00:00 Last Christmas, Hyundai gave us a very, very sneak peek of its upcoming new model, the
00:06 Santa Fe.
00:07 And now we finally have it here.
00:08 This is it.
00:09 This is the Philippine-spec model.
00:10 And we're here today for a quick preview.
00:12 Well, it's still a preview, but now we're going to be able to take a closer look at
00:15 it and we're actually going to be able to drive it through some short courses.
00:19 So let's go check it out.
00:21 [music]
00:34 So as you may have already seen before, Hyundai has gone all boxy with the all-new Santa Fe.
00:39 It looks very much different from the fourth-generation model and it's got this very classy, retro,
00:46 boxy look to it.
00:47 You also have these H-themed design.
00:50 You can actually see a lot of Hs here in the Santa Fe, actually.
00:53 You have on the grille, you have here on the bumper, and we'll see even more of those as
00:57 we go around the vehicle.
00:59 So what I like about this one is that it looks very clean, it looks very macho, and it actually
01:04 fits the overall physique quite well.
01:07 This one also sits on huge 21-inch wheels.
01:12 You get this on the top-spec variant.
01:13 On the mid and the base variant, you only get smaller but still big 20-inch wheels.
01:19 So bear with me as I try to walk around this vehicle.
01:22 But anyway, here on the sides, you'll see more of that boxy and rugged look for the
01:26 Santa Fe.
01:27 It's got these very large windows here on the sides.
01:31 You have plastic trim underneath.
01:33 You've got a two-tone look to it, and it's got these roof rails that come as standard.
01:38 Interestingly enough, the top-spec variant also has a C-pillar handle assist of sorts.
01:43 I can't demo it right now, unfortunately, but you can grab it if you need to get something
01:48 from up top.
01:49 Here at the back, you get more of the same.
01:52 You have a boxy look, you have more HS, a little more rugged as well.
01:56 But I admit, this may not seem very likable to most people, but it grows on you.
02:02 Me, I actually like the design.
02:03 It's a bit unorthodox, but it also looks very retro to me.
02:06 Now, since we're already here, let's check out the back.
02:10 Power liftgate, by the way.
02:12 It has a very, very large opening, and it also has a very large trunk.
02:17 So now, the second row seats are deployed.
02:19 The third row seats folded down.
02:20 You're looking at 725 liters of space.
02:23 With all these rows in use, you're looking at 285 liters of space.
02:27 Now, with all these folded down, it opens up to 1,156 liters of space.
02:33 So that's a lot.
02:35 Anyway, where's the...
02:37 Okay, here's how you close it.
02:39 Let's check out the front row.
02:42 As I mentioned earlier, you'll see more of the Hs as we go around the vehicle, and more
02:47 of the same can be found inside.
02:49 Anyway, there's a lot going on around here.
02:52 It's got a lot of tech, got a lot of buttons, and it's a bit overwhelming if I'm gonna be
02:57 honest.
02:58 Let's try to start here.
02:59 Steering wheel, you've got a nice leather-wrapped steering wheel with, of course, standard mounted
03:05 controls.
03:06 The steering wheel looks actually a bit different from what you see from other Hyundais.
03:10 It reminds me a lot of the Defender steering wheel, I'm gonna be honest.
03:14 You have paddle shifters here, you have your stalks here, and the gear shift lever is found
03:20 over here.
03:21 Don't know how to operate it, but later we're gonna be able to drive it so let's talk about
03:23 that later.
03:25 You have this large...
03:27 What's this?
03:28 This is 12.3-inches, the infotainment system, and it's in one panel with the digital instrument
03:33 cluster.
03:34 You also have the fingerprint sensor here, and you have a digital display for the AC
03:39 controls as well.
03:40 Now, this is touchscreen, but it also has knobs so good on Hyundai for that.
03:48 You have...
03:49 Oh, I accidentally turned on the seat ventilation.
03:52 That's pretty cool.
03:53 Let's turn it higher.
03:54 Okay, that's good.
03:56 You have two USB-C charging ports here in front.
03:58 In total, there are six here in the Santa Fe, including the third row, so that's pretty
04:03 cool.
04:04 You have storage spaces here.
04:05 I think that's almost becoming a signature for Hyundai.
04:09 You can find that in the Staria and the Stargazer as well.
04:12 You have this large center console that can also be opened from the back.
04:18 So if your passengers need something from here, they can open this one easily.
04:23 Now, onto the seat.
04:24 As I said, there's ventilation.
04:27 Interestingly enough, the front row seats are 10-way power adjustable, including the
04:31 driver's seat.
04:32 There are Ottomans here.
04:34 I don't know why anyone would want Ottomans while driving, but if you're gonna spend a
04:38 lot of time in your car, especially when you're idling in a parking lot or whatever, those
04:42 are gonna come in handy.
04:43 You also have preset functions for the driver's seat, so that's also pretty handy.
04:49 Of course, all of your window controls are over here.
04:51 Oh, and storage spaces.
04:53 There's also a large one here underneath.
04:56 That's also gonna come in handy to keep this center console pretty clean and organized.
05:00 Alright, let's check out the second row.
05:03 Now we're in the second row, and I see even more H-patterns.
05:07 H-patterns here, H-patterns there.
05:09 I guess they really meant it when they said an H-themed design.
05:13 Anyway, first off, you get these USB-C charging ports.
05:16 You can find these here.
05:17 You have a tray underneath the center console.
05:20 I can't open it.
05:22 There you go.
05:23 Extra storage space.
05:24 You also have retractable pockets behind the front row seats.
05:28 You have a sunshade, which I will be making good use of right now because it's super hot.
05:35 You have AC vents on the side, and you have a dual sunroof.
05:38 This comes as standard across the range.
05:40 You also have a large armrest here in the middle with two cup holders.
05:45 You also have two small bottle or cup holders on both sides, and a larger bottle holder
05:50 underneath.
05:51 Now, this second row doesn't have automans, but it does recline by this much.
05:58 It's actually pretty comfortable here.
06:01 I would opt to close this sunroof though because it's a bit hot.
06:04 There are no controls for this sunroof here at the back.
06:07 That's what I noticed.
06:08 If you need to close it, you have to press it up front.
06:13 Anyway, I'm not going to be able to go into the third row seat because my knee hurts so
06:18 bad, but you do have a lot of amenities there at the back as well.
06:21 You have separate AC controls for your AC vents, and you have USB-C charging ports,
06:27 and of course, cup holders on either side.
06:30 Anyway, I guess it's time to drive this one.
06:32 We're going to move on to the next station where we're going to be able to drive it on-road.
06:38 So the course right now, we have a slalom, very quick slalom.
06:43 Then we have a short-distance acceleration and braking test.
06:47 So the Santa Fe, by the way, has multiple drive modes.
06:50 We're going to start this one in normal mode.
06:53 It's my first time driving this one.
06:56 Let's take it slowly.
07:02 The steering is very light.
07:04 It doesn't feel like a large crossover SUV at all.
07:09 Fun fact, the Santa Fe from the first generation in 2000 to the fifth generation in 2024 has
07:15 continuously grown in size.
07:17 It's grown by 300mm in length from the time it was launched.
07:23 So it's now 4,800mm or something.
07:25 So now we're going to go through these cones here in the slalom.
07:32 I'll take it a bit at speed.
07:40 So even if we're going a bit faster, there's not a lot of body roll there.
07:47 Later on, we'll try it in sport mode and take it at even higher speeds.
07:52 So now we're on to the acceleration test.
07:54 Three, two, one.
07:55 We're not going to torque it anymore.
07:58 Let's just floor it.
08:05 And full brake.
08:07 So I think on that stretch, we reached 80km/h.
08:12 That's actually pretty impressive.
08:13 Considering how big and heavy this thing is, it actually accelerated pretty quickly.
08:19 I'm curious to see how much faster it will accelerate and stop with the sport mode on.
08:25 Let's have another go.
08:27 Three, two, one.
08:39 So I braked a bit earlier than I did earlier, but I was already at 80km/h.
08:45 Now this is already the third time we've done this test and consistently, we've been hitting
08:50 this cone.
08:51 That just goes to show the stopping power and the consistency of these brakes.
08:55 That's again, again, another impressive point for the all-new Sentafe.
08:59 And I could really feel the power output difference between normal and sport mode.
09:04 That's nice to have when you're trying to overtake on the highway or you want a more
09:08 spirited drive.
09:11 So we're going through the same slalom that we went through earlier with normal mode on.
09:16 We're now in sport mode.
09:17 That's not gonna go too fast, but just feel how much stiffer it is with sport mode on.
09:31 That's very impressive.
09:33 That's very, very impressive.
09:35 Of course, there is body roll, but it's so much less than what I expected.
09:39 It handles so well for its size.
09:41 I can't wait to take this out on public roads and really feel it, feel just how comfortable,
09:47 how well it handles through mountain roads.
09:49 I can imagine driving this to, I don't know, Baguio or somewhere in Mahilake just to try
09:55 out the handling of it.
09:57 And I guess now we're on to the off-road track.
10:00 So let's go.
10:03 So we're now on our way to the short dirt track that they've prepared for us.
10:10 Nothing too hardcore, but it'll show us that even with stock wheels and tires and all-stock
10:18 setup, the Santa Fe can go slightly off-road.
10:23 It comes standard with all-wheel drive, by the way.
10:26 Oh, and we're also driving, again, the turbocharged variant.
10:30 It's still pretty comfy.
10:32 As I said earlier, it's comfy inside the Santa Fe, and now we're here on a slightly beat-up
10:40 part of the track and still fairly comfortable.
10:43 So now, these are some slight articulation tests.
10:47 Nothing too hardcore.
10:48 Again, I think these are what, 25 degrees, 30 degrees?
10:52 Not bad.
10:55 So again, this is all-wheel drive, so no need to switch anything over here.
11:00 No need to fiddle with anything.
11:02 We're just taking it a bit slow.
11:06 Not here to jump the car.
11:08 Just here to try it out on a more, on a rougher part of the terrain.
11:18 Not bad.
11:19 It's fairly easy to maneuver on these types of soil.
11:26 Not much ruck here.
11:27 Not much mud because it's stupid hot today.
11:34 Not familiar with ground clearance yet because they haven't released the specs yet, but nothing
11:39 is getting in the way.
11:40 That's what's important.
11:41 It's pretty high.
11:46 So there you have it, the all-new Hyundai Santa Fe.
11:48 It's a very, very comfortable crossover on-road.
11:51 It has a lot of power under that hood, and it's a very, very capable crossover.
11:56 It can go slightly off-road as well, and probably with some aftermarket upgrades, this can go
12:01 off the beaten path very, very easily.
12:04 So three variants of this one are available at launch, and we're gonna list down the prices
12:07 somewhere here, but the range tops out at Php3.1 million for the top-of-the-line calligraphy
12:14 variant.
12:15 So what do you guys think about Hyundai's new premium offering?
12:18 Does this have what it takes to challenge its competitors in the market?
12:26 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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