2.2 CRDi 197 Premium SE 7 seat 5dr SUV

Practical, comfortable, reliable and good value

Bought a brand new Santa Fe Premium SE in May 2013 after contemplating various 4WD 7-seaters. Eventually plumped for the Santa Fe since it's well equipped, good value for money, fuel efficient (for a big car), looks great, and comes with a 5-year warranty.

Although the new model is more expensive than the old version, it's still good value considering the improved build quality and the higher equipment level. Quality isn't quite as high as a German marque but it's not far away and the price tag is substantially lower.

The car has plenty of room inside - 7 seats and a voluminous boot with the back row folded down - although it's not huge on the outside and it doesn't feel like a tank to drive. Obviously it's no sports car but it handles country lanes without a problem, acceleration is respectable, it has plenty of torque, and it's a very comfortable motorway cruiser. On long motorway journeys we tend to average towards 40mpg but for day-to-day short journeys 32mpg is more typical. 4WD only activates when needed - which it seems to do effectively - and I guess this helps to improve fuel economy slightly.

The Premium SE model is generously equipped, including many features which would need to be specified as expensive optional extras in more "premium branded" vehicles. It has electric everything, Bluetooth hands free, climate control, cruise control, panoramic sunroof, leather seats, automatic lights and wipers, heated front seats, front and rear parking sensors, reversing camera, tyre pressure sensors, and a somewhat gimmicky automatic parking system which I've used once out of curiosity. The entertainment system is comprehensive and intuitive, and the satnav is a considerable improvement over the system in my previous car (an Audi). Theoretically voice control of key functions is possible, but as with most cars it seems to be more trouble than it's worth and I've never bothered.

My only niggle with this car is an intermittent problem with the immobiliser. The Premium SE model has keyless entry and push-button ignition, but occasionally the immobiliser doesn't deactivate so the engine won't start. This happens once or twice per month, and although it's easily overcome by locking then unlocking the car, it's a bit of a pain. Unfortunately the dealership hasn't been able to reproduce the problem and says it's not a known fault. Fingers crossed I can convince them it's not my imagination before the warranty expires.

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