2001 Hyundai Santa Fe

I have to hand it to Hyundai. Where lesser carmakers would have turned tail and run in the face of reliability problems and sagging U.S. sales, South Korea’s largest automotive manufacturer determined instead to make things right. What we’re seeing now from this marquee is a lineup of increasingly impressive cars that undercut the competition in price and address ghosts of the past by offering one of the most substantial warranties out there. But cars are not enough if you want to be a serious player in the U.S. market these days, so Hyundai got its California design studio to fashion a compact sport utility just for us. This Santa Fe carries forth the same economy/style/substance philosophy, knowing it comes late to a game rife with successful players. Hyundai is accustomed to challenges, however. Apparently, it also learns well from them.

The Good News
The best news is the Santa Fe is an attractive looking, relatively comfortable, accommodating, nicely outfitted compact sport utility for under $20,000.

Now, that doesn’t buy the full-time all-wheel-drive system that splits power 60/40 and automatically engages the rear-axle when traction warrants it. But on the GLS model I tested, it does buy a load of nice stuff like air conditioning, 6-speaker audio with CD player, heated power mirrors, remote keyless entry and so forth. It also buys a 2.7-liter V6 producing 181 horses and 177 foot pounds of torque.

About the same length as a Honda CR-V, the Santa Fe is a tad wider, which increases interior room. The rear seat folds easily to create a flat floor for cargo, and its 29 cubic feet of packing room (back seat up; 78 with seat down) is among the better in its class.

Being based on a significantly revised version of the mid-sized Sonata sedan platform gives it the carlike performance characteristics enjoyed by Toyota’s RAV4 and Highlander and other car-based SUVs. MacPherson strut front suspension and fully independent rear suspension smooth out the ride, and handling responds with equal aplomb. The Santa Fe is very easy to drive.

But the Santa Fe’s 8.1 inches of ground clearance does show some willingness to venture off road, even if it’s only to park in the grass at a softball game. Romping in the wilderness is clearly not the calling here, but this Santa Fe no more a wimp than most compact sport utes.

Finally, it’s eye-catching. Hyundai set out to make the Santa Fe a sophisticate in terms of design, taking cues more from luxury sedans than trucks. They also worked hard at making the interior very friendly. They were successful on both points, which should rate well with female buyers especially.

The Bad News
Those 181 horses sound great until you understand that this little Hyundai tips the scales at about 3500 pounds, portly to say the least. Those high horses move it along capably and quietly, but not quickly.

Even though its interior is comfortable by my standards, it’s not great for those over 6-feet. Few compacts really are, however. More travel room in the Santa Fe’s front seats would help.

Inside, the Santa Fe feeds us lots of plastic, but what did we expect at this price? Leather and burled wood?

At least Hyundai molded ample cupholders and storage into the setup and placed instrumentation and controls logically within easy reach.

Gas Mileage
EPA rated at 19 mpg city/26 highway (23 with 4WD)

Price
Manufacturer’s base, $19,299;
Price as tested, $19,759

Is it worth it?
Before I had seen the price on my test vehicle, I was engaged by a couple of people looking at my Santa Fe in a parking lot. We began to conjecture what we thought it cost. All of us placed it in the mid-$20,000s.

Of course, add 4-wheel-drive and the fancier XL trim and we wouldn’t have been far off. But to find that, given all this front-wheel-drive model offers, it comes in under $20,000 is a rare and pleasant surprise in today’s market. Settle for the 149-horse inline four-cylinder and fewer goodies and you can get one for around $17,000.

So, yes, I very much like this little Santa Fe. It’s a great addition to the Hyundai lineup that deserves a look if you’re in the compact market. The price is right and the 100,000-mile powertrain/60,000 mile bumper-to-bumper warranties are more than comforting.

Beth Stein is a life-long car buff and free-lance journalist living in Nashville. She has reviewed new vehicles in print for 12 years as a weekly columnist for Nashville’s daily newspapers and on television for Road Test Magazine and Motor Trend Television. Currently, her reviews appear nationally on Car And Driver Television.