Hyundai Santa Fe 2013 review

Okay. Time to get into the nitty gritty. After a few thousand kilometres behind the wheel of this car there's not much we'd change -- but no car is perfect.

The wife is always a hard marker. Women view cars differently and look for things a man might not see as important, which is why I value her opinion. This time however Mrs Riley had nothing much to say about the Santa Fe, except to ask: "Can we keep it?"

Me? I've always got something to say. Six years ago we criticised the car's leather-clad steering wheel for being so smooth it was almost slippery. Ironically, the cross stitching of the leather in our current test model is too prominent - in fact it's almost rough under hand.

Digital 

Please, oh please, Hyundai give us a the option to display the car's speed digitally? It's not a biggy but it's something we always look for, what with the proliferation of speed cameras these days. Digital is always going to be more accurate.

Multimedia

One of the highlights of the car as far as I'm concerned is the 7 inch touchscreen computer system that incorporates satellite navigation. It includes SUNA live traffic updates, lane guidance, junction views, speed limits, speed warnings and camera alerts. Also included is a 3-year NAVTEQ MapCare plan, which provides up to two annual complimentary map updates  not that they're updated frequently anyway.

Audio

Both the Elite and Highlander models get the premium 10-speaker sound system with two door and two rear speakers, two tweeters, two third row speakers, a centre speaker and an 8 inch subwoofer  all powered by an external amplifier.

Performance

The other major highlight is the Santa Fe's 2.2-litre turbo diesel. Producing 145kW of power and 436Nm of torque in combination with with the auto (421Nm with manual), it's nice and quiet, and barely noticeable inside the cabin. The engine is paired with Hyundai's in-house 6-speed auto, with the facility to change gears manually if desired, delivering a good mix of power and economy.

Fuel consumption

Fuel consumption for the diesel is rated at 7.3 litres/100km and it has a 64-litre tank giving it a theoretical range of 867km. We've clocked up about 3000km so far, with a best of 806km from a single tank. Currently the trip computer is showing 8.4 litres/100km  -- good for a vehicle this size.

Also: Hyundai Santa Fe Elite diesel review | long term 1