Hyundai’s reinterpretation of its Santa Fe midsize sport-ute is kitted to take on the loaded boys
THE previous Hyundai Santa Fe was no cheapo job, and coming at around P1.6 million it landed smack in the middle of the Japanese truck-based SUVs’ neighborhood—a fiercely competitive piece of real estate.

But its comfier digs, car-like manners (a result of it not riding on truck underpinnings) and less, well, truck-ish looks let it command its own following from people who wanted a more refined, more sophisticated car that could seat seven—if push did come to a shove. The Santa Fe has got something going in there.

In its new-generation form, it’s obvious the model isn’t one to slack and stick around in the old ’hood. That’s because Hyundai had kitted up the latest Santa Fe—especially the top-spec 2.2L Premium GLS 4WD—with more upscale stuff and stylish sheet metal, and had accordingly jacked up its price to undercut P2.5-million-plus premium models like Ford’s six-pot Explorer and the Honda Pilot. The Santa Fe’s 4x2 variant stays put in its middle-class digs, but the four-wheeler, which costs P2.228 million, surely isn’t.

What does two million and change buy you? Besides four-wheel drivetrain, standard are leather-wrapped perches where the driver’s can be adjusted eight ways and the front passenger’s four ways by pressing some buttons (although the third-row seats don’t fold or tuck away electronically, unlike in the Ford Explorer’s); dual-zone automatic climate control with additional switches for the rear passengers; leather-covered steering wheel with buttons for the audio, Bluetooth and cruise controls; a trick rear-view mirror that dims itself; a multimedia system whose various functions can be accessed via a 4.3-inch touch-screen panel; a trip computer that reads out sundry info like average fuel use and how far can you drive before you run dry; and a large—really large—sunroof that spans almost the entire roof of the car.

And then there are the requisite traction, stability and hill-descent controls, numerous airbags and rear parking assist with camera. The new Santa Fe packs much. You can even select from among three modes the boost levels of its electrically assisted steering.

That last bit is telling as Hyundai has apparently made an effort to infuse some driving dynamics into the new Santa Fe—and to a degree it succeeds. The latest car’s steering feels like it’s actually connected to something mechanical, however vaguely it still does, and this despite the 19-inch wheels that the 4WD variant wears. But for a large car the new Santa Fe steers around corners precisely enough and without tilting to one side too much.

With all the cushy features crammed into it, the Santa Fe is expectedly comfortable and luxurious, matching its price tag. But the more interesting bit is at how the new car trumps the old one in terms of refinement on the road. I’m not sure how much poundage the Santa Fe has gained but now the car feels more hefty—not in a lumbering, sluggish way but in the manner at how it just feels more substantial, where the levels of noise, vibration and harshness that manage to reach the cabin are kept low. Quite likely, this is the result of a more rigid structure, better insulation and improved suspension tweaking, all of which should also explain the car’s enhanced road manners.

If only its engine is as muted. All right, it’s a diesel mill, but still there’s more valvetrain clatter in it than I appreciate, and the notes it emits at full throttle aren’t that refined. It isn’t terrible, but I expect more since it powers a car that breaches the P2-million mark.

Thankfully, this 2.2-liter engine, fed by a common rail system with piezo injectors and boosted by a variable geometry turbo-charger, dispenses enough power to haul the Santa Fe briskly. It makes 194 horsepower at 3,800rpm and, more important, 422 Newton-meter of torque from 1,800rpm to 2,500rpm, so the grunt is pretty usable in stop-and-go city traffic and expressway cruising. The modern six-speed automatic transmission to which it bolts is flawless in both shifting and in the spacing of its ratios. This thing is smooth.

As it should be. Remember, in the new neighborhood it had moved in, the Santa Fe is up against some pretty loaded boys.