FIRST DRIVE: Hyundai Santa Fe Premium 2.2 CRDi 7 seat (From Free Press Series)

FIRST DRIVE: Hyundai Santa Fe Premium 2.2 CRDi 7 seat

2:50pm Friday 5th February 2010

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WHATEVER the detractors say, there will always be a place in the market for family-size SUVs.

Some will convince you that the cars are old fashioned, unwieldy and lacking a purpose.

What the critics will fail to mention is that the ‘bad’ SUVs were always like that and never deserved to succeed. Good ones will always find a home - good ones like Hyundai’s Santa Fe.

While European car makers might shout the loudest, Hyundai just gets on with the job in hand. Modest would be a fitting description for its Santa Fe.

Although refreshed for 2010 this generation of Santa Fe has, since launch, cleverly balanced pleasing looks with enough ability to match its attention-seeking rivals.

On the outside the updates are subtle - the car’s conservative, smooth lines have been retained. You won’t see much in the way of brash chrome trim or fussy details here. What you do get is a mid-size 4x4 that hides its size well with a combination of pleasing looks and a balanced sense of proportion.

The same is true on the inside; anyone seeking a glitzy cabin full of gimmicks will be sorely disappointed. Mindful that, whisper it, some of these cars actually get used properly, Hyundai’s has opted for a more practical and durable approach than some rivals.

Far from being plain, however, the Santa Fe’s cabin is full of high quality materials. Only this cabin doesn’t mind getting dirty, either. ‘Precious’ is not a word in Hyundai’s vocabulary. Still, the seats are comfortable, especially in leather trim, while the fascia and the various controls and displays are well though out.

Equipment levels are also good; the Premium-spec model boasts the aforementioned leather seats, iPod and MP3 music player inputs, electric everything, climate control and a plenty of cabin storage for phones, drinks, maps and the like.

You can also specify a seven-seat option, which goes a long way to cementing the Santa Fe’s role as a genuine family-orientated vehicle. In five-seat trim the car offers an impressive amount of luggage space, while the seven-seat option adds more versatility if you regularly carry a lot of people.

And it’s this underlying versatility that’s most obvious in the way the Santa Fe drives. For most people buying SUVs the default fuel has become diesel, and the Santa Fe’s new engine is an impressive and rounded performer. Refined, punchy, quiet when it needs to be and flexible when you want it to be, the 2.2-litre unit offers an excellent blend of performance, economy plus a sensible CO2 rating.

With its 194bhp and 311 lb/ft torque (322 in conjunction with an auto gearbox), the engine allows for effortless cruising and towing plus more than enough grunt to easily embarrass other commuters on the way to work. Away from the daily grind, the car’s switchable all-wheel drive system ensures that you’ll never, within reason, be stuck. With a choice between pure front-wheel drive, an automatically switching all-wheel drive function and the ability to lock the vehicle in four-wheel drive when the going gets really tough. There are no confusing levers to contend with, just a handily placed rotary dial down by the gear lever.

Or the gear selector - if you opt for the slick six-speed auto unit. Both gearboxes are six-speeders but the auto adds a welcome extra level of refinement and convenience, which will no doubt be appreciated by anyone who regularly tows or goes off road.

At the end of the day, Hyundai’s Santa Fe delivers a balanced mix of creature comforts, refinement and cabin space. The seven-seat variant adds another layer of versatility without any hint of a compromise.

Factor in a genuinely impressive diesel engine, the smooth, optional auto gearbox and on-road performance to rival any similarly priced large estate car plus Hyundai’s class-busting five-year warranty and you don’t need to ask why the Santa Fe is a good idea.