Hyundai has quietly launched the Santa Fe with a 6-speed automatic transmission. The Santa Fe AT will be available in 4X4 version only and is priced at Rs. 24.36,500/- (ex-showroom, Delhi). The Santa Fe now features push button start, smart key (similar to the Verna) and new supervision cluster which enhances the clarity of the instrument panel. Till date Hyundai has sold 1100 units of the SUV and the Automatic version is available in five colours. The Santa Fe is a very competent SUV but lacked an automatic transmission which many desired. When we drove the vehicle, we found the clutch to be very heavy and thus an automatic transmission is a real boon on this car. Hyundai has been very clever by launching the automatic version of the Santa Fe just when Renault has launched the Koleos.
The Santa Fe Automatic is powered by the same 2.2-liter CRDi unit that does duty in the manual version of the vehicle. Producing 197 PS of power 4000 RPM and 44.5kgm of torque between 1800-2500 RPM, the Santa Fe is an actual rocket in its segment. The Santa Fe Automatic boasts of an ARAI certified mileage of 11.72 kmpl. The SUV has received five star rating from EuroNCAP and comes equipped with 6 Airbags, ABS, EBD and ESP as standard.
