The 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe has an average SUV ride, and handles somewhat harshly over rough roads. The 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe’s new engine is one of its defining factors, with millions of dollars having been spent on its development. It also features some unexpected luxury accouterments like iPod compatibility and leather seats. The interior of the Santa Fe is well-appointed. The Limited edition features heated front seats, a definite plus for those who will be driving in cold climates. One of the Santa Fe’s high points is its entertainment capabilities. It has an excellent sound system with a big subwoofer as well as iPod compatibility. The family-friendly features make this a great people-moving SUV. Overall, the 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe is a good choice for those who will use their SUV for the most popular purpose: transportation. It provides good safety and entertainment features while offering comforts like leather seats and sunroofs. The release of the 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe offers promising stuffs ahead for the lineup as it heads onto the market in late 2010. The exterior features of the 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe will come with a few tweaks as part of Hyundai’s efforts to compete with the Sonata and Tucson models. The same goes with the safety features of this vehicle, which will include front and side airbags, ABS braking, Electronic Brake-Force Distribution, Brake Assist, among others.
The base engine will now be the 2.4-liter four cylinder engine that will replace the current 2.7-liter V6 engine. This one will deliver up to 175 horsepower and 321 lb-ft torque to improve the acceleration performance of this new vehicle model. The main reason behind the improved acceleration capacity on the 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe is the responsiveness of the engine; hence, it will easily propel the vehicle into a standing start. The high performance torque also further contributes to the excellent speed acceleration capacity for this vehicle. The Santa Fe tested here is powered by the new 2.2 litre CRDi R-Series four cylinder turbodiesel engine, a powerplant that Hyundai has spent millions of dollars on development.
Other engines in the Santa Fe range include the 2.4 four cylinder petrol and the 3.5 litre V6 petrol.
Hyundai R-Series Diesel Engine
The engine is responsive, propelling the Santa Fe from a standing start with impressive performance, and refinement is good for a diesel engine.
Safety Specifications of New Santa Fe
Safety specifications are good, with a 5-star Australian NCAP safety rating, ABS braking with Electronic Brake-Force Distribution and Brake Assist, as well as an Electronic Stability Programme. There are dual front and side airbags as well as curtain airbags that protect both front and rear seats.
Santa Fe Elite top Spec Model
The CRDi Elite model tested is the top spec, with full leather upholstery and seven seats. The third row of seats also has separate climate control system vents.
The extra mirror is convex, so that all the rear passengers can be monitored without the driver or front seat passenger to move their heads.
Ride and Handling of new Santa Fe
Ride and handling is about average for this class of SUV, although the ride is slightly harsher than it could be, with the vehicle juddering over rough roads. If the driver does feel the need to go off road the all wheel drive system has a ‘lock’ button that locks front and rear wheels together.
The new"Hyundai Santa Fe" is an impressive improvement over the last, but the smaller changes tend to be overridden by the extremely impressive diesel engine.