COVER Hyundai Santa Fe buyer’s guide

Partwatch

Dealer price Independentprice

Part

Frontbrake pads(axle set) £101.53 £36.99-£74.99

Frontbrake disc(pair) £190.80 £91.98-£223.98 Door mirror glass(electric) £68.15 £12.00-£18.98* Frontwiper set £37.36 £21.49

For a 2019 Santa Fe 2.2 CRDi. Dealer prices from allelectric.co.uk Independent prices from eurocarparts.com *Price fromcarwingmirrors.co.uk

Recalls

HYUNDAI has recalled the Santa Fe on just two occasions so far. The first was in February 2021, when 1,879 Hyundais were affected by a campaign caused by faulty eCall systems. All of the cars affected were built between August and December 2020; as well as the Santa Fe, the i20, Kona and Tucson were included in the recall bulletin, the fix for which was to update the software in the electronic control unit.

The second action was issued in May 2022, when 36 Santa Fes were recalled because of faulty instrumentation. All of the cars were built in October, November or December 2021, and they left the factory with problematic liquid-crystal displays in the instrument panel. The fix for this was the replacement of the entire instrument cluster.

Which one?

DUE to its more ready availability and much lower purchase costs, the diesel-engined Santa Fe probably makes the most sense. If you can charge for free, the plug-in hybrid might be worth looking at, although purchase costs are much higher. The hybrid is fine, but disappointing fuel economy isn’t unusual.

All Santa Fes are well equipped, with even the entry-level SE having a seven-inch touchscreen display, 17-inch alloys, dualzone climate control, front and rear parking sensors, and a rear camera.

The Premium added an eight-inch screen, 18-inch wheels, electrically adjustable front seats, LED headlights, heated front and outer rear seats, heated steering wheel, powered tailgate, keyless go and 10-speaker hi-fi. The Premium SE also has ventilated front seats, 360-degree cameras, an opening panoramic roof and 19-inch alloys.

Alternatives

THE Kia Sorento is closely related to the Santa Fe, and it comes with a seven-year warranty to the Hyundai’s five, while the engine options are the same. The Kia is impressive, as are the Volvo XC60 and Audi Q5, which beat the Hyundai in plug-in hybrid form in a group test, and that is why we’d consider both of those very carefully. The Jaguar F-Pace and BMW X3 are also very impressive, but like the Volvo and Audi, they’re five-seaters only.

If you need seven seats, then the Volvo XC90, Audi Q7 and BMW X5 are the alternatives, although these are a lot more expensive. If seven seats are essential, then the Skoda Kodiaq, VW Tiguan Allspace and SEAT Tarraco are your options, while the Nissan X-Trail, Land Rover Discovery Sport and Peugeot 5008 have smaller rear rows.

INTERIOR There’s a commanding view of the road ahead, while 360-degree cameras are available to boost visibility

Verdict

WHATEVER the age or mileage of the Santa Fe Mk4 that you might be thinking of buying, it’ll come with some warranty, thanks to the generous five-year duration and no mileage limit; you’ll also get the balance of 10 years’ worth of free map updates.

That should provide you with some peace of mind, but more important is that you

Interior

THE Santa Fe’s cabin is one of the car’s high spots for several reasons. As well as being very spacious, all models have seven seats as standard, and the Hyundai is comfortable, very well made and very well equipped.

The infotainment system is user-friendly, the ergonomics are excellent and there’s room for seven adults if they’re not too big. With five seats in use, the boot can stow 571 litres, which will be plenty for most buyers’ needs, but drop the back row and this jumps to 1,649 litres, which compares well with what rivals offer.

shouldn’t need to use the warranty, because reliability is one of the key reasons why Santa Fe buyers are such fans of their cars.

There was a time when you bought a Santa Fe despite it lagging behind rivals in several key areas, but those days are gone and the fourth-generation model makes them seem further away than ever.

Contacts

Official hyundai.co.uk Forums santafeforums.com hyundaisantafe.org hyundai-forums.com hyundaiforum.com thehyundaiforums.com