Hyundai Santa Fe 2.2 CRDI road test: the ultimate family SUV

The Hyundai Santa Fe first reached the market 20 years ago as the Korean brand’s firm bet to compete in the SUV segment. Over the years, it has established itself in the range and evolved in parallel with the company itself, so each of its four generations has considerably improved on the one before.

The fourth generation of the crossover arrived in 2018, this time with a much more family-oriented vocation than previous editions, as we were able to see in the first drive of the Hyundai Santa Fe. Proof of this is that it comes with seven seats as standard, so it aims to become an alternative to the MPVs of yesteryear and rival models such as the Peugeot 5008 that we also tested.

In recent years, the market trend has been clear: the SUV segment has severely hit sales of MPVs and saloons. As a result, Hyundai expanded its SUV range to make it one of the most complete on the market, with three models: the Hyundai Kona, the Hyundai Tucson and the Hyundai Santa Fe. With these, it has crossovers to meet both the most urban needs and the most family-oriented ones.

In addition, the Seoul-based manufacturer has positioned itself as one of the main players in the shift towards green mobility. For this reason, its range includes every type of electrification: MHEV or mild hybrid, HEV or full hybrids, PHEV or plug-in hybrids and EV or 100% electric models.

As if that were not enough, they have been pioneers in developing hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles, so their range includes the Hyundai Nexo, a model that our colleagues at DrivingEco have already compared with the Toyota Mirai.

The Hyundai Santa Fe has just announced a major update, bringing a new look and a high dose of technology. Although the natural tendency is to go for the latest, it may be a great moment to get hold of one of the last units of the “pre-facelift” version, that is, the one we have been able to test.

The Hyundai Santa Fe is a feast for the eyes

Without a doubt, one of the Hyundai Santa Fe’s great assets is its design, as it manages to stand out from its rivals and bring the brand’s design language to XL format. The part of the car with the most personality is the front end, which features a powerful grille with a moustache-like trim that underlines its upper section and holds the headlights.

The front lights have a very narrow, slanted design, which contrasts with the generous size of the fog lights. This characteristic layout will be familiar from other models from the brand, as it is the same one first introduced by the Hyundai Kona that we have tested –in its hybrid version and in its electric version– in 2017.

Looking at the car in profile, we can see very fluid lines dominated by a large crease that starts at the front light and ends at the rear one. In addition, there are plastic protectors on the sills and wheel arches, which further enhances its rugged look. There are also metallic-finish mouldings on both the lower part of the bodywork and the window frames, matching perfectly with the roof rails in the same finish. To top it off, the Hyundai Santa Fe comes with 18-inch alloy wheels fitted with 235/60 R18 tyres, good dimensions for tackling obstacles.

The rear end does not spoil the overall look, with sharply defined light clusters and a chrome trim that joins them. To complete the picture, the Hyundai Santa Fe has a generous metallic-effect protector and, a rara avis, two real exhaust outlets, as Hyundai has not given in – at least not yet – to the fashion for fake exhausts.

The differences compared with the new version are notable, but not nearly radical enough to make this version look outdated. On the 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe, the front grille takes on greater prominence and the chrome “moustache” we mentioned earlier now underlines the lower part of it.

While the side of the Korean SUV remains virtually identical in this update, we can see slight changes at the rear. The rear lights have the same shape, although the design is different and, following the trend for joined-up rear lights, the chrome trim of our test version is replaced by a reflector strip that links them.

Therefore, the cosmetic changes are not a big enough reason to forget about the Hyundai Santa Fe we have tested. In fact, it is a matter of taste, since some may prefer the previous version to the brand’s new facelift (not to mention if it comes with a juicy discount).

The perfect traveller

The Hyundai Santa Fe is an SUV with a clear family vocation, so interior space is one of its great strengths.

On opening the door, the largest SUV in the brand’s family offers a great sense of solidity and quality. On the dashboard, we find materials with a pleasant feel and appearance, such as the leather-effect covering of the dashboard with contrast stitching. In addition, there are chrome mouldings adorning the whole and no piano black finishes, so we can forget about unwanted reflections and visible fingerprints.

The seats are especially comfortable, so we can take on long-distance journeys without the body suffering. In addition, the Hyundai Santa Fe is full of practical details, such as the buttons for adjusting the front passenger seat position located on the side of the seat, so the driver can move it without any effort.

The space in the second row of seats is outstanding, as the knee room is spectacular, so an adult can travel with their legs stretched out without any problem.

The third row is another story: although it is roomier than that of the Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace that we tested, it follows the general pattern of family SUVs. Knee room is not particularly generous and the seat sits low to the floor, so passengers’ legs will not be at 90 degrees as in the other seats. Therefore, the rear seats are only recommended for carrying children or, failing that, for short journeys.

The boot offers 547 litres of capacity when the third row of seats is stowed, while the figure drops to 130 litres when they are deployed. The shapes are quite regular and usable, so it beats rivals such as the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV (498 litres) that we tested and falls behind others such as the Seat Tarraco (760 litres).

The 2.2 CRDI engine is a very well-balanced option

In our Hyundai Santa Fe road test, we had the chance to analyse the behaviour of the 2.2 CRDI engine, a powertrain that suits it like a glove.

It is a 4-cylinder turbocharged engine capable of delivering 200 CV, more than enough to move the almost 2,000 kilograms that the whole car weighs with complete ease.

In our unit, the engine was paired with an 8-speed torque converter automatic transmission whose behaviour is excellent and which offers great smoothness in operation. Behind the steering wheel, there are paddles that turn with it to be used when putting the gearbox in sport mode, a function in which the transmission proves quick and obedient.

As for consumption, the Hyundai Santa Fe 2.2 CRDI HTRAC returns averages of around 8 l/100 km. Without a doubt, this is a very reasonable figure considering that we are dealing with a two-tonne car, with all-wheel drive and aerodynamics that do not help much in achieving low consumption.

In addition, the Hyundai Santa Fe offers a dynamic control selector called Drive Mode with which we can choose between four driving modes: Comfort, Eco, Sport and Smart. Depending on the programme chosen, we will get a stronger response when accelerating and the gearbox will hold the gears longer.

The Hyundai Santa Fe that we were able to test is fitted with the HTRAC all-wheel drive system, capable of distributing up to 50% of the power to each axle. It works excellently and is very well suited to tackling surfaces with limited grip.

The suspension tuning is also a success, as it is surprising how well it absorbs road irregularities and, at the same time, reduces body roll. Thanks to this, the Hyundai Santa Fe offers a composure that gives the driver an excellent feeling of safety.

A truly complete standard equipment list

If you want a family SUV with standard equipment as complete as that of the Hyundai Santa Fe, you will have very few options on the market that include such a full specification from their most basic trim:

The equipment level of our test unit was Tecno, which already includes 18-inch alloy wheels, tinted glass, an opening panoramic roof, leather upholstery, heated front and rear seats, an instrument cluster with a 7-inch TFT screen, a multimedia system with an 8-inch screen and even a premium sound system by Krell.

If the standard equipment still does not seem overwhelming to you, don’t worry, the Hyundai Santa Fe’s extensive set of safety features is still to come. It comes under the Hyundai Smart Sense package and includes features such as full LED headlights, lane departure warning, emergency braking with pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise control and an automatic parking system.

Finally, one of the safety solutions that we loved in the Hyundai Santa Fe is the mirror cameras. When we activate the indicator stalk, what the mirror camera sees is displayed in the instrument cluster, so we can complement the view in the mirror with that of the camera. Without a doubt, it is very useful for taking the blind spot into account when changing lane and is a simpler and more practical solution than the Virtual Mirrors of the Audi e-tron.

The perfect time to buy a Hyundai Santa Fe

As we mentioned earlier, the 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe has just reached the market, so the version we have tested is no longer the latest. Far from seeing this as a problem, we can see it as an opportunity, as it may be the time to get hold of a unit like our test car at a more attractive price.

At the moment, Hyundai has a promotion that takes no less than 7,200 euros off the price of the Santa Fe, so a unit as complete as our test car starts from 43,100 euros.

For this price, there are few vehicles on the market able to offer so much quality and standard equipment. If you go one step further and take advantage of the units in stock that will remain at the brand’s dealerships, congratulations, you have made a masterful purchase.

Hyundai Santa Fe image gallery

Technical specifications of this car

Off-RoadHyundai Santa Fe16 versions · from 56,020 €