20 – AUTONEWS - AA CLUB OF KENYA MAGAZINE
NEW VEHICLE
REVIEW
Hyundai’s Santa Fe: A value
proposition hard to ignore
Not all great vehicles come from Japan and Germany. Trevor Lamenya
samples something from Korea and is pleasantly surprised
S
oft roader buyers are the
hardest to please; the want
style, practicality, reliability,
safety and performance in
one package. Toyota quickly seized
the opportunity and began devel-
oped the hugely successful RAV-4
two decades ago, with the rest of the
heard following in tow. Fast forward
to 2016, the stakes are even higher
than before, niche manufacturers like
Mercedes, Land Rover and BMW are
now jostling for the same piece of the
soft roader pie. Hyundai hasn’t been
left out of the equation, in fact its
flagship soft roader the Santa Fe has
transformed
from the
‘It’s an angry look
perennial
with a bold hexagonal
underdog to
front grille, Xenon
a contender
to the
with a striking
throne.
eyelash, gloss black
The Santa
finishes across the
Fe is now
body’
in its third
incarnation, it’s bigger, loaded with
technology and practical. The biggest
question still remains; will it be able
to challenge the local big wigs like
the Nissan X-Trail, Honda CRV and
Toyota RAV-4.
The design:
The latest Santa Fe looks the part,
with Hyundai using what it calls
“Storm Edge” styling, based on the
images created by nature during the
formation of a storm. Much of its
new design language is credited to
the input of Peter Schreyer, head of
design and president of Hyundai. Just
to jog your memory, Mr. Schreyer was
responsible for Audi’s catchy design
language; big grill, flowing symmetry
and use of exquisite materials.
It’s an angry look with a bold hexago-
nal front grille, Xenon with a striking
eyelash, gloss black finishes across
the body, rear diffuser, and very cool
19” wheels in range-topping Premium
spec.
The Cabin:
The interior layout is simple and
logical, which is nice in the sense that
buttons are used for exactly what they
are intended for. Just like the rivals
Nissan X Trail and Toyota RAV 4,
the Santa FE Premium Has optional
extras like a full color display, satellite
navigation and power tailgate just
to mention but a few. For the penny
pinchers then the entry level ‘Safari’
spec comes with fewer goodies with
the main difference being the mono-
chromatic blue screens for the radio
and climate control and no power
tailgate.
Cabin finishes are ‘Germanic’ top
notch with leather seats, soft finishes,
subtle silver badging, and piano black
surfaces all creating a premium feel. I
must just say that as much as the third
row is easy to access, it’s still mainly
for children, and when in use kills
boot space.
The top-of-the-range Santa Fe I
tested had a 5 inch screen display that