Discuss this story in the forum at CarTalkCanada

Find this vehicle in CanadianDriver’s Classified Ads

Second opinions by Paul Williams and Grant Yoxon

Photo Gallery: 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe

It’s fair to say that, on a subjective level at least, the Hyundai Santa Fe is emerging as our collective favourite among the three vehicles we’re comparing in our long-term SUV test.

Part of that is due to the high level of value our 3.3 GLS tester brings to the long-term test table, with an as-tested price of $34,295. The Suzuki XL7 in our fleet is more expensive by about $3,500, but it boasts more standard equipment than the Hyundai, in the form of a navigation system and seven-passenger seating. Our RAV4 V6 Sport carries a $34,995 sticker, but is the only truck here without leather seats or heaters for the front chairs. It’s also drawn criticism for offering up a drab interior that doesn’t live up to its “Sport” moniker.

It should be noted that both the Toyota and the Hyundai can be ordered with seven-passenger seating as well. To do so in a RAV4 means going for the range-topping Limited V6 model, which starts at just under $37,000; a seven-seat Santa Fe can be had in front-wheel drive 3.3 GL Premium form ($31,295), with an all-wheel drive version of that package ringing in at $33,095. Then there’s the seven-seat version of our GLS model, which costs $35,995.

Inside, the Santa Fe is the most inviting of our three test vehicles, with its nicely sculpted dash, wood trim that almost looks real, and fit and finish that’s the equal of the Toyota’s – if not better – and far better than that in the Suzuki, which has some uneven gaps between dashboard panels.

I do have a couple criticisms of the Santa Fe’s interior: the first is the blue backlighting used in the radio and climate control displays. It can be distracting at night, and while blue lighting is usually pleasant (VW uses it to sublime effect in many of its cars), Hyundai’s application doesn’t quite do it for me. Neither of my co-testers agrees with me, however: both Paul Williams and Grant Yoxon seem to like this particular hue of blue just fine.

2007 Hyundai Santa Fe GLS. Click image to enlarge

Also, the leather upholstery on the Santa Fe’s seats seems a little on the cheap side, and there’s a bluish stain on the driver’s seat cushion that, as close as I can tell, looks like it rubbed off of a driver’s jacket or pants. Regardless of the source, it doesn’t seem to want to come off. Cloth seats might be a better choice here.

My only other beef is a relatively minor one: I don’t like the font used on the gauges. The instruments are still nicely laid out and easily legible, however.

The Santa Fe’s interior is very roomy all around, although it loses out by not offering a fore-and-aft adjustment for the rear seat, which the Toyota does. Rear legroom in the Hyundai is good, though, as is cargo space behind the seat. One thing the Hyundai and Toyota share are generous under-floor storage compartments in their respective cargo holds, taking up part of the space where the optional third-row seats would go. Bonus points to this Santa Fe, though, for having a prop rod for this compartment for hands-free loading. Toyota frees up this useful space by hanging the RAV4’s full-size spare off the back door; Hyundai does it by slinging the Santa Fe’s compact spare (booo!) under the body – less convenient when you actually need the spare, while the Toyota’s arrangement cuts into rearward visibility somewhat.

2007 Hyundai Santa Fe GLS. Click image to enlarge

If you read my review of our RAV4 tester a couple of weeks ago, you’ll note I mentioned that the Toyota was the only one of these trucks with handy windshield wiper defroster elements built into the base of the windshield. I owe a thank-you to the astute reader who pointed out in our CarTalkCanada forums that the Santa Fe has this feature too. But while the Toyota’s is operated by a dedicated switch, the Hyundai’s wiper warmers are activated whenever the rear window defroster is turned on.

As far as exterior looks are concerned, the RAV4 and Santa Fe earn about equal marks, though the Santa Fe is my personal favourite, particularly when fitted with the 18-inch wheels that our tester wears (2.7 GL and 3.3 GL Santa Fes get 16-inch wheels that look kind of dinky but might be more suitable in low-traction situations).

2007 Hyundai Santa Fe GLS. Click image to enlarge

Small-item storage options aren’t as plentiful in the Santa Fe as in the RAV4’s interior, with choices limited to the glove box, door pockets, centre console and a small open area at the base of the centre stack, where the 12-volt power point and heated seat controls live. Extra points to the Santa Fe, though, which positions the ignition switch on the dash, facing the driver, rather than on the steering column, a la RAV4 and XL7.

As I mentioned in my RAV4 review, the Santa Fe has the smoothest ride of our three trucks and is most comfortable for day-to-day motoring. The handling isn’t as tight as the RAV4’s, but that truck’s suspension is almost unbearably firm on rough roads. The biggest fault with the Santa Fe on the road is that it feels less composed over sharp bumps, with the softer suspension allowing more reverberations to filter up through the Santa Fe’s structure.

The Santa Fe’s electronic throttle is a relaxed affair, with a very gradual tip in. I like it better than the RAV4’s throttle, which is really touchy and makes it very difficult to drive smoothly at low speeds. So far, our Santa Fe is using its supply of regular unleaded at a rate of about 13 L/100 km in mostly city driving; about the same as the Toyota and far better than the XL7’s average of about 16 L/100 km in the city. Winter weather brings out follies and foibles in a car, and the Santa Fe’s cold-weather quirk is a transmission that shifts roughly for the first five minutes, until the fluid warms up a bit.

2007 Hyundai Santa Fe GLS. Click image to enlarge

Contrary to the Santa Fe’s cushy ride, the steering has a nice heft to it, and the brake pedal is just-right in its firmness, allowing for largely drama-free stops; the Santa Fe’s 43.9-metre 100-0 km/h stopping distance in performance testing at the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada’s Car of the Year event was fifth of the nine entries in the SUV under $35,000 category. The end result is that the Santa Fe does just about everything reasonably well.

The RAV4 took first-place honours in that SUV under $35,000 category, and while the RAV4 has many strengths and mostly lives up to the accolades, the Santa Fe would be my choice of these three: despite its few dynamic shortcomings, its strong features-per-dollar quotient, attractive looks inside and out and smooth ride are hard to ignore.

Second Opinion: Grant Yoxon

Most people don’t have the luxury of driving the vehicle they really want. If I had my way, my vehicle would have two seats and a convertible top. But like most families, we (make that I) have to compromise. We have three drivers, sometimes five passengers, lots of stuff to haul around, wicked and changeable weather and not an unlimited fuel budget.

2007 Hyundai Santa Fe GLS. Click image to enlarge

With its relatively good fuel economy, generous storage, solid build quality and confident handling, the Santa Fe is a good fit for our family’s requirements. Unlike the RAV4 V6, with its nearly excessive power and snappy throttle, I wouldn’t be nervous when my teenage driver took the vehicle. The Santa Fe isn’t underpowered, not at all – but the 3.3-litre engine and soft tip-in of the accelerator seem well suited to the vehicle. What the Santa Fe gives up to the RAV4 in handling, it takes back with an engine that is smooth, quiet and composed. When all five of us travel together, the Santa Fe is tight. We wished that it would have an adjustable rear seat. We need the legroom. A third row wouldn’t be much help for adult children.

We liked the look of the new Santa Fe, especially with the 18-inch wheels. And unlike Chris, we really liked the blue backlighting. But what we really liked the most was the price. For $34,295, the Hyundai Santa Fe offers a lot of value in a well-equipped compact SUV.

Second Opinion: Paul Williams

A common response by friends upon entering the 2007 Santa Fe is, “Wow, Hyundai’s sure come a long way.” There’s no doubt that the design and quality of the Santa Fe interior is impressive. I, too, like the blue dashboard illumination, but most striking is the overall design. Hyundai’s chief designer, John Kim, is determined to bring pleasing and functional forms to Hyundai vehicles, and one supposes that the rich interior of the Santa Fe is testament to that.

2007 Hyundai Santa Fe GLS. Click image to enlarge

Will it stand up in the long run? The materials seem durable and components feel well assembled, which suggest the seats, door panels, carpets and switches will wear well. Maybe some of the items are a little weak (the plastic interior door handles twist, for instance, even though they look like metal) but in general, things have a good, solid feel to them. Of course, the light beige leather interior contrasts dramatically with the dark red exterior of our test vehicle, which also has a positive impact when you see this Hyundai for the first time.

Hyundai is working on a strategy of offering more content at a price that’s lower than consumers expect, and they don’t deviate with this vehicle. The 2007 Santa Fe delivers with pleasing exterior design, a sumptuous interior that’s fully optioned (in our GLS, at least), and a V6 power plant that is exceedingly smooth, and delivers good acceleration and satisfactory fuel economy. Access from the rear door is easy, and the rear seats fold willingly at the pull of a lever. The Santa Fe is very easy to enter, drive and exit. Floor height in the cargo area is just right. People who haven’t driven a vehicle of this type will feel right at home behind the wheel.

At this point in our long-term test, I can’t see how the Santa Fe would not be on the list of possible choices for shoppers in this segment. While bigger than Hyundai’s more compact Tuscon, the Santa Fe is not oversized and unwieldy, and certainly not brutish like some of the larger, more truck-like vehicles in this sector. In contrast with our long term Toyota RAV4 and Suzuki XL7, the Santa Fe may offer the most integrated package of features, performance and versatility. No, one can see consumers moving happily from a car to a Santa Fe, or from a hatchback or smaller SUV, and finding only advantages. The price at $34,295 for the GLS is much lower than you’d expect, given the content, but that $1,545 delivery and destination charge is likely the highest in the industry for a vehicle in this price range.