4x4 review: Hyundai leaves competition high and dry

Hey you! Yes you, the one reading this who is in the market for a value-for-money car that can carry seven people, that won’t surrender when the snow arrives, and that might fool your myopic neighbours into thinking you’ve gone nuts and spent a shedload on a 2011-model Porsche Cayenne.

We’d like to introduce you to our friend, Big Hugh. We think you’ll like him. We certainly do.

Big Hugh (go on, see if you can work out where he got his name from) is a Hyundai Santa Fe. He boasts a feisty but frugal diesel engine, four-wheel drive, and seven seats. The good news is that you can buy one of his identical siblings for a mere £25,295.

Looking resplendent in Style trim, Big Hugh boasts 17-inch alloys, six airbags, air conditioning, self-levelling suspension, reversing sensors and a trick 4WD system with all manner of electric intervention systems to keep him on the straight and narrow. If he had been born a Premium-spec model, he’d have 18-inch alloy wheels, leather seats and dual-zone climate control. He would also cost £1,800 more, but we would still consider that a worthwhile investment.

Hyundai, in tandem with sister company Kia, is on a seemingly unstoppable climb up the sales charts at the moment, and this can be traced back to the Santa Fe’s introduction in 2006. At a stroke, the good-looking, sharp-handling SUV showed that Hyundai had at last learned how to inject some panache into its products and was ready to take on its mainstream rivals.

A few cosmetic changes have kept the Santa Fe looking fresh for 2011, but the big talking point is the engine which, thanks to a power hike, is without peer in this price bracket. 194bhp from the smooth and eager 2.2-litre CRDi unit, fed through a six-speed auto box, ought to be enough to claw the Santa Fe out of most predicaments. It’ll probably startle many a boy racer too.

Inside, the cabin is well put together and trimmed with quality materials. At the risk of tempting fate, it appears that the nasty plastic wood that blighted early versions of this car has been consigned to the bin. Chalk up a victory for the Taste Police.

The Santa Fe shares its powertrain and running gear with sister company Kia’s Sorento (see page 8), so many of the road-test notes for that car apply here. Like the big Kia, the Hyundai’s springs and shock absorbers are tuned for comfort, and the steering is as pleasingly direct.

Big Hugh has now gone back to Hyundai HQ. He made a big impact on all who ventured out in him, and it’ll take a whole lot of car to fill the big void he left behind.