Santa Fe proves economy on Aussie test run

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Hyundai’s Santa Fe diesel has performed outstandingly well in an independent Australian economy test.

21 December 2006
Immediate release

Santa Fe proves economy on Aussie test run

Miserly fuel consumption of the Hyundai Santa Fe has confounded even the most ardent critics of SUVs in the latest fuel economy trial.

Eco-futurist Hans Tholstrup drove a Hyundai Santa Fe CRDi turbo-diesel an incredible 1776 kilometres from Adelaide, through Sydney and north to Port Macquarie, averaging an unheard of 4.67 litres per 100km.

The lean burning Santa Fe was not restricted to Australia’s iconic long flat straights on the test cycle which included pushing through Sydney’s city traffic along the Pacific Highway, and through metropolitan Newcastle. The uncompromising test run included five Hyundai dealer stops in metro areas and no modifications whatsoever to the standard Santa Fe.

Interestingly the economy figures parallel those Tholstrup achieved driving Hyundai’s super mini the Getz 1.3 litre petrol 10,000km from Darwin to Brisbane via Perth in 2003.

Tholstrup’s obsession with achieving maximum mileage for minimum fuel stems from the fuel crisis in the 1970s. He won a series of economy runs in cars and the first economy run for trucks – both proved driving style can be responsible for 30 percent of fuel consumption.

He has since been behind other economy races including a solar powered car race between Darwin and Adelaide.

“The high technology turbo-diesel of the Santa Fe highlights Hyundai’s ability to lead the field in economy among SUVs that competitors with only petrol power cannot hope to match,” he said.

He believes diesel offers an economic, practical solution to powering heavier SUVs.
“They make more sense than high priced electric/petrol hybrids which have costly and unresolved battery replacement and disposal issues,” he said.

The Santa Fe driven on the economy run was a factory standard SX CRDi manual with no modifications. With its latest common rail technology the engine delivers less CO2 emissions than its petrol competitors and cuts fuel use by close to half of its petrol powered competitors.

The Australian Design rule fuel figures for an urban/rural driving cycle with the Santa Fe substantiate the results gained by Tholstrup, ranging from 7.3 litres per 100km to 8.2 litres, depending on variant. This compares to up to 12.8 litres per 100 km for its major competitors petrol alternatives.

Hyundai New Zealand Managing Director Philip Eustace said the results confirm what many Santa Fe purchasers have already learnt.

“They are the owners of the most economic, practical vehicle on the road today, and this has been supported by the Santa Fe being awarded SUV of the year by several different motoring groups in New Zealand and around the world.”

“The Santa Fe has been an outstanding success for Hyundai in New Zealand with sales averaging 83 units per month since its launch in June of this year. The New Zealand motoring public have embraced this vehicle for all the outstanding attributes it presents, including advanced safety technology, great looks and fantastic specification levels, to name but a few.”

ENDS

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