Does the Santa Fe have a third row of seats? Given the average household size of 2.1 people, it is not at all surprising that the supply of seven-seaters in the Netherlands has shrunk considerably in recent years, not least because of the declining existence of the MPV. Fortunately, for large families, a number of SUVs with a third row of seats have replaced this, such as the Skoda Kodiaq and Renault Espace. However, the gap to the BMWs and Audis of this world is significant. Not that the fifth generation Hyundai Santa Fe is exactly in between, but with a plug-in hybrid powertrain with 252 hp plus all-wheel drive, a lot of luxury and plenty of space, the brand new Korean easily rises above the middle bracket. There is also a regular hybrid in the price list, but that is a less logical choice; that HEV costs almost the same as the plug variant, but with it you only have front-wheel drive and you also enter a equipment level lower. Finding a suitable opponent outside of group member Kia Sorento is no easy task. Why a DS7 as an opponent of the Santa Fe? At the time we made this test, Mazda was heavily advertising the CX-80; on paper a promising challenger, unfortunately the Japanese is not yet available. That is why we have brought in an old acquaintance in the form of the DS 7. The Frenchman has been on the market since 2017 and received a thorough facelift at the end of 2022. Yes, the 7 is a lot smaller and has to make do with five seats, but just like the Santa Fe, the Frenchman has the necessary focus on design, comfort and luxury. Moreover, the E-Tense 300 4×4 has a more or less comparable hybrid drivetrain and falls in the same price range. Does the Santa Fe still have the same plug-in hybrid powertrain as the previous one? The distinctively designed Santa Fe may be new from head to tail in terms of bodywork, but the drivetrain is certainly not. It consists of the well-known combination of a 1.6-liter four-cylinder turbo engine, an electric motor and a six-speed automatic transmission. Basically, the front wheels are driven, but when the electronics deem it necessary, up to fifty percent goes to the rear wheels via a clutch. Add to this the various 4×4 driving modes and you will undoubtedly be able to do well off the asphalt. The sturdy, off-road vehicle-like appearance is not just appearance, let’s just say, even though it is an SUV first and foremost. A whopper, too, because at 4.83 meters it is more than twenty centimeters longer than the DS 7, and it is also about 10 cm higher. The downside is that the Hyundai is therefore a whopping 264 kilograms heavier. In that respect, the combined power of 252 hp is not an unnecessary luxury. How does the Santa Fe drive? Fortunately, it works fine for the Netherlands; the drivetrain is smooth, quiet and fast enough, only during intermediate accelerations it sometimes feels sluggish. There is a 13.8 kWh battery in the bottom, which on paper is good for an electric range of 62 kilometers. In practice, unfortunately, we do not get further than 38 km. It is striking that the battery does not completely discharge, the fuel engine kicks in at 15 percent. We cannot escape the impression that more can be achieved with a different setting. The DS7 also has something, right? Just like the Santa Fe, the DS 7 is not exactly boring in design. However, where Hyundai focuses on sturdy and angular, DS focuses on an abundance of creative details. The Antoine de Saint-Exupéry version, which you see on these pages, is new. How does the DS7’s plug-in hybrid powertrain work? Unlike the Santa Fe, the DS has two electric motors. The rear one provides all-wheel drive, there is no physical connection with the 1.6 petrol engine. In EV mode, the DS, which has a 14.2 kWh battery, becomes a rear-wheel drive vehicle. We reach a surprising 53 km. With electric power, just like in the Hyundai, highway speeds of 130 km/h are no problem, although this does require some control from the right foot. If you press the gas pedal of the DS deeper and combine the three engines, it turns out to be a smooth companion with its 300 hp and 520 Nm that enjoys the throttle. Just like in the Santa Fe, the transition takes place without any shocks or other inconveniences. With 5.9 seconds, it accelerates to 100 km/h more than two seconds faster than the Santa Fe, and the Korean also has an impressive performance in the intermediate sprints. The eight-speed automatic transmission shifts up and down more actively than the Hyundai’s six-speed gearbox. On the one hand, this suits the more dynamic character of the drivetrain, but on the other hand, the four-cylinder engine is revved more often than you would like, which is at the expense of refinement.
Source: www.autoweek.nl
