Introduction

Big, well-made, roomy and useful, the Santa Fe ticks all the expected Hyundai boxes. It operates above its station, though, by also being quite desirable in style, premium in appeal and capable even of snaffling buyers from BMW and Audi on occasion. It’s not bargain priced in the manner of Hyundais of old, though - in fact it looks remarkably expensive compared to newer rivals like the Skoda Kodiaq, Nissan X-Trail and Peugeot 5008.

Did you know? The first-generation Santa Fe was Hyundai’s best-selling global product, but it’s been overtaken since by the Tucson, Accent and i30.

Verdict | Design | Interior | Technology | Performance | Safety | Specs | Running Costs | Pricing 

It’s been around since 2012, but the Santa Fe still looks and feels like a modern, sophisticated Hyundai product. Roomy inside, it’s best sampled as a seven-seater, with a pair of occasional folding seats in the boot. The cabin can look a touch cheap and plastic, but it's durable and very well equipped as standard. For all that, the engine is noisy and inefficient compared to the engines on offer in a Skoda Kodiaq, Nissan X-Trail or Peugeot 5008, and it's surprisingly expensive on finance.