FIRST DRIVE | Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid melds macho looks with frugal performance

Hyundai has officially launched its new fifth-generation seven-seat Santa Fe model in SA.

Powered by a petrol engine, it has been launched as a single Santa Fe Hybrid Elite AWD model, the first in the country.

Hyundai’s engineers certainly had time to get the large seven-seat formula right after the Palisade model, which continues to be sold alongside the new model, though not for long as its retirement is planned before year-end.

The largest Santa Fe model yet wears a dramatically different, boxier, corporate suit characterised by plenty of H-motifs as LED DRLs and rear light clusters, prominent roof rails, mud guards and 20-inch alloys. It’s more macho than the softer previous generations, and the new American SUV looks should be everyone’s cup of tea.

The 4,830mm length, 1,900mm width, 1,770mm height and a 2,815mm wheel base leaves it marginally smaller than its Palisade and Staria cousins as large size people carriers in the harem, but inside it’s a different story. You enter the cabin easily through large doors, into an atmosphere that’s more luxury shuttle than Mom’s taxi.

Qualitative Alcantara covers pillars and synthetic leather clads the seats, with the front and electric pews heated and ventilated.

The second row benefits from heating only and the rearmost pair relies on the internal air-conditioning with fair rather than generous space for adult occupants yielded, and 413l of space to bundle smaller luggage behind.

Collapsing the row releases 1,148l, and folding the second row increases lugging capacity to a total 2,253l.

The Santa Fe gets a 12.3-inch curved display, digital dials, heated multifunction steering wheel, rear-view camera, parking sensors, Bluetooth, air-conditioning, wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and charge, dual sunroof, ambient lighting, rear window curtains, powered tailgate, many USB C ports, 12V power outlet and a crisp and powerful 12-speaker Bose sound system.

Hyundai’s first hybrid in SA pairs a 132kW/265 NM turbocharged 1.6l four-cylinder petrol engine with a 44kW/264Nm electric motor to produce 175kW and 367Nm as a total system output. A six-speed automatic transmission permanently sends power to all the wheels.

It’s a mild hybrid that self-charges on the move, with no dedicated EV mode. A starter-generator can see the Santa Fe drive on purely electric form at crawl speeds, including in driveways.

The steering wheel paddles fitted are for toggling through the regenerative braking, with a brake duster also equipped. Driving modes of Eco, Comfort, Sport, and Smart optimise performance based on driver preferences and terrain. The HTRAC all-wheel drive system has modes for snow, mud and sand driving.

Driver and safety aids include active cruise control, 360-view monitor, drive-attention warning, blind spot collision-avoidance assist, blind-spot view monitor, rear occupant alert, forward collision avoidance, including for junctions, and lane follow assist.

Six airbags and upper and lower Isofix tethering points in the second and third rows are included.

The first drive revealed a finely-fettled, lush and poised driving seven-seat SUV that’s mostly focused on economic driving.

It encourages a mellow, family-friendly gait, but with more than sufficient performance from the hybrid drivetrain. It’s claimed to use 7.5l/100km on average, but three-up we managed a more realistic 8.6l/100km.

The new Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid Elite AWD is priced at R1,249,900 and comes standard with a seven-year/200,000km warranty and eight-year/160,000km warranty for the hybrid battery pack.