Inside, the cloth and leather upholsteries have been revised, while wheel-mounted audio controls and Bluetooth hands-free connectivity is now included in all models. A navigation system is finally available in this SUV, which our test truck does not have.
There is little to complain about regarding the Santa Fe’s ergonomics and dashboard layout. Even the woodgrain trim on the dash and centre console looks good. The only thing that bugged us, and everyone who drove it mentioned it, is the driver’s seat that’s too high and whose cushion can’t be lowered enough to our preference.
There’s plenty of room in the back seat, and cargo space with the seat in place is 968 litres, which is generous enough. Fold down the rear seatback, and you get 2,214 litres of space, more than most of its competitors. By the way, the optional third-row seat is gone. As for towing capacity, it’s still rated at 3,500 pounds or 1,588 kg with the V6.
Aural excitement is provided by a great-sounding 605-watt Infinity surround sound system with 10 speakers, a 6-CD changer and XM satellite radio. A USB port and an auxiliary input jack are also included in every Santa Fe.
What’s really impressive about the 2010 version of the Santa Fe is that despite the worthwhile improvements, base price hasn’t been increased. Well, ok, it rose by four bucks. As for the $35,799 3.5 Limited we’re driving, it costs only a few hundred dollars more than last year’s equivalent.
The Santa Fe’s competition isn’t scarce; every mainstream manufacturer has a similar-sized SUV in its product line-up. Notably, the Toyota RAV4 Limited 4WD V6 ($37,240), the Ford Escape Limited 4WD ($34,549), the Mitsubishi Outlander XLS 4WD ($34,498) and the Suzuki Grand Vitara JLX-L V6 ($33,195) come to mind. This particular Santa Fe is loaded, but as you can see, it’s not a screaming deal.
Last year, Hyundai sold a ton of Santa Fes for two reasons; first, it’s spacious, well-equipped and offers a more-than-decent ride. And second, it carried a huge price adjustment almost all year, which allowed a lot of people to get a very good deal.
Obviously, Hyundai won’t be moving out as many copies of the Santa Fe this year if they stick to their MSRPs; we assume that they assume that the new Tucson will be a strong seller. Yet for the first reason mentioned above, the Santa Fe deserves a good look.
There is little to complain about regarding the Santa Fe’s ergonomics and dashboard layout. Even the woodgrain trim on the dash and centre console looks good. The only thing that bugged us, and everyone who drove it mentioned it, is the driver’s seat that’s too high and whose cushion can’t be lowered enough to our preference.
There’s plenty of room in the back seat, and cargo space with the seat in place is 968 litres, which is generous enough. Fold down the rear seatback, and you get 2,214 litres of space, more than most of its competitors. By the way, the optional third-row seat is gone. As for towing capacity, it’s still rated at 3,500 pounds or 1,588 kg with the V6.
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| The wheel-mounted audio controls and Bluetooth hands-free connectivity is now included in all models. (Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com) |
Aural excitement is provided by a great-sounding 605-watt Infinity surround sound system with 10 speakers, a 6-CD changer and XM satellite radio. A USB port and an auxiliary input jack are also included in every Santa Fe.
What’s really impressive about the 2010 version of the Santa Fe is that despite the worthwhile improvements, base price hasn’t been increased. Well, ok, it rose by four bucks. As for the $35,799 3.5 Limited we’re driving, it costs only a few hundred dollars more than last year’s equivalent.
The Santa Fe’s competition isn’t scarce; every mainstream manufacturer has a similar-sized SUV in its product line-up. Notably, the Toyota RAV4 Limited 4WD V6 ($37,240), the Ford Escape Limited 4WD ($34,549), the Mitsubishi Outlander XLS 4WD ($34,498) and the Suzuki Grand Vitara JLX-L V6 ($33,195) come to mind. This particular Santa Fe is loaded, but as you can see, it’s not a screaming deal.
Last year, Hyundai sold a ton of Santa Fes for two reasons; first, it’s spacious, well-equipped and offers a more-than-decent ride. And second, it carried a huge price adjustment almost all year, which allowed a lot of people to get a very good deal.
Obviously, Hyundai won’t be moving out as many copies of the Santa Fe this year if they stick to their MSRPs; we assume that they assume that the new Tucson will be a strong seller. Yet for the first reason mentioned above, the Santa Fe deserves a good look.
2010 Hyundai Santa Fe 3.5 Limited
2010 Hyundai Santa Fe 3.5 Limited
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