Super TestCar reviews - Hyundai - Santa Fe - 3.3 V6 5-dr wagonHyundai modelsOverviewHyundai finally adds more petrol-powered spice to its Santa Fe range - via a 3.3 V61 Aug 2007 By CHRIS HARRIS The addition of a new V6 engine gives the Santa Fe some much needed punch. Hyundai Motor Co Australia launched the current mid-sized Santa Fe SUV back in May 2006 with only the 2.7-litre V6 engine, which is best described as "getting on a bit". That’s not a claim that could be leveled at the 2.2-litre common-rail turbo diesel that was added to the Santa Fe range last September. Now Hyundai has added the 3.3-litre Lambda petrol engine, which is by far the most powerful engine available with the Santa Fe and is also the smoothest by a fair margin. Hanging on to the old 2.7-litre V6 means Hyundai has a wide model range and is able to lock-in a starting price below its South Korean rival, the Holden Captiva. Model release date: 1 August 2007 to 1 September 2008 All car reviewsAlfa Romeo Abarth Alpine Alpina Audi Aston Martin BMW Bentley Chevrolet Chery Citroen Chrysler Dodge Cupra Ferrari DS Ford Fiat FPV Foton GWM Great Wall Holden Haval HSV Honda Hyundai Hummer Isuzu Infiniti Jeep Jaguar Lamborghini Kia LDV Land Rover Lotus Lexus Maserati Mahindra McLaren Mazda Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-AMG Mini MG Nissan Mitsubishi Peugeot Opel Proton Porsche Renault Ram Rover Rolls-Royce Skoda Saab SsangYong Smart Suzuki Subaru Toyota Tesla Volvo Volkswagen Previous modelHyundai's first attempt at a Honda CR-V rival wasn’t a bad effort at all for the company at the time, combining a suitably comfortable and powerful (in V6 format) five-door wagon – in breathless 106kW/201Nm 2.4-litre four-cylinder/five-speed manual or smooth 132kW/247Nm V6/four-speed auto guises. But the clumsy styling, tight packaging and so-so dynamics quickly aged the Hyundai against the newer wave of SUV competition that came on stream in the year following the Santa Fe’s local debut. A minor facelift and model adjustment improved things slightly in late 2004. |
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