Hyundai Shows New Santa Fe in Detroit

That last point brings up an interesting secondary discussion, in that Hyundai chose to acid test its new Santa Fe against

Hyundai chose to acid test its new Santa Fe against some pretty stiff competition before letting it loose before us in Detroit. (Photo: Hyundai Canada)

some pretty stiff competition before letting it loose before us in Detroit. Normally, a company would benchmark a new model next to the best in a given class, which, in the Santa Fe's case would mean the best in the entry-level midsize crossover segment. But instead, Hyundai chose luxury vehicles often costing tens of thousands more, such as Lexus' popular RX 330, Acura's MDX and Volvo's superb XC90. Interestingly enough, the results of such fine tuning not only allowed its engineers to make sure that third-row seat I spoke of before delivers greater leg and foot room than the latter two of these luxury 'utes as well as Honda's largish Pilot, but also has made the new Santa Fe quieter than the Volvo, for instance, at 100 km/h.

Additional premium touches, such as dual-zone climate control can be had, plus optional power seats, the driver's with power lumbar support, heated side mirrors, and important this time of year in most jurisdictions in Canada, a windshield wiper de-icing system.

There's

Suffice to say that Hyundai has come up with another hit, and one that will no doubt have its many rivals concerned. (Photo: Hyundai Canada)

much more to the new Santa Fe than has been covered here today, with the vehicle only having been launched yesterday and more time to digest its many features and options, and just what comes with the base GLS, optional SE and top-line Limited models, but this can wait for a full preview. Until then, suffice to say that Hyundai has come up with another hit, and one that will no doubt have its many rivals concerned. If its production execution equals that of the new Tucson, Sonata and Azera, look out Japanese carmakers, because Hyundai won't be sacrificing quality to get its price down by thousands in order to increase its market share. These are exciting times for consumers shopping for best value vehicles to meet the needs of their growing families, and the new Santa Fe looks to deliver where its competitors have often not measured up.