The first model of Hyundai Shengda was launched in 2001 and was called Santa Fe overseas, named Santa Fe in Mexico, but in China, it was named Shengda. Hyundai also used to have Huatai produce and sell Santa Fe as a joint venture, but the partnership ended in 2010, so Santa Fe and Shengda are not related now.
 
Shengda and the American version of Santa Fe have similarities in powertrain and chassis structure, but they are not the same. The fourth-generation Santa Fe in the U.S. is divided into Santa Fe and Santa Fe XL, with the former replacing the old Santa Fe Sport 5-seater, while the latter is a 7-seater and is only a transitional model that will soon be replaced by the Palisade. Beijing Hyundai's Shengda has been tuned and improved by Yantai Hyundai Automobile R&D Center, and the rear of the car has been redesigned, with a 6-seater model and a 7-seater model, and the powertrain is only a 2.0T engine codenamed G4KH paired with an 8AT from Paivoltai.
 
Shengda's competitors are 7-seater models in the mid-size SUV, that is, Highlander, Edge, etc., from the perspective of body size and wheelbase, the body length and wheelbase are longer than them, but the starting price is much lower than them, and the low-profile models are even comparable to the high-end compact SUV, and there will be a more obvious price advantage.
 
As far as a 6-seater SUV is concerned, it is not possible to talk about the advantages and disadvantages in isolation from the demand. If you are travelling with four or fewer people on a daily basis, the two individual seats in the 2 2 2 are not more comfortable than the front seats, but they are more comfortable than the second row in the 2 3 2 model. In addition, compared with the 7-seater SUV, the 6-seater SUV also enjoys the convenience of exempting the annual examination for the first six years, and the rest of the practical functions have no advantage, because at this level, the third row of no model is suitable for long-distance rides, and the difference between 6-seater and 7-seater is mainly in the use of the second row of seats.
 
Shengda's 2.0T engine code name is G4KH, the maximum horsepower is 240 horsepower, but it has to 6000 rpm to reach the maximum horsepower, the reference significance is not large, the maximum torque is 353 Nm, from 1450 rpm to 3500 rpm, which completely covers the most commonly used speed range for Chinese consumers. This powertrain drags the 1.8-ton Shengda without much pressure, and the 000 acceleration score can run to about 9.3 seconds, which is lower than the middle in the same class, after all, there are many mid-size SUVs in the early 8 seconds, but there is no lack of power in 9.3 seconds.
 
There is a problem with this engine, that is, the turbo lag is more obvious, the power is more soothing before the positive pressure is established, and there will be a small burst of power after the positive pressure is established, the output is not linear enough, and the ride is not as good as the Highlander, so you need to carefully grasp the throttle opening.
 
Hyundai's 8AT gearbox has been launched in 2010, and has been used abroad for a long time, the fourth generation of Shengda is the first time Beijing Hyundai has used 8AT models in China, as far as daily use is concerned, the ride and shift logic meet the requirements of this level, but the willingness to downshift is not too positive, and the shift speed is not as fast as ZF 8AT, and there will be occasional setbacks when switching between certain gears in low gears, which is not suitable for intense driving.
 
Most of the new models of modern times will have a SMART mode, which is actually to automatically adjust the driving mode according to the throttle action, which can theoretically adapt to more usage scenarios, but from another point of view, this is what the automatic mode should do, and there is no need to do more.
 
This generation of Shengda has made very obvious progress in the steering feel, the previous models of modern times will be particularly light at low speed, especially heavy at high speed, the electronic sense is very obvious, the steering feel is not very natural, and this generation of Shengda has increased the damping feeling at low speed, and the high speed has increased a little bit of virtual position, and the overall tuning is a lot more natural, but it is only a medium-sized SUV after all, and the directivity is only limited to the level of playing left to left and right to right, and the feeling of a large car is relatively sufficient.
 
Shengda's chassis is still adjusted according to Chinese road conditions, the overall comfort is more comfortable, but the suspension travel is not long, after the front section filters out small bumps, it can feel more tough in the middle and rear sections, and the fine vibration of the road surface will be transmitted to the driver through the pedals and steering wheel. This generation of Shengda's high-end models will be equipped with HTRAC four-wheel drive system, in fact, it is a time-sharing four-wheel drive system, front and rear power distribution can reach up to 50:50, daily driving is mainly driven by the front wheel, this system can only be used for rain and snow weather and light off-road, urban road conditions are not recommended for consumers.
 
The interior of Shengda is not as eye-catching as the appearance, the center console adopts an upper, middle and lower layered layout, which is decent, and the instrument panel is covered with a large area of leather, but the area of hard plastic is not small, and the workmanship is relatively meticulous, and there is no obvious tolerance. The way of changing gears is buttoned, which saves a lot of space, but the storage space is more conventional, and it has not increased significantly, which is slightly inferior to Highlander and Guandao.
 
The standard configuration of the central control touch screen is 10.25 inches, the resolution is 1920*720, the touch is smooth and hand-to-hand, it supports Baidu CarLife, built-in QQ music and Baidu maps, much more advanced than Guandao and Highlander, but it does not support Apple CarPlay, which is a pity.
 
This generation of Shengda can be optionally equipped with a 7-seater model, but the comfort of the second-row center seats is very average, and if the rear row does not often seat three people, the two independent seats of the 6-seater model will be more comfortable. After the second-row seats are adjusted forward, the third-row seats also have enough legroom, but the seat cushion is very low, basically squatting on the cushion, and can only be used for short emergency trips.
 
According to the failure rate statistics of the United States "Consumer Reports", the quality of the last two generations of Hyundai Shengda is not top-notch, but the powertrain is relatively reliable, especially the previous generation, there are few complaints about the engine and gearbox, and there are no high complaints about body accessories and electrical appliances, nor can it be called a common fault.
 
This generation of Shengda participated in the E-NCAP crash test in 2018 and received a 5-star rating. The U.S. version of Santa Fe also participated in the IIHS safety test, and except for the child seat, which received the highest score (Good) in all other items except for the ease of use, and received the Top Safety Pick evaluation in 2019.
Hyundai Shengda evaluation report