New Hyundai Santa Fe R-Series Outperforms the Competition in SUV Race for Fuel Efficiency

SYDNEY – November 4, 2009: Hot on the heels of its Wheels magazine triumph, where the Santa Fe SX CRDi was recognised as the best medium SUV ownership proposition in Australia, the new Hyundai Santa Fe R diesel has outperformed the competition to claim the SUV class of the transcontinental Global Green Challenge.

Achieving an outstanding fuel consumption of 5.1L/100km during a north-south traverse of the country, the latest Santa Fe beat its impressive official government-specified ‘combined cycle’ fuel consumption by a staggering 23.9 per cent.

The Global Green Challenge is a gruelling, week-long crossing of the continent from Darwin to Adelaide. The Challenge includes two demanding urban loops and covers a total distance of 3,147 kilometres. For real-world relevance, competing vehicles are required to meet strict average-speed protocols on the highway.

At the finish line in Adelaide’s CBD, after seven days of intense competition, the new Santa Fe R diesel had consumed a total of just 160.46 litres of diesel fuel and achieved a low 137.67 grams of CO2 per kilometre.

The winning vehicle was driven by former Australian rally champion Ed Ordynski and motoring commentator John Cadogan. “This is a practical, versatile and rugged vehicle with serious off-road capability and seven seats. Yet with a combination of the latest technology and conservative driving techniques, we achieved the equivalent of 56 miles per gallon – a result that would have been unheard of just a decade ago,” said Cadogan.

Ordynski added: “Competition in the category was extremely close. I think what we proved was that smarter driving and making the right choice of vehicle can make a real difference to ordinary Australians – both economically and environmentally,”

The new Hyundai Santa Fe R 2.2-litre diesel produces 145 kilowatts of peak power and up to 436 Newton-metres of torque (421 Newton-metres on manual), has seats seven as standard and features the highest safety standards in independent ANCAP tests – five stars for occupant protection.

Two years ago, the Hyundai i30 CRDi returned an astonishing 3.2L/100km over the same journey as part of the World Solar Challenge event.