Hyundai Santa Fe 2006 test drive - 2009 SUV

South Russian classic

Tagaz mastered the production of Hyundai Santa Fe Classic. On one of the first cars, Igor Morzharetto drove from Rostov to Taganrog.
The car of the Russian assembly differs from the Korean ancestor with two strokes painted in the color of the body with plastic overlays (in their own version they were gray) and the Classic nameplate on the back door. The link is understandable: in Korea they already produce a new model, so ours, Taganrog, no, is not old classic. We have our own vision of equipment options. So, already in the database the power steering, two airbags, ABS, a full electric package, a central lock, air conditioning and even heating the windshield.

But all -wheel drive appears only in the MT2 configuration; In the initial version, only the front. Tagaz suggests that some young townspeople will choose a budget version, who are more important than a spacious salon and high clearance than a real opportunity to grab on the road. I doubt that such a complete set will be in demand in Russia by a permanent must be an all -wheel drive; The remaining options are not considered. However, it is impossible to determine the drive system of the drive system for the equipment of the passenger compartment and there are no transmission operating modes (the electronics are in charge of this in any case). So you can keep silent about the front -wheel drive

In Korea, the car was produced with four engines options, we have two available. This is a 2 -liter diesel with a capacity of 112 hp. Paired with a mechanical and automatic gearbox and gasoline six with a capacity of 173 hp. (only with a machine gun). I got the AT3 equipment constant all-wheel drive, a 2-liter diesel and an automatic 4-speed box with a manual switch mode. And all the signs of a beautiful life here were in the presence of cast 16-inch wheels, metal inserts in the central console, climate control and a leather interior.
Get a job in the driver's seat; However, even in the back seat, even our photographer (190 cm tall) was quite comfortable. What is pleasant engine in the cabin is practically not heard. It is possible to distinguish diesel package from gasoline only outside by a characteristic sound and nameplate on the front wings and rear door. And by dynamics, of course. Because in combination with a machine gun, a two -liter diesel is quite self -sufficient for the city, but I was not impressed on the highway. He calmly and powerfully gaining speed (factory testers assure that in direct sections of the track, the classic dispersed to 160 km/h), but sharp accelerations and overtaking is clearly not his element. A narrow 70-kilometer federal highway between Rostov and Taganrog on weekdays is clogged with trucks, which are dragged at a speed of 6070 km/h, the movement mode here is torn: it accelerated and accommodated all the time. Personally, for such a road, I would have picked up a couple of diesel mechanics better.

But where the diesel engine is good in combination with a constant all -wheel drive and a clearance of 210 mm, it is on a light but impressive off -road! I experienced a classic on steep hills in the area of \u200b\u200bthe Tanais archaeological reserve. The engine, it seems, does not even strain, all four wheels confidently cling to the soil and the car effectively climbs up the steep slope or descends into the ravine. True, after rain, I would not even try to drive through these hills on Santa Fe. After all, there is no question of any blocks here, and Wyskirta can only redistribute the efforts between the two axes and pull the car on slippery, dirty, uneven, but still the road. On the other hand, is it often a modern successful citizen (and who else can afford a crossover for $ 2530 thousand) crawls along broken forest paths and swamps? If he already comes, then not on Santa Fe, Rav4 or Tussan. There is a special technique for this

And the classic is fully consistent with its Russian name. Let it from today's point of view may seem boring to someone, but you need to have a classic in his library, and in a good edition. And you also need to know in order to quote to the place. After all, each of us has a quote from a quote from the natives of Taganrog Chekhov, say, Faina Ranevskaya or, at worst, about hares from Pan Zyuzi.

Of course, the author visited the very factory about the news of Tagaz in the economy section.

Hyundai Santa Fe Classic car for a successful citizen, with a calm character and light craving for nature, which appreciates a classic style in everything.
Igor Morzharetto
 

Source: The magazine "Driving"