The real benefits come in terms of fuel efficiency. For the manual, the averaged figure over city and country combined driving is 6.7L/100km, with 7.5L/100km for the automatic+. On the open road extra cycle, this can drop to 5.7L/100km (manual) and 6.3L/100km (automatic)+.

Fuel economy has also been maximised with the addition of a new alternator management system, eliminating drag on the engine. The ‘Power Regulation’ is controlled by the engine computer modulating the alternator field coil current under certain operating conditions.

With the 6-speed manual gearbox, the ‘ECO’ coach is a new feature designed to promote fuel-saving driving habits. An icon on the LCD tripmeter screen begins to flash when the optimum gear shift point is reached. Other fuel-saving innovations include the fitment of a rear spoiler for improved aerodynamics.

5 star safety

The Santa Fe comes complete with a full suite of safety features, both active and passive, which have lifted its crash performance to the maximum 5* rating in the ANCAP assessment program. Standard on all models is ESP Stability Control, which includes Hyundai’s Traction Control System (TCS).

Driver and front passenger airbags, dual side front (thorax) airbags and front and rear passenger side curtain airbags (which extend to the third row) are standard across all three grades of the new Santa Fe.

Rollover sensors are a new feature on all models which, should the vehicle be at risk of overturning, trigger the side and curtain airbags, and seatbelt pretensioners.

Other standard safety features include Rear Park Assist, front active head rests and 3 point retractable seat belts for all occupants, including the third row. The Santa Fe also features a driver’s side safety window that retracts if an obstacle is detected.

The parent company, Hyundai Motor Group, invested heavily in improvements to design, quality, manufacturing, and long-term research. It also added 10-year/100,000-mile warranties to its American cars, and began to market very aggressively.

In 2004, J.D. Power and Associates ranked Hyundai second in “initial quality,” and it is now one of the 100 most valuable brands, worldwide. The slanted stylized “H” symbol of the Hyundai logo, meant to represent the company and customer shaking hands, is now familiar to most, as is the company’s official slogan, “Drive your way.”

Cortina, was released with the cooperation of the UK branch of Ford a year later. In 1975, the first Korean car - the Pony - was released. It featured styling by ItalDesign’s Giorgio Giugiaro, and powertrain technology furnished by Mitsubishi Motors of Japan. It began exporting to Ecuador and the Benelux countries the next year.

Hyundai didn’t arrive in the US until 1986, but it’s first offering, the Excel, was nominated for “Best Product #10″ in Fortune Magazine, mainly because of its affordability. In 1988, beginning with the Sonata, the company began to produce models using its own technology.

The Hyundai Motor Company, based in Seoul, is a division of the Hyundai Kia Automotive Group, which is the largest car manufacturer in South Korea. It may seem like an upstart to many, but in 2005, the combined sales of the group made Hyundai Kia the world’s sixth largest vehicle manufacturer. In addition, the Hyundai manufacturing plant in Ulsan, South Korea, is the world’s largest such facility, and is capable of producing over 1.5 million units each year.

The MVi-spec coupé version won particular praise for its handling agility in the UK. Although the Accent was cheap to buy and insure, its engines were quite thirsty; the 1.5-litre returned 33 mpg-imp (8.6 L/100 km; 27 mpg-US) average according to list figures.

Though manuals exist for Accents before and after 1999, a manual for 1999 Hyundai Accent has not been published. Also 1999 Hyundai Accent owners were informed by their dealers that the power output of the 1.5 L engine is actually rated at 88 horsepower (66 kW).

Hyundai. In Australia, these models carried over the Hyundai Excel name, that used by the Accent’s predecessor. The Accent was replaced in 2000 by the Hyundai Verna in South Korea