Hyundai Santa Fe 'Best Medium AWD SUV'

SYDNEY – May 31, 2011: Australian specialist magazine, OzRoamer 4WD & SUV Guide 2011, has awarded the Hyundai Santa Fe R-series Car of the Year 2010 ‘Best Medium AWD SUV’ in its Car of the Year Awards. The Santa Fe scored maximum points in the areas of performance, practicality, fit for purpose and value for money.

Up against larger 4WDs and AWDs, the Santa Fe excelled in tackling rugged terrain and a breadth of towing assignments, and achieved the all-important family stamp of approval with its spacious seven-seat interior, versatility and raft of practical features.

Rob Fraser, OzRoamer 4WD & SUV Guide editor said the Santa Fe’s off road capabilities were surprising. “We’ve taken it away with a Prado and a Discovery and the Santa Fe absolutely held its own.” He added, “In short it’s pretty good. We have towed trailers, filled it with teenagers, driven on beaches, forest trails and off-road and it came up trumps each time with no fuss.”

Santa Fe R-series is fitted with a powerful yet economical 2.2-litre R-series diesel engine mated to a six-speed automatic transmission featuring Selectronic gear selection. Producing 145kW of peak power and a maximum torque of 436Nm between 1800rpm and 2500rpm, the overall result is a smooth ride with ample power to tackle any task.

“With the awesome turbo diesel engine and 6-speed transmission combination, it should be at the top of buyers’ lists for an honest and practical family AWD SUV,” concluded Mr. Fraser.

All Santa Fe models come complete with a full suite of safety features, both active and passive, earning it the maximum 5-star safety rating in the ANCAP assessment program. Standard on all model variants are Electronic Stability Control (ESC), which includes Hyundai’s Traction Control System (TCS), driver and front passenger airbags, dual side front (thorax) airbags and front and rear passenger side curtain airbags (which extend to the third row); and rollover sensors.

Judges’ comments: