Road Test and Review: 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe The previous generation Hyundai Santa Fe was a quietly sedate and remarkably practical ...
Showing posts with label Santa Fe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Santa Fe. Show all posts
Auto Expo 2014: 10 launches to watch out for
The 12th edition of the Auto Expo is all set to begin on 7th February. With as many as 70 new cars expected to break cover during the even...
Inside Hyundai’s Production Line
Have you ever wondered how a car is made? Take a virtual tour of Hyundai’s assembly line in Chennai to see the various steps in assembling a...
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Showing posts with label Santa Fe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Santa Fe. Show all posts
Monday, 23 June 2014
Road Test and Review: 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe
Road Test and Review: 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe
The previous generation Hyundai Santa Fe was a quietly sedate and remarkably practical SUV, but it wasn’t a dreamboat that you looked cool in. Now, as with its younger siblings, the Santa Fe has undergone a drastic makeover that earns it a rightful place among the best-looking crossover SUVs in the market. It raises the bar even further with impressive performance, go-anywhere capability, state-of-the-art interiors and the amount of kit the car gets as standard.
Design
The new Santa Fe embodies ‘storm edge’ design concept, which is an evolution of the fluidic sculpture philosophy. The magnificent three-bar hexagonal front grille is certainly in vogue in contemporary automotive design. HID LED headlamps with trendy daytime running lights further enhance the visual impact. Dual tone skid plates add to the sportiness, too.
Side profile is equally impressive with 18-inch 2-tone Diamond Cut alloy wheels, muscular wheel arches, clean lines and roof rails. The rear design is congruous with the rest of the car and flaunts LED combination lamps, large bumper reflectors, rear spoiler, twin exhaust pipe and rear skid plate. Overall, the new Santa Fe’s exterior design is well balanced, dynamic, contemporary and not overdone, too.
Once inside, you are pleasantly surprised by the décor. The expansive greenhouse is full of fluidic soft-touch materials that look good and offer lots of bang for the buck. The heavily bolstered seats are perched high off the floor and feel commanding. The driver seat is 12-way power adjustable.
The clearly laid out centre console is easy to use but the 4.3 inch TFT screen is tad small for a car of this size. Audio, Bluetooth and some primary driving controls are simply grouped around the multi-function steering wheel.
Dual zone fully automatic climate control and manual sunshades on the second row do an effective job of keeping the cabin temperature pleasantly cool.
It is not the slightly increased length, but the smart interior packaging that makes the new Santa Fe’s cabin spacious and airy. There’s no complaint about the headroom or legroom on all three rows either. The third row folds flat to further expand the already lavish 585 litres of luggage space.
Performance
Be it off road or on, the Santa Fe does everything well. With 197Ps of power at your disposal, a gentle tap on the pedal has the Santa Fe straining at the leash. The electronically controlled variable geometry turbocharger kicks in very quickly and you feel virtually no turbolag. The 2.2-litre CRDi unit is Hyundai’s ‘R’ series engine, hence NVH levels are lower than the previous model. The engine is mated to a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed auto gearbox. Manual variant offers 420Nm of max torque while the automatic gets around 16Nm more, both between 1800-2500rpm.
The automatic variant is great for cruising but it’s somewhat hesitant to downshift when you need it to. I found this particularly frustrating while exiting sharp corners. It doesn’t offer paddle shifters either and that is just unacceptable.
Santa Fe returns a mileage of 14.74kmpl for the MT and 13.01kmpl for AT.
Ride and Handling
As I drove the automatic variant along the meandering roads that lace through Kerala’s mountainous region, I felt the Santa Fe’s steering is accurate, and the handling's just so. Santa Fe comes with Flex Steer that allows the driver to switch among 3 steering modes – Comfort, Normal and Sport depending on road conditions and driver preferences. Even though there is some body roll, Advance Traction Cornering Control (ATCC) and Vehicle Stability Management (VSM) ensure the car knifes into corners precisely and predictably. Intelligent 4 Wheel Drive System and differential lock ensure impressive handling off the road as well.
Santa Fe’s ride quality is compliant and surprisingly supple going by the SUV standards. Road, tyre and wind noise have been kept to a pleasingly low level.
Safety
Santa Fe’s three layers of safety with ABS, Electronic Stability Control and VSM ensure efficient braking on different terrains. Six airbags, advanced dual seatbelt mechanism, Hill Start Assist and Downhill brake control grant you complete peace of mind.
Conclusion
Hyundai has launched the new Dynamic Santa Fe at the Auto Expo starting from Rs. 2,630,000 for the 2WD M/T to Rs. 2,925,000 for the 4WD A/T. While it’s not easy to beat very stiff competition from cheaper alternatives such as Toyota Fortuner and Audi Q3, the hefty price tag can be justified by gorgeous exterior design, nicely crafted spacious interior and the long list of equipment.
Design
The new Santa Fe embodies ‘storm edge’ design concept, which is an evolution of the fluidic sculpture philosophy. The magnificent three-bar hexagonal front grille is certainly in vogue in contemporary automotive design. HID LED headlamps with trendy daytime running lights further enhance the visual impact. Dual tone skid plates add to the sportiness, too.
Side profile is equally impressive with 18-inch 2-tone Diamond Cut alloy wheels, muscular wheel arches, clean lines and roof rails. The rear design is congruous with the rest of the car and flaunts LED combination lamps, large bumper reflectors, rear spoiler, twin exhaust pipe and rear skid plate. Overall, the new Santa Fe’s exterior design is well balanced, dynamic, contemporary and not overdone, too.
Once inside, you are pleasantly surprised by the décor. The expansive greenhouse is full of fluidic soft-touch materials that look good and offer lots of bang for the buck. The heavily bolstered seats are perched high off the floor and feel commanding. The driver seat is 12-way power adjustable.
The clearly laid out centre console is easy to use but the 4.3 inch TFT screen is tad small for a car of this size. Audio, Bluetooth and some primary driving controls are simply grouped around the multi-function steering wheel.
Dual zone fully automatic climate control and manual sunshades on the second row do an effective job of keeping the cabin temperature pleasantly cool.
It is not the slightly increased length, but the smart interior packaging that makes the new Santa Fe’s cabin spacious and airy. There’s no complaint about the headroom or legroom on all three rows either. The third row folds flat to further expand the already lavish 585 litres of luggage space.
Performance
Be it off road or on, the Santa Fe does everything well. With 197Ps of power at your disposal, a gentle tap on the pedal has the Santa Fe straining at the leash. The electronically controlled variable geometry turbocharger kicks in very quickly and you feel virtually no turbolag. The 2.2-litre CRDi unit is Hyundai’s ‘R’ series engine, hence NVH levels are lower than the previous model. The engine is mated to a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed auto gearbox. Manual variant offers 420Nm of max torque while the automatic gets around 16Nm more, both between 1800-2500rpm.
The automatic variant is great for cruising but it’s somewhat hesitant to downshift when you need it to. I found this particularly frustrating while exiting sharp corners. It doesn’t offer paddle shifters either and that is just unacceptable.
Santa Fe returns a mileage of 14.74kmpl for the MT and 13.01kmpl for AT.
Ride and Handling
As I drove the automatic variant along the meandering roads that lace through Kerala’s mountainous region, I felt the Santa Fe’s steering is accurate, and the handling's just so. Santa Fe comes with Flex Steer that allows the driver to switch among 3 steering modes – Comfort, Normal and Sport depending on road conditions and driver preferences. Even though there is some body roll, Advance Traction Cornering Control (ATCC) and Vehicle Stability Management (VSM) ensure the car knifes into corners precisely and predictably. Intelligent 4 Wheel Drive System and differential lock ensure impressive handling off the road as well.
Santa Fe’s ride quality is compliant and surprisingly supple going by the SUV standards. Road, tyre and wind noise have been kept to a pleasingly low level.
Safety
Santa Fe’s three layers of safety with ABS, Electronic Stability Control and VSM ensure efficient braking on different terrains. Six airbags, advanced dual seatbelt mechanism, Hill Start Assist and Downhill brake control grant you complete peace of mind.
Conclusion
Hyundai has launched the new Dynamic Santa Fe at the Auto Expo starting from Rs. 2,630,000 for the 2WD M/T to Rs. 2,925,000 for the 4WD A/T. While it’s not easy to beat very stiff competition from cheaper alternatives such as Toyota Fortuner and Audi Q3, the hefty price tag can be justified by gorgeous exterior design, nicely crafted spacious interior and the long list of equipment.
Saturday, 1 February 2014
Auto Expo 2014: 10 launches to watch out for
The 12th edition of the Auto Expo is all set to begin on 7th February. With as many as 70 new cars expected to break cover during the event, the 2014 Auto Expo will be the biggest India has ever witnessed. As we are gearing up for the comprehensive coverage, here’s a look at the 10 hottest launches to watch out for.
- Maruti Suzuki is all set to launch the Celerio hatchback at the 2014 Auto Expo. Expected to be the most popular launch of the year, the Celeriogets a 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder K-Series petrol engine that develops of 67bhp and 90Nm of peak torque.
Celerio will introduce Auto Gear Shift, which will have the flexibility of both manual mode and auto drive mode in the same car, with a simple shift of gear lever. Maruti claims a mileage figure of 23.1kmpl
Hyundai Grand i10 was one of the most popular launches of 2013. Hot on the heels of this grand success, Hyundai will unveil a sedan version of the Grand
Expected to be launched in February 2014, the Grand sedan will be priced aggressively to take on Honda Amaze and Maruti Dzire
Nissan has re-launched the Datsun brand after 32 years. Datsun will launch its first car early this year called the Datsun GO. The Datsun GO will be priced under Rs. 4 lakhs in India and will be powered by a 1.2-litre, 3-cylinder engine, paired to a 5-speed manual gearbox
The same engine does duty on the Nissan Micra Active, producing 68 PS and 104 Nm. However in the Datsun GO, the company might detune the engine in the interest of boosting fuel economy
Honda will re-launch the revised Jazz in 2014. Although the first generation Jazz had a much-loved design, poor pricing resulted in bad sales
The 2014 Jazz will certainly be aggressively priced and will also have the advantage of a diesel powertrain and a futuristic design
VW's Taigun is likely to be the first car on the Up platform (codename: PQ12) to come to India. The Taigun concept, based on a stretched version of the VW Up's NSF (New Small Family) platform, made its debut at the Sao Paolo International Motor Show in October last year and previews VW's future SUV face
With its bold, clean styling, the Taigun is sure to appeal to the Indian psyche. It looks a lot less radical than the Ford EcoSport and its less controversial lines are designed to appeal to everyone and offend no one. As for the interiors, VW designed it to resemble the simplicity of the latest smartphones. Its clean, minimalist look aims at being visually clear and simple to use
Mobilio, the third car to be built on the Brio platform, marks Honda’s entry into the MPV segment in India. The Mobilio will be available with the 1.5-litre i-VTEC petrol and 1.5-litre i-DTEC diesel options
Both engines will be mated to a five-speed manual transmission. The production version of the Mobilio is expected to be unveiled at the 2014 Delhi Auto Expo
Audi is all set to unveil its A3 sedan at the Auto Expo. It is Audi’s first compact sedan in the luxury segment to come into the Indian market
Along with the A3, Audi will also showcase special editions of Q3, Q5, the sportier SQ5, Q7 and its recently launched sports car Audi RS 7 Sportback
The BMW 3 Series GT will be one of the most important launches by the Bavarian carmaker at the Delhi Auto Expo
The GT model is 200mm longer, 50mm taller and 17mm wider than the regular 3 Series model. The GT 3 Series comes with a 2-liter diesel engine producing 184bhp, while the petrol variant gets 2.0-liter motor developing 245bhp of power output
Mercedes-Benz India will unveil the dynamically styled Concept GLA and CLA45 AMG at the 12th edition of the Auto Expo. Focusing on the company’s ‘Year of Excellence’ strategy, Mercedes-Benz will also launch its first SUV Guard
The AMG 2.0-liter turbo engine, with a maximum output of 265 kW (360 hp) and up to 450 Newton meters of torque, is the most powerful turbocharged four-cylinder engine in series production in the world
Hyundai will launch the new Santa Fe in India at the Auto Expo. The full-sized SUV is expected to undercut Toyota Fortuner in terms of pricing when it is launched. To achieve this Hyundai will assemble the Santa Fe at its Chennai plant
The new Santa Fe will have a more appealing presence, derived from Hyundai’s fluidic design philosophy
Thursday, 24 January 2013
Inside Hyundai’s Production Line
Have you ever wondered how a car is made? Take a virtual tour of Hyundai’s assembly line in Chennai to see the various steps in assembling a car.
Robot arms assemble cars inside the Hyundai Motor India Ltd. plant at Kancheepuram district in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu October 4, 2012. Running around the clock and selling everything it can build, Hyundai Motor's Indian factory is bursting at the seams. But as demand grows and rivals scale up, the car maker has chosen to take its foot off the pedal. Hyundai's strategic decision to focus on quality over quantity, even as its production lines are stretched in India and elsewhere, risks losing hard-won market share and is forcing it to divert output from its plant outside Chennai away from exports to other high-growth markets to meet domestic demand.
Workers stand next to the assembly line of the Hyundai Motor India Ltd. plant at Kancheepuram district in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu October 4, 2012. Running around the clock and selling everything it can build, Hyundai Motor's Indian factory is bursting at the seams. But as demand grows and rivals scale up, the car maker has chosen to take its foot off the pedal. Hyundai's strategic decision to focus on quality over quantity, even as its production lines are stretched in India and elsewhere, risks losing hard-won market share and is forcing it to divert output from its plant outside Chennai away from exports to other high-growth markets to meet domestic demand
A worker assembles a Hyundai i10 car inside the Hyundai Motor India Ltd. plant at Kancheepuram district in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu October 4, 2012. Running around the clock and selling everything it can build, Hyundai Motor's Indian factory is bursting at the seams. But as demand grows and rivals scale up, the car maker has chosen to take its foot off the pedal. Hyundai's strategic decision to focus on quality over quantity, even as its production lines are stretched in India and elsewhere, risks losing hard-won market share and is forcing it to divert output from its plant outside Chennai away from exports to other high-growth markets to meet domestic demand
A worker assembles a Hyundai i10 car inside the Hyundai Motor India Ltd. plant at Kancheepuram district in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu October 4, 2012. Running around the clock and selling everything it can build, Hyundai Motor's Indian factory is bursting at the seams. But as demand grows and rivals scale up, the car maker has chosen to take its foot off the pedal. Hyundai's strategic decision to focus on quality over quantity, even as its production lines are stretched in India and elsewhere, risks losing hard-won market share and is forcing it to divert output from its plant outside Chennai away from exports to other high-growth markets to meet domestic demand.
Workers assemble a Hyundai i10 car at a plant of Hyundai Motor India Ltd in Sriperumbudur Taluk in the Kancheepuram district of Tamil Nadu
Workers assemble cars inside the Hyundai Motor India Ltd. plant at Kancheepuram district in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu October 4, 2012. Running around the clock and selling everything it can build, Hyundai Motor's Indian factory is bursting at the seams. But as demand grows and rivals scale up, the car maker has chosen to take its foot off the pedal. Hyundai's strategic decision to focus on quality over quantity, even as its production lines are stretched in India and elsewhere, risks losing hard-won market share and is forcing it to divert output from its plant outside Chennai away from exports to other high-growth markets to meet domestic demand.
A worker works next to the assembly line of the Hyundai Motor India Ltd. plant at Kancheepuram district in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu October 4, 2012. Running around the clock and selling everything it can build, Hyundai Motor's Indian factory is bursting at the seams. But as demand grows and rivals scale up, the car maker has chosen to take its foot off the pedal. Hyundai's strategic decision to focus on quality over quantity, even as its production lines are stretched in India and elsewhere, risks losing hard-won market share and is forcing it to divert output from its plant outside Chennai away from exports to other high-growth markets to meet domestic demand
Workers assemble cars inside the Hyundai Motor India Ltd. plant at Kancheepuram district in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu October 4, 2012. Running around the clock and selling everything it can build, Hyundai Motor's Indian factory is bursting at the seams. But as demand grows and rivals scale up, the car maker has chosen to take its foot off the pedal. Hyundai's strategic decision to focus on quality over quantity, even as its production lines are stretched in India and elsewhere, risks losing hard-won market share and is forcing it to divert output from its plant outside Chennai away from exports to other high-growth markets to meet domestic demand.
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