Strike a pose in the Hyundai Santa Fe

The third generation Hyundai Santa Fe is a far more attractive looking vehicle than previous models

A white Christmas would be the perfect conditions for the new Hyundai Santa Fe to show off its 4WD capabilities (not that we’re hoping for one) but there’s much more to the third generation model than that.

The new Hyundai Santa Fe has undergone somewhat of a facelift over the years, with smooth contours replacing the muscular looking bonnet of old.

In fact, it’s a very American looking vehicle – big and commanding with blacked out rear windows. It’s beautiful.

This beauty is continued through to the cabin, which had a stylish cream leather interior, a standard feature in the mid-level Executive model I was driving.

The cockpit in the Hyundai Santa Fe is very driver focused, with at-a-glance controls

The Santa Fe is a very large and spacious car – a seven-seater, with five regular seats, plus two full size pull up seats in the boot.

Legroom in the front and middle rows of seats is very generous, however, the rear-most seats should be reserved for the smallies.

They were very easy to collapse and pull back up – with the pull of a lever.

The boot is massive with the third row of seats lowered, however, if you want extra seating you have to compromise on boot space.

A pull-down armrest, with pop out cup holders, gives the middle row a nice executive look and feel if space is a necessity.

The cockpit is well designed and laid out, with driver comfort a priority. The Santa Fe also feels very safe, and it has the five star Euro NCAP safety rating to back that up.

The Executive model I was driving was well specced, with auto lights and wipers; cruise control/speed limiter; air conditioning; Bluetooth; hill hold assist; downhill brake assist and a great reversing camera.

The sound system was also excellent, with a touchscreen radio, CD player and USB/aux ports.

The new Hyundai Santa Fe has achieved the top five star Euro NCAP safety rating

This 2.2-litre 197ps six-speed manual (diesel) SUV was a dream to drive, with Flex Steer offering a choice of three driving modes – normal, comfort and sport.

The Hyundai Santa Fe has a lovely commanding and comfortable driving position. A powerful car, it had nice acceleration and gear changes were seamless. Four wheel drive comes as standard in the Executive model.

We spent the majority of our time with the Santa Fe on city and motorway routes. Although it’s a very big car, I found it very easy to manoeuver through narrow city streets. The reversing camera also made parking very easy.

Motorway cruising was superb, with the cabin well sound proofed.

I enjoyed every single drive I took in the Hyundai Santa Fe. It’s a beautiful, powerful looking car that’s luxuriously kitted out and very well specced – suitable for families and execs alike.

Hyundai has said that it will not be applying Budget tax increases to its January 2013 prices.

The Hyundai Santa Fe is available now, with prices starting from €37,995 for the 2WD model. The 4WD Executive model I was driving cost from €41,995.

It also comes with the Hyundai five year warranty.

Tech Spec
Engine: 2.2-litre CRDi (diesel)
Acceleration: 0-100km/h in 9.8seconds
Maximum Speed: 190km/h
CO2 emissions: 149g/km
Annual road tax: €390 (2013)

Visit the Hyundai Ireland website or its Facebook page for further details.