[Rehaan]

Hyundai has launched the Santa Fe SUV at the Auto Expo:



PRICING
(ex-showroom Delhi)

2WD M/T - Rs. 26.30 lakh
2WD A/T - Rs. 27.15 lakh
4WD A/T - Rs. 29.25 lakh

High Points

• Powered by a 3rd Gen ‘R’ series 2.2L CRDi diesel engine with an e-VGT turbocharger
• 6-speed manual transmission (2WD only) and...
• 6-speed automatic transmission (either 2WD or intelligent 4WD)
• 194 BHP @ 3,800 rpm of power. Torque is 421 Nm @ 1800-2500 rpm (MT) and 436 Nm @ 1800-2500 rpm (AT)
• ARAI mileage of 14.74 kmpl (MT) and 13.01 kmpl (AT)
• 6 Airbags
• ABS (Anti-lock Braking System), Brake Assist (BA), ESC (Electronic Stability Control) and VSM (Vehicle Stability Management)
• Advance Traction Cornering Control (ATCC)
• Hillstart Assist and DownHill brake control
• 'Flex Steer' allows switching between 3 steering modes – Comfort, Normal and Sport

Available in a range of 5 colours:


HID LED headlamps:


The square-shaped projectors look neat:


Matches the Hyundai family looks perfectly, but still manages to look like a serious SUV:


Large indicators on the outside. No one is gonna miss you hinting at an upcoming turn:


Fog lamps offer a cornering function. Note that there's two sections, each with its own bulb:


Auto folding outside mirrors with integrated puddle lamps:


18 inch 2-tone diamond-cut alloy wheels:


Not a spectacular rear, but certainly nothing to complain about. Tail-lamps are LEDs too, with a LED HMSL on the spoiler:


2.2 liter CDRi engine puts out 194 BHP & 421 / 436 Nm of torque:


Dashboard styling is angular and looks modern. 2-tone beige and brown interior. Keyless entry and start/stop:


Multi-function steering offers audio, phone and MID controls, along with cruise control. Tilt only, no reach adjustment:


Rain-sensing wipers. Love the subtle blue glow on the instrument cluster. ~4,400 RPM redline for the 2.2-liter diesel:


A 'Flex Steer' button on the steering lets you choose between Comfort, Normal and Sport, depending on your driving preference:


Center console is neat, though it doesn't exude an extremely premium feel. 4.3” TFT LCD Touch display is quite small.
6 Speaker audio system with Bluetooth, USB, MP3, CD compatibility and Aux-in.


On the other side, the driver gets a 12-way electrically adjustable seat:


Cut-through on the center console. Dual Zone Automatic Climate Control with Cluster ionizer:


Foot-operated parking brake on the AT version. MT version gets a regular handbrake:


Buttons for hill descent control, diff-lock, ESP off, ECO mode and instrument cluster brightness:


A/C vents have a subtle carbon-fiber like pattern on their trim:


Dual-tone doorpads are standard fare:


Interesting position for the fuel-flap opener on the bottom edge of the driver's door pad armrest:

[Rehaan]

That's mod Vid6639. He's exactly 6 feet tall, and the driver's seat was quite far back:


The center row seat-backs can be reclined. Center armrest provided too:


Rear passengers get A/C vents on the B-pillars:


Rear windows get manual pull-up sunshades, very useful now that sunfilm has been banned:


I liked the positioning of this window switch. It's easy to visually locate when seated + nice to reach for:


2 rows of rear seats. Yup, the Santa Fe is a 7-seater SUV, which should give it an advantage over some of the 5-seater competition:


Handle to flip the entire seat forward:


The middle row has a 40:20:40 split, whilst the last row can split 50:50. Both fold relatively flat:


The last row seats. Both the 2nd and 3rd row seats can be reclined:


Boot space with the last row up:


Luggage space is 585 ltrs with the last row folded down:

[Rehaan]

Hyundai Xcent

The Grand i10 has grown up to the Xcent. Note the added chrome trim on the large grill:


I seem to be in the minority here, but i really like the boot integration:


Yet another competitor in the sub-4 meter race:


The wheelbase is the same as the Grand i10. These are the 15" alloys offered on the Xcent:


Tail-lamps poke around to the sides:


Reflective perimeter around the lamps looks good:


Hmmm, 'Xcent', questionable name. But then think about it, the first time we heard 'Accent', we thought that was a weird name too:


The side cladding adds a unique look to the Grand & Xcent:


With the hatch up:


No cladding on the underside of the boot-lid:


Add-on boot is quite voluminous:


Hyundai says it has got 'best in class' boot space, but i don't see a figure provided:


Dash stay relatively unchanged, except...


...climate control makes an appearance on the Xcent (and yes it gets the Auto-box too):


Rear seats get a flip-down armrest, unlike the Grand i10:

[Rehaan]

HND-9 Concept

The HND-9 is a 'luxury sports coupe concept' from Hyundai. There's supposed to be some hints of future design direction (as an evolution of 'fluidic sculpture') in here.

I'll let the pictures do the talking on this one:

[Rehaan]

Other stuff on display:

The i20 WRC car:






The top-3; Elantra, Verna and Sonata:


A simple and neat display for the Elantra, emphasizing the aerodynamics:


i20 & Grand i10 were paired up here:


The Eon and the regular ol' i10:


Hyundai India introduced ‘Vroomland’ and its new characters at the Auto Expo '14:


Hyundai has created opportunities for children to learn more about automobiles, safety & the environment while having fun (even their 2012 stall had a large area for this):


i20 twenty-twenty:


As part of Hyundai's 'My Baby' design project, all designers from Hyundai’s global design bases are encouraged to submit their creative ideas on future transportation:






A slot car race-track:

[Rehaan]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line.

[1-Testosterone]

Is this version of Santa Fe a CBU?

[deetjohn]

Any confirmation on the safety kit that 2WD M/T will get?

Originally Posted by Rehaan

The HND-9 is a 'luxury sports coupe concept' from Hyundai. There's supposed to be some hints of future design direction (as an evolution of 'fluidic sculpture') in here.

A lot of styling cues from the Lexus LF-LC and the Jag F Type coupe there.

[Gannu_1]

The pricing of the Santa Fe is a bit scary. Rs. 26.3L ex. for the 2WD M/T! That is almost the Audi Q3 territory!

Originally Posted by Rehaan

...climate control makes an appearance on the Xcent

Good but looks like they skimped on the dead pedal? Even the adjustable head-restraints for the front seats seem to be missing.

Regardless, the Dzire and Amaze is about to face some serious competition from the new entrants - the Xcent, Figo Sedan and the Tata Zest!

[shibujp]

Thanks for the coverage. Worth the wait.

Hyundai has two game changers on it's hands. The Santa Fe and the Xcent. The Santa fe won't even have the Audi Q3 in it's sights. The big boy of that segment is the Toyota Fortuner. Based on the features the Santa Fe has the Fortuner beaten. Two critical areas where the Fortuner is going to suffer is in terms of engine performance and handling. Driveability of the Santa Fe is going to be critical. Having driven a Fortuner recently it's handling on B roads is really bad. Design wise the Hyundai has the edge as well.

The Fortuner wins on two critical areas service costs and resale value - which no other manufacturer can beat. It would be interesting to see if these two aspects keep the Fortuner at the top.

The Xcent brings a quality to the segment that I feel neither of the top two players - the Amaze and the Dzire can match. Whether the lack lustre diesel engine of the Grand i10 is going to be ignored by the customers remains to be seen. But I love the fact that the Zest and the Xcent are really taking the fight to the established players in the segment. All power to Hyundai. Just wish they clean up their ride and handling act.

Drive on,
Shibu.

[dark.knight]

The best (& newest) additions to Hyundai vehicles beginning with Santa Fe is this :



The flexsteer system, is Hyundai's effort to give great driving vehicles back to India. The Normal mode itself is stiffer than what most of their cars get as default while Sport lets in plenty of feedback and tightness. Comfort is a mode strictly for city as its the lightest mode with least feedback. This feature already exists in i30 & i40 in Europe and we can expect the same to be implemented in future across the range in Hyundai's in India as handling and driving pleasure have begun to be their new priorities.

In my opinion Xcent should've been given full front armrests and a reduced height (of 50mm) to further give the impression of a sleek sedan.

[Shmoos]

The more i look at the Santa Fe, the more i am reminded how much vfm the xuv500 is. The only cinch in the XUV's armour today is the missing auto shift. And when we have it, it will be a killer proposition.

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

• 6 Airbags
• ABS (Anti-lock Braking System), Brake Assist (BA), ESC (Electronic Stability Control) and VSM (Vehicle Stability Management)
• Advance Traction Cornering Control (ATCC)
• Hillstart Assist and DownHill brake control

Originally Posted by deetjohn

Any confirmation on the safety kit that 2WD M/T will get?

As per Hyundai India's website, the quoted features are available only on the top 4WD variant. The other two variants get just 2 airbags along with ABS+EBD.

[Coolman]

Wonderful coverage Rehaan...

Originally Posted by Rehaan

Hyundai Xcent

The Grand i10 has grown up to the Xcent. I seem to be in the minority here, but i really like the boot integration:
Attachment 1204723

Well, yes you might be, but I have argued with quite a few people here too, I too feel it is a job well done.

I feel, the point is - "from a design perspective , integrating a boot on to a hatch to make it a sub-4-meter sedan is no easy job".

Quite easily it can turn out to be a rear-swollen-duckling". So from where the 1-gen DZire started to how the Brio evolved into the Amaze, I think the designs are getting much streamlined and acceptable, across the manufacturers. There are practical limitations and one can do only so much for a sub-4-meter sedan.

If you ask me, I would rate the sub-4-meters as follows:

• Tata Indigo CS - yes! Tata pioneered this segment, and this was one of those simple and non-offending designs to integrate the boot
• Hyundai Xcent
• Honda Amaze
• Tata Zest
• Maruti Dzire 2nd gen
• Maruti DZire 1st gen
• Mahindra Verito Vibe - this is the poorest of all!

Not counting the Ford Figo sedan, as it is still a concept.

Originally Posted by Rehaan

The side cladding adds a unique look to the Grand & Xcent:
Attachment 1204729

I feel, it is there for a reason. Try imagining the side without that, and you will see it disproportionate in terms of height when compared to length. Breaks the monotony with this and easy on the eyes.

Originally Posted by Rehaan

Add-on boot is quite voluminous:
Attachment 1204740

Hyundai says it has got 'best in class' boot space, but i don't see a figure provided:

Looks good, should be anywhere between 360 - 390 lts.

Originally Posted by Rehaan

Rear seats get a flip-down armrest, unlike the Grand i10:
Attachment 1204744

Seems amazing how much space they have managed on the inside on this sub-4-meter! Looks promising!

Thanks,
C_

[deetjohn]

Originally Posted by vb-san

As per Hyundai India's website, the quoted features are available only on the top 4WD variant. The other two variants get just 2 airbags along with ABS+EBD.

That price is then a big bummer is it? Shame! Hyundai actually had a good chance to claw some numbers with the new Santa Fe.