FORD’S Territory, as well as Toyota’s Kluger and RAV4, the Nissan X-Trail and Honda CR-V, have a fierce new foe in the second-generation Hyundai Santa Fe SUV. But while there’s serious progress in style, comfort, space, safety, value and dynamics, it seems the real sting in the Santa Fe’s tail will come with September’s promising 2.2-litre CRDi turbo-diesel, quickly followed by a more powerful 3.3-litre V6 early next year. Whichever variant you look at, the Santa Fe should not be ignored.

Hyundai Santa Fe
Released: November 2000
Ended: May 2006
Family Tree: Santa FeHyundai'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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