BY TERRY MARTIN | 5th Jul 2018
WE LIVE in times where the relationship between Korea and the United States are captivating, and while Hyundai’s connections with Santa Fe, New Mexico, are not in the same league as Kim-Trump and Pyongyang-Washington, a significant shift has just occurred.
Entering its fourth generation, Hyundai’s seven-seat large SUV is bigger, broader, bolder, more upmarket and, at first glance and arguably for the first time in almost two decades, seems to really fit the built-with-America-top-of-mind ‘Santa Fe’ moniker – a name the South Korean car giant appropriated for its first SUV way back in 2000.
This sees the Santa Fe size up in overall terms a little more evenly with key rivals such as Toyota’s Kluger and Mazda’s CX-9, both of which have a strong following in Australia.
But does bigger and brassier necessarily mean better?