The Americans have spoken with their wallets and we can, for the most forget minivans. Consumers accept the loss of a large part of the practice and the flexibility of an MPV as long as their new vehicle still prov ides three rows of seats and gaining a measure of all time utility.
• US Market Price As Tested: $ 41,545
• Power: 20 @ 6400 rpm
• torque: 252 lb-ft at 50 rpm
• observed fuel economy: 18.8 mpg
the piece : Hyundai Santa Fe, which is ostensibly a second generation Hyundai Veracruz, a vehicle that has come over a three-row crossover vans to kill as misnamed own entourage Hyundai, which does not really have an entourage of any kind. Not next to talk about everything.
Oh, there are still minivans. In 2015, Toyota will likely sell more than 150,000 Sienna in America for the first time since 06. But the total minivan volume is down 12% through the first quarter of 2015 and minivans represented only 3 4% of the total US vehicle sales in calendar year 2014, against 6.5% a decade ago.
Maybe you have de cided that a minivan is not necessary, but youre not willing to lose any practicality. You ask, "How much flexibility seats do I need" For those who say: "Not that much, actually?" Hyundai has a solution. Take seven most places Santa Fe, not Santa Fe Sport, and allow passengers to bask in the space created by the removal of a center seat row.
Inside Santa Fe, we will now move away far enough minivan for eight passengers and their relatives-40 cubic feet of space behind the third row - Santa Fe has 13.5 cubic feet of cargo capacity behind the third row - but we re also dealing with a much smaller overall vehicle. The Santa Fe is seven inches shorter, bumper to bumper, a 2015 Toyota Sienna, four inches narrower, and two inches less on the roof. Compared to a top-trim AWD Sienna, the Santa Fe is 650 pounds lighter, as well.
Accordingly, we also have moved away from the days when fans denounced ess vee you- because, in part, "minivans are so much more carlike." Certainly the Santa Fe is a great cross with a suspension adjustment comfort of mind, but there is no bus. Even compared to improved 2015 Sienna minivan many of Americas best-selling so far this year, the Santa Fe behavior of road is much greater. You buy either vehicle to film a hearin g for 8 Furious, but if you are in sudden need of an agitation of rural roads, this prototypical successor SUV old is definitely the one Id take.
And not just because the Santa Fe simply not mismanaged. Frankly, the 3.3L, 20 horsepower V6 feels t ruly powerful in Santa Fe.
Throttle tip-in is measured, the acceleration is lively, the couple is always ready, and automatic recognition 6 speed does his work as an automatic transmission should :. in failing to draw any attention to herself
observed fuel economy of 19 mpg in a mix of city and highway driving was tied with the official combined figure EPA, but would have been better if I seek satisfaction in the act of hurling the road to Santa Fe down the ramps.
not unpleasant to drive away then, but the time spent inside the Santa Fe enjoyable? Lent to us for a week in April by Hyundai Canada, it is in Canadian-speak, a $ 45K XL Santa Fe Limited, equivalent to US $ 41,545 to a Santa Fe Limited with the package $ 4650 Ultimate. (Santa Fes start to $ 31,045 in the US All-wheel drive adds $ 1.750.)
proximity access, panoramic opening, heated steering wheels, heated rear seats, seats ventilated front, two-position memory seats, power liftgate and tend to change the verdicts in the automotive world examiner. Indeed, Hyundai predictable load function does not hurt. But I liked the interior of Santa Fe more because of the siege of six using the appropriate space the tailgate handsfree 19-inch alloys, leather seats, or (which never works for me anyway. ) the third line is far from large, but there is room for adult feet under the second-row seats, there are separate climate controls, and access to the third row is easier with away from the midline. The two seats in the second row can be moved forward a couple of inches without sacrificing the ability to stretch out and get comfortable. For the little people, the waistline is too high for the scenic pleasure, but then again if you paid enough room, your children can scan the sky through the glass roof.
A minivan buyer who is examining a Santa Fe, or vice versa, may not be as interested in the version of the Hyundai six places. But for consumers who do not require the capacity of seven seats, the withdrawal of the seat makes a big difference in how people live and move and extend rear parents.
However, if the Santa Fe is not a minivan alternative, what about more direct rivals? I would take interior of the Toyota Highlander (and its shelf life at the front), the 2016 Honda Pilot spac e behind the third row, the Mazda CX-9 on a winding road, the smooth operation of the second row of the Nissan Pathfinder and the exterior styling of the Dodge Durango and Ford Flex. In some areas, there are three crosses lines that surpass the Hyundai. But in 2015 Santa Fe is a vehicle difficult to fault, especially because of its engine and the value weve come to expect from Hyundai, particularly in the lower trim levels.
Just do not assume that it is quite the family -friendly like a minivan. None of these crosses can pull this trick.
Timothy Cain is the founder of GoodCarBadCar.net , who is obsessed with the free publication and frequent US and Canadian sales figures auto.