Hyundai Santa Fe

Our verdict

One of those cars that, despite being quite good, really struggles to get beyond it’s own slightly iffy identity. SUVs are a style statement. Hyundai really isn’t.

Comfort

As you’d expect from a soft roader like this, the Santa Fe rides well, sucking up the bumps with aplomb. A new 2.2-litre diesel engine is also quite quiet, meaning refinement is surprisingly good.

Performance

The Santa Fe isn’t quick. Was never going to be was it? The diesel and petrol engines both produce the same unimpressive performance figures, but combine the V6 petrol with its poor automatic gearbox option and it gets worse.

Cool

Jog on. The Santa Fe is a joke in this department. Nothing smacks harder of desperation than a new, cheap, Korean SUV. Buy it because it’s practical by all means, but be under no allusions about how it makes you look.

Quality

Nothing to worry about here – Hyundai have been building decent, reliable cars for a while and besides, there’s a proper warranty as back-up if anything does go wrong.

Handling

The tall and softly sprung Santa Fe rolls around fairly alarmingly, a problem that’s only exacerbated by woolly steering. A bias towards front wheel drive also makes it more prone to understeer.

Practicality

The Santa Fe has a trick up its sleeve here. You can get it with seven seats now. The third row is cramped but will do the job for little ‘uns, and fold the lot flat and you have a massive load space in there.

Running costs

As a seven seater the Santa Fe is a comparative bargain, and the diesel returns decent MPG if you opt for a manual. Residuals won’t be great though. It is, after all, still a Hyundai.