Hyundai has come clean on the first
SR-badged version of its popular Santa Fe seven-seat SUV, as
driven by motoring.com.au in October 2014, and rated 73/100.
Developed
in Australia, the new Santa Fe
range-topper is now officially on sale priced at $59,990 plus on-road costs --
$6750 more than the Highlander luxury flagship on which it's based – making it
the most expensive Hyundai
bar the $60,000-$82,000 Genesis sedan.
Based
on the updated 2015 Santa Fe released last October rather than the facelifted
model revealed in Korea earlier this month and due on sale here in the fourth
quarter of this year, the SR adds a range of cosmetic and chassis upgrades to
the Highlander menu.
These
include a full sports body kit, 19-inch OZ Racing alloy wheels with high-performance
Michelin tyres, Brembo brakes and H&R Performance springs, as part of the
latest local chassis tuning program undertaken by Hyundai Australia.
In
detail, Hyundai's fourth SR model (and first SR SUV) after the Veloster SR
Turbo, i30 SR hatch and Accent SR hatch is differentiated from lesser Santa Fes by a
sports front spoiler, side skirts, a racy rear diffuser with integrated exhaust
outlet and matte-black OZ Racing Versilia alloy wheels measuring 19x8.0-inch
(the same as the Highlander's standard wheels) and shod with 235/55 R19
Michelin Latitude Tour tyres. A full-size spare is standard.
Braking
is upgraded too, via red four-piston fixed monobloc Brembo callipers at all
four corners, gripping 340x28mm front discs and 302x22mm rear discs. Hyundai says stopping
distance from 60km/h is reduced by eight per cent compared with the regular
MY15 Santa Fe.
The
Santa Fe SR is based on the Santa Fe Sports Package formulated by Hyundai Motor
Corporation’s Customising Team in South Korea, but the company's new Aussie SUV
flagship underwent a significant local development program led by Hyundai Motor
Company Australia’s General Manager Product Engineering, Mr Hee Loong ‘Wongy’
Wong.
The
result was six per cent stiffer front and 11 per cent stiffer rear H&R
Performance springs, while the Mando dampers, Flex Steer electric steering and
Active On-Demand 4WD system with torque-vectoring Advanced Traction Cornering
Control (ATCC) carry over from other Australian-specification MY15 Santa Fe
models.
“For
us, it wasn’t about the wheels being bigger and wider, or having a different
offset, but about spoke design and the required calliper clearance,” said Hyundai Motor Company
Australia’s Senior Manager Product Planning, Andrew Tuitahi.
The
145kW/436Nm 2.2-litre CRDi four-cylinder turbo-diesel and six-speed automatic
transmission carries over from other Santa Fe models, as does a full safety
suite including seven airbags, a reversing camera, ESC, TCS, ABS, EBD, BAS,
HAC, DBC, LDW and a five-star ANCAP crash rating.
The SR
also comes with all of the top-shelf Santa Fe Highlander's
standard equipment, which Hyundai claims is class-leading, including 12-way
power driver’s seat adjustment, heated and ventilated front seats, heated
second-row seats, rear-door sunshades, a twin-panel auto-closing panoramic
glass roof, automatic xenon headlights, LED daytime running lights, 10-speaker
premium audio system with Bluetooth iPod connectivity and a 7.0-inch
touch-screen satellite-navigation system with SUNA traffic updates and three
years’ HERE MapCare.
There's
also a powered tailgate with hands-free opening, proximity smart key with
push-button start, dual-zone climate-control with vents for all three rows,
rain-sensing wipers, front/rear rear parking sensors and underfloor rear cargo
storage.
Hyundai's most expensive SR
misses out on the Santa Fe
Highlander's automated parking system and is available in just four exterior
paint colours: Creamy White (solid), and the metallic Sleek Silver, Titanium
Silver and Phantom Black, each matched with leather-appointed black interior
trim.
Like
all new vehicles from the Korean car-maker, the Santa Fe SR comes with a
five-year/unlimited km warranty, lifetime capped-price servicing and 10 years
of roadside assistance.
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