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07/08/2009
By EWAN KENNEDY
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The biggest news in the 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe range is that it's aimed even more than before at the person who wants a genuine 4WD. The Koreans have always shied away from the ‘pretty toy’ area of the SUV market and produced genuine off-road vehicles. The Australian importers of Hyundais just love this and have further improved the Santa Fe by offering a Trek ‘n’ Tow suspension package.
 This package was initially developed for the rugged Hyundai Terracan and so is the real deal. As fitted to the Santa Fe it increases ride height by 20 millimetres to give the 4WD the ability to walk its way over some serious off-road obstacles. At the same time the dampers have are firmed up to improve control and comfort in harsh conditions.
Trek ‘n’ Tow also enhances the towing ability of the Santa Fe. It can take a tow-ball load of up to 180 kilograms. Braked trailers of up to 2000 kg can be hauled. Interestingly, the two-tonne limit now also applies to Santa Fe models with standard suspension.
Safety is a big feature in the 2009 Santa Fe. Primary safety is looked after by ESP traction control and ABS brakes on all variants. Secondary safety items are many and focus around six airbags.
The Hyundai Santa Fe range is also offered in a seven-seat layout in some models. The reasonably sized rear seats are generally intended for children, though adults can be carried with a little bit of squeezing.
Comfort in all Santa Fe models is assured by the use of an air conditioning system with a standard pollen filter, as well as additional ducting to take the conditioned air directly to the rear seat passengers.
Visually, the latest Hyundai Santa Fe can be distinguished by the new chrome-faced radiator grille as well as Mercedes-style door mirrors that incorporate the blinker repeaters. Minor changes to the front and rear bumpers lift the appearance slightly, but the real work has gone into the out-of-sight areas, something that makes a lot of sense in these tough economic times.
Inside the visual changes are also relatively minor, with a ‘piano’ black look to some of the details and alterations to the trim materials. Again, there's a focus on real changes with a modern audio system that now incorporates a USB connection and iPod compatability.
We have just completed some reasonably serious off-road driving in a road test Hyundai Santa Fe fitted with the $2000 Trek ‘n Tow system. And have come away impressed by its ability to climb and descend on loose surfaces, as well as clamber over the sort of rocks and rocky shelves that are normally the domain of big truck-based 4WDs. The Korean and Australian engineers really do deserve a lot of credit for the work they have done.
 On-road the special Santa Fe doesn’t feel quite as comfortable as the standard model, increasing ground clearance can do that to any vehicle and the Santa Fe is no exception. Those who anticipate only using a Santa Fe on normal roads are probably better off without the uprated suspension system.
Buyers wanting a genuine 4WD that can easily double up as a family people mover could do a lot worse than looking at the Hyundai Santa Fe range of vehicles. Like others in the Hyundai stable, it's covered by a five-year warranty with no distance limit.
The complete Santa Fe range, with recommended retail prices (excluding government and dealer charges), is:
SX 2.7 V6 petrol five-seat 2.7-litre petrol: $33,990 (manual), $35,990 (automatic)
SX 2.2 CRDi five-seat 2.2-litre turbo-diesel: $36,990 (manual), $38,990 (automatic)
SLX 2.2 CRDi seven-seat 2.2-litre turbo-diesel: $41,990 (automatic)
Elite 2.2 CRDi seven-seat 2.2-litre turbo-diesel: $46,990 (automatic)
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