SUV : Hyundai Santa Fe

In the US, the Hyundai Santa Fe is a bestseller. But what about the new edition in Europe? Thanks to the mighty "cascade grille", the narrow headlight eyes and the massive wheel arches in which rest on request 19-inch wheels with 235er rubbers, the competition of the five-meter SUV against the 4.77-meter-long Korean really does not work more threatening.

Of course, Hyundai also offers its flagship with a fully retractable third row of seats. However, as is so often the case - and the wheelbase of 2.77 meters can not change that - reserved for the little people and the short-haul route. But who is traveling in normal occupation, who can perform in the second row of joy dances, because the seating can be moved separately in the longitudinal direction and are on request the knees or the luggage compartment more space. The latter ideally provides 625 liters. However, if the second row is pushed all the way backwards in terms of passenger comfort, there are 534 liters, which can be expanded to 1680 liters with the backrest folded down. Ample space for the luggage of two to five people.

This is of course all very good, but meanwhile, it is the case that the buyer in addition to a stylish look and a lot of space also attaches importance to a number of assistance systems, the year before the day and just like the automatic transmission, the "real" motorists only a contemptible "pff, I do not need to" pressed out between the lips. And since some of the assistants have nothing to do with the driving skills, but are simply helpful, they should not be suppressed at this point.

There is, for example, the rear cross-traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist. Behind the bulky English name hides nothing more than a well-functioning cross-traffic warning, which in case of emergency also times strong in the iron to prevent a collision. The Saftey Exit Assist, which ensures that the rear doors remain locked as long as a vehicle approaches, works extremely well. This is always noticeable when the cocky youth wants to get out of the car quickly and then yells loudly because the doors are locked. Another fine assistant is the Tailgate Open Guide. It measures the distance of the tailgate to the wall or ceiling in an underground car park. If this is too low, the system warns acoustically and thus avoids damage to paint and metal sheet.  Okay, that may not have been the must-haves right now, but they are useful and they work very well. The around-view monitor, which presents its image on an eight-inch TFT in the test car, did not prove to be that error-free. For the display, cameras are used on the front and rear as well as on the underside of the exterior mirrors to create a 360-degree view of the car from a bird's eye view. If it works, that's also very helpful. In the test car but froze several times the image on the monitor and showed up even after a long journey and a repeated parking on the screen. Only after a longer standstill and a restart the system works normally again.

The combination of Lane Keeping Assist, cruise control and distance radar proved to be more reliable. A team that empowers Santa Fe to semi-autonomous driving and reliably moves and slows down in stop-and-go. The fact that the independent drive is only possible up to 160 km is a pity, because the test car, fueled by the 2.2-liter four-cylinder diesel with Euro-6d-Temp, which makes 200 hp, can quite easily up to 203 km / h are accelerated. What is a bit annoying is the fact that the lane-keeping assistant is permanently at work with the start of the car. That means, especially in construction areas on highways, but also on rural roads and in the city, the system constantly lurches at the steering. If you do not like that, you can put an end to it at the push of a button.

But let's take another look at the big diesel. The is a bit loud and grumpy shortly after the start, but enjoys in everyday use by its powerful passage, supported by its maximum torque of 440 Newton meters, which rests at 3800 crankshaft revolutions. In 9.0 seconds, the sprint of nearly 2.0 tonnes Santa Fe is completed at 100 km / h. Who can leave the foot on the gas, pleased about the uninterrupted work of the eight-speed automatic. Another pleasure is the variable and slip-dependent four-wheel drive, which Hyundai has developed itself and which operates under the symbol HTRAC.  With the right power distribution - which is distributed in the sport mode in a ratio of 50 to 50 at the front and rear axle - and with the direct, good feedback delivering steering, the edges can swing in an emergency, sometimes dynamically around the corner. In principle, the great Koreans but no sports car and not designed as such. Its advantages are clearly on the long haul, so in endurance. Nothing bothers him here. He cleanly overflows the unfriendliness of the road and keeps it, as far as possible, apart from an adaptive suspension in this power class, away from the inmates.

In the clear interpretation of the long-haul but surprised at the end of the drive but the consumption. Even with cautious driving consumed the 2.2-liter diesel in the test 9.3 liters. This is clearly too much in view of the consumption of 6.0 liters noted by Hyundai in the data sheet. Who says now, well then I take the smaller diesel, which generates 150 hp from a displacement of 1995 cubic centimeters, could be disappointed in two ways. On the one hand, the power output is lower, on the other hand, the consumption of the Koreans in the all-wheel drive with identical values. Then you prefer more power and more driving pleasure.

If the Santa Fe would offer in many respects as a real premium fright, he fails with such trivial things, unfortunately, to this claim. Too bad, because in sum, the Korean SUV is a really successful car that can compete in many details with the competition. Because in the end, not only the price, but of course also the five-year warranty still offered by Hyundai, which can only be surpassed by the sister brand Kia.