| Week at the Wheel | 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe |

Hyundai's emergence as a serious contender in the market didn't come as a total surprise; as early as 2006 the Santa Fe dropped some serious hints at what the Korean giant could unleash. That car wowed us with its capability, rather than just its value, which was a significant change for the manufacturer at the time. Now four years old, the Santa Fe has been revamped.

Inside & Out:

External revisions to the 2010 Santa Fe are limited to subtle changes to mouldings rather than grand scale panel-beating. A new front grille with a bolder, chromed, three-bar design combines with revised headlights and bumper to give the face a fresh look, while a new rear bumper moulding gives the back end the necessary spring clean. The basic design hasn't aged badly but it is rather anonymous, and given the flair of recent models and concepts it's clear Hyundai's designers can do better; perhaps they'll do so when an all-new model is released in a few years.

Inside this shell the Santa Fe offers a genuine seven-seat cabin, with some load space to spare - a feature few rivals can bring to the table. Courtesy of flexible seating the configuration can be adjusted to suit a multitude of roles from load lugger to MPV, and everything in between; space and practicality remain two of the strongest weapons in the Santa Fe's arsenal. However, the seats and driving position aren't as comfortable as they should be.

Engine & Transmission:

Hyundai has heavily revised the 2.2-litre, four-cylinder common-rail diesel with a higher rail pressure and variable geometry turbocharger to push power up to a highly respectable 194bhp with a healthy 322lb.ft of torque available from 1,800- to 2,500rpm. Both of these figures are significant improvements on the previous engine and enable the near two-tonne Santa Fe to crack 62mph from standstill in a class leading 9.8 seconds in manual form.

The six-speed automatic tested here isn't far behind at 10.2 seconds, on its way to a maximum of 118mph. Mid-range muscle is seriously enhanced as well making light of almost every driving environment, including towing. Sadly, the new engine's manners are no better than average and though Hyundai claims significant improvements over the previous incarnation, relative to the class best the Santa Fe is rather gruff and uncouth when worked hard.

Ride & Handling:

It's clear that the Hyundai engineers have not sought to inject much flair or excitement into the Santa Fe's chassis. Relative to more youthful, smaller rivals, the S part of SUV is rather neglected, but it's a sound chassis with more grip than most drivers would ever need and reasonable body control for a car of this bulk. Overall, while the Santa Fe is obviously competent, it's some way short of being genuinely impressive and isn't as composed as it could, or perhaps should be in certain circumstances where things become a little choppy and unresolved.

Equipment, Economy & Value for Money:

Remarkably, Hyundai has upped the Santa Fe's equipment levels, engineering and appearance and emerged with a cost saving. In terms of space and practicality the value for money on offer is very good at the list price of just under £26k, including the metallic paint on the test car - paint and satnav are the only options on this range topping version. Online brokers are currently only offering a 1% discount on that price; expect that to improve over time when supply becomes more plentiful.

Running costs should be in line with that of rivals with decent economy - we managed 35mpg during the week - and therefore emissions, equating to a competitive cost at the pumps and a low tax loading. Hyundai's five-year warranty and lengthy service intervals should make long term ownership a low cost proposition also, though depreciation is likely to be heavier than that of more prestigious alternatives.

Overall:

Certainly the changes that have been made refresh the Santa Fe and raise its game to offset some of the impact of age on its appeal. However, such is the rate of change in the market place, and the evolution of the SUV sector since the Santa Fe's launch, it does now lag some rivals by a margin. It counters by returning to some of Hyundai's core strengths of value for money, practicality and ease of ownership. Inevitably it's not as impressive as it was back in 2006, but it still holds its head high and is a decent overall package.