– By Marc Sibbald –
I think I may have broken a cardinal rule for motoring journalists with this review because I forgot to take any notes and waited four weeks before writing it. In my defence, the review was over as soon as my wife said “I would buy this car”.
In this kind of work I take home many different cars so my wife takes pride in providing feedback on the good and bad points of each car from her perspective. This is important because like most households she makes most of the purchase decisions and if she doesn’t like a car it has zero chance of ever making a permanent home in our driveway.
There hasn’t been a car that she hated but the subtle things can put her off if they aren’t practical or don’t enhance the driving experience. Quite often she urges me to include her comments in the reviews but I have resisted until now.
The car we reviewed was the a Santa Fe Active 2.2 diesel automatic. It was fantastic! A big seven seater with more room than a large sedan but small and nimble on the road. Great power and economy from the diesel engine. There was enough technology (with the beeps and warning sounds included) to assist with driving and keep everyone safe but not too much to be annoying.
I considered the car from a fleet driver’s perspective and it certainly ticks all the boxes for city driving and regional long hauls. The controls are easy to use and not distracting. It even had Apple CarPlay which took a while for me to adapt into my routine but once I started using it I was lost without it.
The boot area is huge when the third row seat is folded down and its sufficient for small items when the third row is in place for the weekend family adventures.
I haven’t driven the petrol version but the diesel performed so well; and according to Hyundai it’s the main seller to fleet customers because of the fuel economy.
Sorry I haven’t got any notes to provide a more detail review but I think I’ve covered the main points. For more information contact the fleet team at Hyundai and organise a test drive for yourself.
For tool of trade or a novated lease the Santa Fe ticks all the boxes. And it’s the first vehicle to pass all the requirements of Fleet Auto News’ toughest reviewer – which is a big achievement.
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