean car manufacturers is one of the highest in the mass segment. Indeed, what should force the buyer to purchase an “empty” premium crossover, if a larger and better equipped Santa Fe is available for the same money ...
It's amazing how time can change our perception of reality. Three years ago, I was sitting in the Hyundai Motor Studio boutique, then located on Tverskaya directly opposite the telegraph office, and listening to the representatives of the Korean brand. They confidently said that the Santa Fe is a premium crossover that will have to fight not only with the Mitsubishi Outlander and Nissan X-Trail, but also with the Volvo XC60. Then it caused a smile, and the price under $ 26 for the top versions was a surprise. And now, after three years, the same words no longer evoke anything but tacit consent.
In the new reality, Apple is copying the successful decisions of Samsung, South Korea, and Japan is not the only country that can withstand US pressure and not impose sanctions against Russia, and the level of customer loyalty of Korean automakers is one of the highest in the mass segment. Indeed, what should force the buyer to buy an “empty” premium crossover, if a larger, better equipped and not inferior in terms of driving characteristics Santa Fe is available for the same money?
A small restyling, for the sake of which we were once again gathered in Hyundai Motor Studio (now it is located on Novy Arbat), should consolidate Santa Fe's position in the market, make it even more premium and modern. No wonder the car received a prefix in the name - now it's not just Santa Fe, but Santa Fe Premium. On the exterior, the same premium is expressed in a large amount of chrome, darkened headlamps and more modern headlights with, again, darker housings.
Of course, because of these "cosmetics" Hyundai has become more expensive, but now it is more in line with the times. In the interior, the update brought a new climate control unit and a different multimedia system, as well as more soft plastic parts. Now, even in the lower trim levels, Santa Fe has a color and fairly large touchscreen, and in the rich versions, new active safety systems have appeared: monitoring of blind spots, lane control, prevention of frontal collisions and collisions when leaving the parking lot, an automatic valet parking and all-round cameras.
These changes could have been limited, given that in a couple of years the crossover will be deeply restyled. But the Koreans would not be themselves if they did not try to squeeze the maximum out of the situation, so there are changes in technology. The engines have slightly increased power, and new shock absorbers have appeared in the suspension. Moreover, the changes in the gasoline car only affected the rear suspension, but they worked with the diesel crossover in a circle. In addition, the proportion of high-strength steels in the car body was increased, which increased the rigidity of the structure.
In such cases, the main thing is to understand what is behind the update: real improvements or a conventional marketing tool that again draws the attention of potential customers to the model. The answer to the question was supposed to be 300 km from Moscow to Myshkin. The choice of the test route testifies to Hyundai's confidence in its car - the roads in the Yaroslavl region are not the best, and the pre-reform crossover suffered from a tendency to swing, not the best suspension rebound and its short strokes. And the lack of traction of the gasoline engine made each overtaking and leaving the oncoming lane an intense adventure.
While we are jostling in the morning Moscow traffic, it's time to get acquainted with the new multimedia system. Santa Fe now has premium Infinity music. That's just all its premiumness comes down to a big name - the sound is flat, cold and overly digital. Even the equalizer settings do not help - the salon is filled with only monotonous "booze". The graphics of the multimedia are quite primitive, and the processor speed is not enough to promptly update the map following the zoom changes. But the interface is intuitive - searching for a particular function in a submenu does not take much time.
It is impossible not to mention the notorious blue lighting, which has become less, and unsuccessful armrests on the doors. Not only are the upholstery panels made of hard plastic, but also exactly in the place where the left elbow rests, there is a recess for which you need to pull when closing the door. As a result, the left hand has to be held all the time.
There are no complaints about ergonomics - the seats delight with wide adjustment ranges, side support worthy for a car of this class and a good shape of the backrest profile. Both front seats are not only heated, but also ventilated. Moreover, this is not a formal option, the work of which does not correspond to the name - it blows really hard. The steering wheel is traditionally heated for cars of the concern.
The salon is huge both in width and length. Three adult passengers (one of whom weighs well over 100 kg) can be accommodated on the back sofa without problems, and it is not difficult to put a pair of two-meter heavyweight wrestlers one after another. Not only is the legroom huge, but the back of the rear sofa can tilt over a wide range. And the rear sofa has heating with three levels of intensity, and airflow deflectors are located in the racks, which can be directed either at passengers or at fogged windows, which is very convenient. Especially considering the size of the panoramic roof, most of which can be moved.
There is a lot of space for small things in the interior - huge pockets in the doors, a shelf under the center console where you can put your phone, wallet, and documents, deep cup holders, box under the armrest, a huge glove compartment ... New security systems also made me happy. Of course, not all Russian buyers will be happy with the persistent squeak of the lane control system, but I liked these options. Moreover, in Santa Fe, this system is able to recognize not only the markings, but also the border of the curb, even where the road workers forgot to draw a white or yellow line.
However, you can live without options, but without an adequately working suspension, a fast gearbox and a well-tuned steering system - nothing. The problems of Hyundai / Kia cars have been known for a long time - short rear suspension rebound travel, artificial steering effort, vertical swing on gentle waves of the surface and a lack of traction for gasoline engines. At Santa Fe, all these disadvantages remained after restyling, but the efforts of the engineers were minimized.
Of course, the car still sways on the waves, but dangerous resonances arise only if the speed goes far beyond the allowed values. When hanging, it is clearly visible that the rear suspension has almost no rebound travel, but the ride is still not bad: Santa Fe does not notice convex irregularities, but falls into the pits with a loud sound. However, even in this case, things are not as bad as with some other models of Korean brands.
The petrol version with a 2,4 liter engine cannot be called fast. During the test, I went out to overtake, having previously accelerated in my lane. But in most cases, this is a reassurance. I would not recommend such a crossover to fans of active driving, but for most buyers of a motor with a return of 171 hp. enough is enough.
For those who like to travel, the version with a 2,2-liter turbodiesel is better suited. A traction reserve of 440 Nm is enough for overtaking and for assault on a hill that has become limp after the rains. I want to light up this one, since the chassis allows it. Surprisingly, the steering wheel is poured with sufficient force and pleases with feedback in both comfortable and sport modes. In the first case, there is even more information content, and in the second, it is more pleasant to drive the car in a straight line at high speed.
Of the interesting handling features of the Santa Fe, it is worth noting the tendency to twist into turns as the roll increases. Under the gas, the car crouches noticeably, relieves the inner front wheel and slightly tightens the trajectory. It turns out very recklessly, but won't such settings lead to difficulties when avoiding an unexpectedly appeared obstacle?
Santa Fe Premium is not afraid to move off the road, but the driver must always remember that he has a heavy car (almost 1800 kg) with a low ground clearance (185 mm), sufficiently large overhangs and a clutch (multi-disc, electro-hydraulic drive) that connects the rear wheels. If you block the clutch, making the car permanently all-wheel drive, and turn off the stabilization system, then with careful gas operation and careful search for a hook, the Korean crossover is able to climb very far. It is extremely important not to overdo it with speed - with its growth, Santa Fe begins to sway, which threatens to meet the lips of the front bumper with irregularities.
Such a modest update to Santa Fe could not fundamentally change the character of the car and deprive it of major design mistakes, but nevertheless, the Koreans did more than they could. And is there a need for global changes? The Koreans have never hidden that their strategy for success is based on attractive design, rich equipment, inaccessible to competitors, and correctly selected trim levels. And from this point of view, the position of Santa Fe has definitely strengthened. It has become prettier, the list of equipment has been supplemented by options that are mandatory for our time, and prices have remained at an attractive level. What to do - now for success, marketing calculation is much more important than engineering. These are the trends of the times.
