[ĐÁNH GIÁ XE] Hyundai SantaFe - a family car worth the money in its segment (part 1)

The 4th generation Hyundai SantaFe is one of the most popular mid-sized family cars in Vietnam and regularly appears in the top 10 best-selling car models each month. This is a formidable competitor to Toyota Fortuner or Ford Everest in the 7-seat SUV/CUV segment.

Hyundai SantaFe was first introduced in Vietnam in 2007, positioned in the same price range as Ford Everest and Toyota Fortuner. For more than 10 years, Hyundai’s crossover model has been trusted by many Vietnamese customers thanks to its modern design, many amenities and optimal performance. Entering the fourth generation, Hyundai SantaFe has been strongly upgraded in terms of interior, exterior as well as safety features. The fourth generation Hyundai SantaFe is assembled domestically and has 6 versions with prices ranging from 995 million VND to 1,245 billion VND.

Eye-catching exterior

Hyundai SantaFe has an overall length of 4,770 mm, width of 1,890 mm, height of 1,680 mm, and wheelbase of 2,765 mm. Compared to the old version, the 4th generation SantaFe is 70 mm longer, 10 mm wider, and has a wheelbase 65 mm larger. Significant changes in size parameters give SantaFe a larger 3-row seat space and luggage compartment and make the 3rd row more useful.

The exterior design of the 4th generation Hyundai SantaFe is a complete transformation compared to the previous generation. The front of the car exudes a strong and modern beauty with the typical waterfall-shaped steering wheel of the Korean car company. Hyundai has arranged a large chrome strip covering the front of the car, combined with 2 LED daytime positioning lights to create a unique mark for SantaFe. Similar to the Hyundai Kona, the SantaFe’s full LED headlight system is placed lower than the navigation lights.

Personally, I find this design very successful in terms of brand impression, but it will make many people wonder that the lighting ability of the light set will be affected by mud when going on muddy roads. That concern is well-founded because Hyundai SantaFe does not have a lamp washing system. However, during 4 days of experiencing the car in continuous rainy weather, I did not see the car’s lighting ability being affected, at least if you travel in urban areas.

The body of the SantaFe has an extremely vibrant design, clearly reflecting Hyundai’s Fluid Sculpture design language. Each line on the Hyundai SantaFe is more refined, giving the car a youthful and dynamic appearance, suitable for young, individual customers.

Stretching along the body of the car are embossed lines, combined with large wheel arches and some chrome-plated details to further emphasize the premium look of the car. The high-end diesel version of SantaFe has 19-inch alloy wheels with a sculptural multi-dimensional design. The 19-inch size of this set of wheels is large enough to both provide an aesthetic impression and optimize the tire size to provide a smooth experience.

The rear of the Hyundai SantaFe exudes luxury with a prominent rear bumper design and unique 3D LED taillights. The turn signals and reverse lights are integrated into the rear bumper. This design makes the brake light cluster more beautiful but makes it more difficult for vehicles behind to see the turn signal.

The two twin exhaust pipes of the Hyundai SantaFe are still placed to the side like the previous generation and the car still has a regular radio antenna instead of a shark fin. However, these are just two small defects and do not too much affect the overall impressive appearance of Hyundai SantaFe.

Compared with two “real SUV” competitors, Fortuner and Everest, Hyundai SantaFe exudes luxury and urbanity, while two separate SUV models from Toyota and Ford have a muscular, dusty beauty. One of the most important factors affecting the “urban” or “country” look of a car is the ground clearance.

Hyundai SantaFe has a ground clearance of 185 mm, while competitors all have a ground clearance of about 220 mm. For me, the SantaFe’s suitable ground clearance is enough for the car to operate comfortably in the city but can still do light off-road when necessary. Of course, if you often have to go to Ha Giang or to the coal mines in Quang Ninh, nothing is more useful than a hard-axle SUV or pickup truck.

Breakthrough interior

If the 3rd generation Santa Fe has an interior that is not commensurate with the exterior beauty, the current 4th generation has complete beauty inside and out. The dashboard area is designed in 3 floors with the highlight being an 8-inch touch screen that supports Apple Carplay connection and a navigation application developed specifically for the Vietnamese market by Navitel.

Below the screen, the air conditioning vents have a new design and a system of functional buttons. Hyundai SantaFe still maintains physical buttons to increase user friendliness. The materials used mainly for the dashboard area are leather and soft plastic, providing a premium feel to the touch. The roof and pillars are all covered with black velvet, much more advanced than the felt ceilings used by other cars.

All 6 versions of Hyundai SantaFe are equipped with leather seats and an electric driver’s seat. The two highest Premium variants use brown leather upholstery, have an additional electric seat, remember the driver’s seat position and integrate a heating and cooling system for the front seats. Overall, the Santa Fe’s front seat amenities are superior to its competitors with the highlight being the cooling and heating system for both front seats.

The second row of seats can recline, slide and fold in a 60:40 ratio. In addition, thanks to the overall size of the SantaFe being expanded, the legroom in this area increased by 38mm, and the distance to the ceiling increased by 18mm.

Moving down to the third row of seats is also easier with the quick seat folding button integrated in the second row. The third row of seats is also more spacious than the previous version and has its own air conditioning vents.

The steering wheel of the Hyundai SantaFe has a more luxurious design and is covered with high-quality Nappa leather. Integrated buttons on the steering wheel include hands-free calling, audio adjustment, cruise control and gear shift lever. The high-end SantaFe version has a 7-inch LCD screen behind the steering wheel combined with mechanical clocks on both sides (the standard version uses a 3.5-inch LCD screen). This screen can change display color and display mode according to the driving mode the driver chooses.

In addition, the two SantaFe Premium versions also have a HUD display on the windshield to help drivers more easily observe the vehicle’s condition. What’s special is that this HUD system can display warnings from the blind spot warning system. However, the system still does not have enough features like the foreign version of SantaFe, which can display additional satellite navigation and speed signs.

Other high-end amenities of SantaFe include a 6-speaker sound system with integrated Arkamys Premium Sound processor and standard 24bit digital decoder. The car has a 2-zone automatic air conditioning system with Clean Air air filtration system with air conditioning vents for the 3rd row of seats.

In addition, the high-end Santafe has anti-jamming glass doors, Qi wireless charging, charging ports for every row of seats, smart luggage compartment doors that open without touching, Panorama sunroof, anti-glare rearview mirror, electronic handbrake and Auto Hold brake function. It can be seen that Hyundai SantaFe continues to maintain its advantage in convenience compared to competitors in the same segment.

(To be continued)

Vi Pham (Tuoitrethudo)