Wagons roll - Hyundai stakes 4WD claim

By DAVID LINKLATER

Now here's a novel idea: an off-roader that takes its styling inspiration from a coupe.

Hyundai's sexy new Santa Fe may plant its broad footprint firmly in the five-door wagon category, but a lot of those striking sheet metal shapes come straight from the Korean company's Coupe.

Like the Coupe, the Santa Fe was designed at Hyundai's Californian studio. And like the Coupe, the Santa Fe's standout styling features are a prominent nose, outrageously arched front guards and loads of concave curves through its centre section.

It's the same inside, where you'll search in vain for a straight edge along the dashboard and door trims.

Is this CAD gone mad? Perhaps. But the Santa Fe is making as much of an impression in a new segment for Hyundai as the Coupe did back in 1996.

Korea's coolest wagon is set for New Zealand launch in November, where it will do battle with other medium-size off-roaders like the Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4 and Suzuki Vitara.

Three versions of the Santa Fe will be offered: a 108kW 2.4-litre four-cylinder GL in two or four-wheel drive, and a range-topping 129kW 2.7 V6 GLS with four-wheel drive only.

A five-speed manual transmission is standard with the 2.4, while the 2.7 V6 (which has the same engine as the Trajet MPV) uses an electronic four-speed automatic with adaptive shifting and a Tiptronic-style "H-Matic" mode.

Hyundai is still to finalise pricing, but expect the entry car to cost under $35,000 (with a $3000 premium for four-wheel-drive) and the fully loaded V6 to sit around $45,000.

Standard equipment on the GL includes dual airbags, pretensioned and load-limited seatbelts, air conditioning, keyless entry with alarm, and power windows and mirrors.

The luxury GLS adds anti-lock brakes with electronic force distribution, traction control and a CD player. Full leather trim will be an option.

The price-leading front-drive Santa Fe will be unique in the segment, but it's an eminently sensible offering when you consider that these kinds of vehicles do 95 per cent of their work on the sealed stuff.

The four-wheel-drive variants use a full-time viscous-coupling system which splits the power 60/40 front-to-rear in normal conditions, but redirects the drive to where it's most useful when the going gets slippery. Both transmissions are single range only.

Last week local importer Hyundai Automotive broke out two pre-production Santa Fes for the media to sample: a 2.4 four-wheel-drive (pictured) and a 2.7 GLS V6.

The entry car can be picked by its single-colour exterior finish and 15-inch wheels. The V6 sports a two-tone colour scheme and rides on 16-inch alloys.

The Santa Fe's dimensions place it half a class up from the RAV4 and Vitara, but line-ball with the CR-V.

It has the same 2620mm wheelbase as the Honda, is 25mm wider at 1730mm but just 20mm shorter at 4500mm.

The tailgate features an American-style wiper mounting which keeps the blade off the glass, a huge grip-type handle and a separately hinged glass hatch.

The softly sprung Santa Fe coped well with rough tracks and loose surfaces during our drive, but it's strictly a light-duty off-roader even in four-wheel-drive guise. Ground clearance is good at 207mm, but like its Honda and Toyota rivals it is built on a unitary chassis and has car-like suspension to ensure good on-road handling.

There's not a lot of axle articulation to "walk" you over ruts and rocks. Look at the the picture and you'll see how little extension there is in the Hyundai's double wishbone rear suspension, as the car sits with one rear wheel dangling in the air.

A brief drive of the GLS model on the open road showcased a throaty growl from the V6 engine and slick semi-automatic shifts from the H-Matic transmission, though first impressions suggest its steering and handling are not up to the high standards of the CR-V and RAV4.

Practicality is a strong point. The high cabin offers plenty of room, there are plenty of storage spaces (including a sunglass holder) and the rear seats have a double folding function that creates a flat load floor.

Roof rails and a large luggage net are standard on both Santa Fe models.