Price: £31,026
Top speed: 118mph
0-62mph: 9.8 seconds
MPG: 47.1
CO2: 159g/km
To my mind, a holiday isn’t a holiday without an arduous road expedition to some rain-streaked corner of the UK. Ideally the trip starts with an expletive-studded rant as you attempt to pack too much kit into too small a boot. This is followed by heavy traffic, possibly a breakdown, map anxiety, tooth-tasering sweets and, the coup de grâce, a full marital row… Sadly this month, the car that accompanied us on our long haul up to Scotland was far too well behaved, and we all arrived north of the border still on speaking terms. Unbelievable.
The culprit was the new Santa Fe from Hyundai. It’s been branded “the poor man’s” Land Rover Discovery. It’s certainly cheaper, smaller and less luxurious than the £43,495 all-singing Disco, but this value-packed Korean car is an authentic off-roader that will keep everyone happy – except for maybe a few spoilt gymkhana mums.
This is the third generation of the SUV that was originally launched just over a decade ago. Then the cheap definitely outranked the chic. It was a basic bruiser that was all about caravan-towing and paving-stone lugging, but this new model has been refined, improved and blessed with enough gadgets and gewgaws to prove that even though it’s not yet a Chelsea tractor, it’s certainly moved into an up-and-coming postcode.
The interior is calm, uncluttered and bright, thanks mostly to a giant panoramic glass roof. Leather seats and soft-touch plastics make it a pleasant place to lounge, while the car gets on with the serious business of actually driving. It has so many smart aids that using the word “driving” feels like an overstatement for the basic activity of clinging to the steering wheel.
On the motorway, advanced cruise control means it dynamically follows the lead of the car in front. In town, the “stop and go” system means you are always a safe distance from the driver ahead. When they stop, you stop. When they go, you go. The car beeps and shudders if you drift towards the edge of your lane and if the Santa Fe detects a collision scenario it alerts you. Fail to act and it slams on the anchors. Lights and wipers are automatic, so is defogging and de-icing… It does the lot and doesn’t leave you with much to do.
It has a reliable 2.2-litre turbo diesel. You can opt for manual or auto, and 2 or 4WD. You can also add folding seats into the boot and turn it into a seven-seater. Then there’s the five-star safety score and a full five-year warranty… Remind me again, why does anyone buy a Disco?
Email Martin at martin.love@observer.co.uk or follow him on Twitter @MartinLove166
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