On Wheels by Brooks Peterson

Saturday, August 25, 2001

Honey of a Hyundai

David Adame/Caller-Times

Hyundai’s attractive 2002 Santa Fe takes the middle road between huge gas-guzzling SUVs and sometimes-cramped ‘cute utes.’

Hyundai's automotive offerings have not always drawn plaudits from the automotive press on this side of the Pacific.
   Thanks in large part to the glitches that cropped up in the South Korean firm's very first offering here - the little Excel, which, uh, didn't - motoring scribes in the intervening decade and a half have been stingy with the superlatives.
   To its credit, however, Hyundai just kept on churning out vehicles, each successive model better than its predecessor by a meaningful increment.
   Still, there has been a sort of grudging quality even to the plaudits in the car mags - a "Yeah, but" syndrome. Yeah, this or that model is dramatically improved in terms of structural rigidity, but . . . Yeah, it represents solid value for the buck, and you can't beat that warranty, but . . . Yeah, the standard-equipment list is impressive, but . . .
   At some point, however, a Hyundai product is going to clear that "yeah, but" bar - and the handsome, well-appointed and attractively priced SUV, the Santa Fe that Hyundai rolled into the market for 2001, may be the one to do the job.
   Slow to join fray

David Adame/Caller-Times

The view from the driver’s seat in the Hyundai Santa Fe reveals an attractive instrument panel and steering wheel, with controls laid out in a simple and logical manner.

   Slow in joining the SUV fray, Hyundai has learned from the successes and the flops experienced by the others in the ongoing brawl.
   To begin with, Hyundai noticed that the vast majority of SUVers are urbanites or suburbanites who have no intention of making any serious forays into the boonies. They do, however, like the idea of extra ground clearance, a high-riding stance, and - especially in Rust Belt locales - the availability of some kind of 4-wheel-drive capability.
   But Hyundai didn't stop there: Its deep thinkers concluded that while most consumers don't necessarily want a gas-guzzling juggernaut, neither do they want to cope with the cramped quarters in some of the car-based cute utes that have been flooded the market of late.

David Adame/Caller-Times

The 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe is powered by an all-aluminum, double-overhead cam V-6 of 2.7 liters displacement and 181 hp.

   The result: what Hyundai calls a Crossover Utility vehicle - XUV for short. (Does that compute? You decide.)
   The 2001 Santa Fe shows just how well Hyundai read the signs: While it won't exactly bowl you over with its audacity (see: Isuzu VehiCross) or its sheer excess (see: Ford Excursion), it just may win you over with its competence and confidence.
   It is, for one thing, a handsome cuss, projecting an air of aggression that's just the ticket for Jeremiah Johnson wannabes who would never, ever consider a station wagon.
   A particularly interesting touch is the bulges along the front fender line, reminiscent of the second-generation AMC Javelin. More to the point, they give the driver a useful visual reference point in parking maneuvers.
   Pleasing interior

David Adame/Caller-Times

The rear hatch grip release on the 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe four-wheel-drive SUV is neatly integrated into the overall styling.

   The interior of our mid-line GLS was muted but pleasing, with the cloth upholstery and dash fittings testifying to the progress Hyundai has made on this front over the years. And, for a vehicle in this price class, the level of amenities is formidable: standard A/C, CD/stereo, power windows, locks and outside mirrors, cruise control, and on and on.
   The one extra that just may win you over, though, isn't an extra at all: Every Santa Fe comes with genuinely impressive passenger room, front and back. Throw down the rear seat(s), and you've got cavernous cargo capacity.
   Now, the Santa Fe is definitely at the car-like end of the SUV spectrum: Hyundai opted to plunk the Santa Fe down on the platform of the Sonata mid-size sedan. That of

David Adame/Caller-Times

The Hyundai Santa Fe offers impressive cargo capacity and plenty of room within the passenger compartment.

course means the Santa Fe uses the unibody approach rather than the body-on-frame arrangement that once was considered all but mandatory for SUVs.
   On the road, this makes for a driver- (and passenger-) friendly ute. Due to the increased ride height, the Santa Fe does display some SUV-style lean in the curves, but it's nothing like the kind of teeter-totter effect you used to get in Jurassic-era SUVs. Ride comfort is a far cry from the battering you routinely endured in the old brush-busters.
   Unlike some of the competition, Hyundai not only gives you a choice between 2WD and all-wheel-drive; it also lets you pick between a 2.4-liter four, good for a respectable 149 horsepower, and a 2.7-liter V-6 that generates 181 hp. With the four, you can have a 5-speed manual transmission or a 4-speed automatic. The V-6 comes with the automatic, period.
   Zesty performance
   The six in our tester produced fairly zesty performance for this market segment. The only peculiarity I noted was a certain reluctance to downshift while cruising at

2002 Hyundai Santa Fe Five-passenger, all-wheel-drive sport utility vehicle Base price: $20,799 Price as tested: $21,924 Drivetrain: Dual-overhead-cam 24-valve fuel-injected V-6, 181 hp; four-speed automatic-overdrive transmission Brakes: Front and rear discs, power-assisted EPA mileage: 19 city/23 highway Website: www.hyundaiusa.com

moderate speeds. Of course, if that's a major issue, the transmission lets you shift for yourself with a manual-override feature similar to the arrangement available on most Dodge and Chrysler products.
   Our tester was equipped with the all-wheel-drive. Unlike old-style 4WD, this AWD works full-time, with the front wheels getting 60 percent of the power and the rear wheels 40 percent. It was utterly unobtrusive in operation.
   Drawbacks? There's no low range for the really wild off-road going - but since that isn't this vehicle's mission in any case, you're not likely to miss it.
   Finally, one of the most powerful selling points for the Santa Fe is plain old value for money: With so many SUVs bearing stickers that are enough to induce panic attacks, Hyundai reckons there's a market out there for a high-content vehicle with a less-than-lethal bottom line. After a week with our tester, I wouldn't bet against them. Indeed, I wouldn't be surprised to see a few owners of mega-utes gazing longingly out Santa Fe way as they pump petrol into their vehicles . . . and pump, and pump, and . . .
  
  

---

---

  © 2000 Corpus Christi Caller Times, a Scripps Howard newspaper. All rights reserved.