I've been a car fan since I was a little boy but I don't really understand the current SUV phenomenon.
Why would somebody buy a vehicle whose poor aerodynamics, four-wheel drive and heavy body are going to add thousands of rands to their annual fuel bill?
Why would somebody buy a vehicle whose raised centre of gravity and soft suspension compromise handling, roadholding, cornering and, ultimately, road safety? Why would somebody buy a vehicle with four-wheel drive and never take it off the road?
So when the people at Hyundai SA delivered their new Santa Fe SUV to me to try for a week I was prepared to hate the thing on sight.
After all, it's the archetypal SUV. It's a four-wheel drive but it has no low-range gearbox for serious off-roading. It's softly sprung and it has a 2.7-litre V6 motor that's more suited to a luxury car than a 4x4.
In fact, the car is built on an extensively revised version of the Sonata midsize car platform. Consequently, the Santa Fe is every inch the very definition of a soft-roader.
But by the time it came to give the Santa Fe back I was actually enjoying it - and the silly thing is that I spent most of my time with the car stuck in heavy traffic jams schlepping backwards and forwards from Pretoria to Johannesburg.
There's something to be said for the higher driving position of an SUV. Combine that with the silky motor, a smooth four-speed automatic gearbox, an efficient air conditioner and a quality sound system and suddenly traffic jams are no longer the horrendous hassle they used to be.
What's more, I suspect most Santa Fes are going to spend their lives on the highway and in traffic jams.
The Santa Fe was originally designed by Hyundai's design centre in California; it has been given a slight facelift for 2005. Exterior upgrades include a new grille, side cladding, new tail lights, redesigned tailgate handle, new rear bumper design and new 16-inch alloy wheels.
Interior changes include a new instrument cluster, new leather seats and a richer two-tone colour scheme.
It's obvious the moment you fire it up and slip it into drive that the car was designed by Americans for Americans. The ride is silky smooth and silent, with almost no wind or tyre roar.
The power steering makes manoeuvring the car easy, although I found the steering always wanted to centre itself, which sometimes made cornering less than precise.
Big leather seats
The interior of the Santa Fe is also designed for city slickers. The big leather seats are extremely comfortable and the design is neat and efficient although you seem to be surrounded by acres of dashboard plastic.
The instruments are easy to read, the air-con and radio controls are neatly laid out and easy to work. And, of course, the regulation cup holders are strategically placed for driver and front passenger.
It all fits together very well and there were no rattles or nasty gaps in the panel fitment.
The list of safety and convenience features includes driver and passenger crash bags, side impact protection beams and a high-mounted third brake light.
The luxury list is even longer: air conditioning, a radio/CD audio system, cruise control, boot lamp, electric windows, folding rear seats, leather steering wheel, roof rails and tinted windows.
2.7-litre V6
The engine is an all-aluminium, 24-valve, DOHC 2.7-litre V6 unit producing 130kW at 6000rpm and 255Nm at 4000rpm. It's mated to a four-speed automatic gearbox with what Hyundai calls Shiftronic manual control.
The Shiftronic is useful, especially on hills and in twisty corners, because in normal auto mode the gearbox is inclined to hunt when you accelerate suddenly and the changes can be quite jerky. The "manual" option allows you to make more precise changes and be always in the most appropriate gar for the situation.
The Santa Fe has full-time four-wheel drive that transmits power to the wheels through a dual-drive differential with two planetary gears and a viscous coupling. The system is designed to deliver 60 percent of the power to the front wheels and 40 percent to the rear.
Traction control is also standard, ensuring that power is always delivered to the wheels that need it, should you ever take the car off-road.
Speaking of off-road, the Santa Fe's ground clearance of 207mm and approach and departure angles of 28 and 26 degrees respectively mean that you could safely use the car on farm or game reserve roads but that you wouldn't want to take it through the Okavango, or some of the more challenging 4x4 routes that are on offer throughout South Africa these days.
Nor would you want to go throwing it around the mountain passes of Mpumalanga.
It might have independent suspension at the front and a double wishbone system at the back, but it's fairly softly sprung; body roll and inherent understeer tend to inhibit any serious high-speed cornering.
Summary
As I said earlier, this is a classic SUV soft-roader; its natural habitat is the urban jungle.
The people who buy it will be city folk who want a comfortable commuter that will also allow them occasionally to take to the bundu. As such the Santa Fe does the job admirably.
The progress the Koreans have made with regard to build quality is equally impressive; its styling may be somewhat bland but the Santa Fe has a solid feel.
On the road it's quiet and smooth. The cabin is a comfortable place to be. If you're going to spend your life in traffic jams there are plenty of worse vehicles to be in.
The Santa Fe sells for R259 900. At that price there are better off-roaders, such as the Jeep Cherokee. There are also better on-roaders, such as the BMW X3, but they're a lot more expensive.
At the price the Santa Fe offers good value to those people who would prefer an SUV to a conventional family sedan or station wagon. - Star Motoring