Hyundai Santa Fe 2019 Tow Test

If you’re in the market for a family-friendly seven-seat SUV and budget doesn’t quite extend to a European exotic, you’d be crazy not to consider the latest Hyundai Santa Fe, with well-equipped entry-level versions starting at $43,000.

After around two months’ in the Carsales' basement carpark, and shared among a handful of drivers, there’s been hardly a bad word said about the top-spec Highlander version of the upmarket Korean SUV.

Lifestyle editor Nadine Armstrong, who has an Audi and Porsche in her own driveway, paid the Carsales Car of the Year podium place-getter the ultimate compliment by referring to its overall presentation as very ‘un-Hyundai’.

While experienced road tester Ken Gratton was just as glowing in his praise, with the well-rounded Santa Fe marked up in every category bar the slightly cramped interior.

Can the new Santa Fe tow?

For this reviewer, who’s day job includes reviewing caravans and other RVs, a main area of interest was whether the latest Santa Fe could tow a camper trailer or lightweight caravan, of the type increasingly found in front yards of Aussie families.

If you didn’t already know, the recreational vehicle market in Australia is booming, with well over 600,000 RVs registered down under and an increasing proportion owned by younger families also attracted to medium-large SUVs like the Santa Fe.

Unlike the grey nomads, who spend months away from home at a time and are happy to put up with more utilitarian vehicles, owners of family campers are often lucky to get away for a few weeks over Christmas and Easter. For them, they want a dual-purpose tow vehicle that’s easy to live with around town for most of the year, while able to function as a tow tug and holiday tourer as required.

Two-tonne towing

Like many ‘soft road’ SUVs, the Santa Fe isn’t designed for heavy-duty touring or hard-core bush bashing, although its all-wheel drive platform and decent 185mm clearance will increase confidence on the dirt or gravel.

On paper its 2000kg braked towing capacity is competitive with rivals like the Mazda CX-9. However, like the Mazda the Santa Fe is limited by the amount you can carry on the tow ball (just 100kg, or 150kg with the optional upgraded tow kit).

With this in mind, we hitched up a trailer weighing only 900kg, with a ball weight well under 100kg. However, there are some bigger European caravans available in Australia that can weigh up to two tonnes while delivering ball weights of 150kg or less.

Our long-term Santa Fe was fitted with the optional tow kit, which together with load assist springs and premium paint, added close to $2000 to the final price ($62,185.25 before on-road costs).

One upside of the low tow ball weight is that it doesn’t cut too much into the Santa Fe Highlander’s payload, leaving at least 530kg for people, fuel and luggage, including up to 100kg on the roof if racks are fitted.

Over a short(ish) towing test loop, which included some hills, the Santa Fe’s fuel consumption didn’t rise much, averaging 12L/100km. We know from previous experience the 2.2-litre engine is frugal when towing, after averaging around 14L/100km towing an 1800kg caravan to the Red Centre with a Kia Sorento.

With trailer in tow, the Santa Fe’s slick-shifting eight-speed automatic kept revs around 2000rpm (well within the 440Nm maximum torque curve), by sticking mostly to fifth or sixth gear. By comparison, driving solo on similar roads the engine was more relaxed, settling around 1500-1700rpm in seventh or eighth (top) gear.

Only when cruising on very light throttle on flat stretches did the Santa Fe with trailer in tow use the highest two gears. The transmission would also drop a cog or two to help maintain speed up hills, although the engine was never rough or raucous.

In fact, one of the highlights of the Santa Fe when towing is how quiet it is; engine noise is well suppressed, and I only noticed some diesel ‘clatter’ when waiting at the lights.
The Santa Fe was also stable when towing, barely dipping in the rear suspension and never swaying or pitching – not surprising given the low-height trailer and towing weight less than 50 per cent of the maximum.

Backing up made easy

The Santa Fe is one of the easiest tow vehicles for backing up to a trailer; the side mirror glass automatically dips in reverse for a better view behind, and the excellent two-screen, multi-mode reverse camera allows pinpoint accuracy when lining up the hitch.

The steering wheel mounted paddle shifters, are also handy when towing for engine braking down steep inclines. When not towing, the tongue and 50mm ball are easily removed and stored in the hidden compartment under the boot floor, next to the retractable blind.

Otherwise, many of the Highlander’s top-spec features are nice but not essential for towing or touring comfort, like the heated and cooled front seats, induction phone charging, and 360-degree camera set-up. Although I did imagine myself parked in the Outback at night, with comfy leather driver’s seat back fully reclined and full-length sunroof open to make the most of the million stars view.

The various electronic driver safety aids are also ‘icing on the cake’ for travelling on quieter roads outside the big smoke, although the active cruise control could save your bacon when you start to lose concentration on a long drive to the caravan park…

How much does the 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe Highlander cost?
Price as tested: $62,185 (Plus ORCs)
Engine: 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel
Output: 147kW/440Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 7.5L/100km (ADR Combined); 11.4L/100km (as tested)
Towing: 2000kg (100-150kg tow ball)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP