pet connection

A recent DogCars test drive of the 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe produced some surprising smiles — along with wagging tails — from our DogCar crew.

The Santa Fe is a mid-size sport utility vehicle — also called a crossover — that manages to have sporty styling without seriously reducing the interior cargo space for crates and other dog-friendly gear.

Lead DogCars reviewer Gina Spadafori was especially impressed with the amount of stuff she could fit into the compact Santa Fe:

I love it. I have hauled a few hundred pounds of chicken feed, plus a lot of dog gear, plus dogs and crates with no problem. The one we have is super-loaded for a very competitive price and decent mpg.

In the cute ute scale, I would put it FAR above the (Honda) CRV, on par with the (Toyota) RAV4, but a better value and roomier.

The Santa Fe’s second row seats fold nearly fully flat and the rear hatch opens wide for easy crate and cargo carrying capability.

About the only downside I could find with the current model Santa Fe was that the V-6 engine was a little too much motor for my needs, averaging just 18 mpg in the city and 24 mpg on the highway. With gas prices rocketing out of sight, I’d rather give up a few unnecessary horses under the hood for some extra miles to the tank.

So it was a pleasant surprise to see today’s story by Kathy Jackson in Automotive News announcing that Hyundai is planning to add a four cylinder model to the Santa Fe’s lineup in 2010.

This news means that the next generation Santa Fe may garner mileage of near 30 mpg in highway driving, which will be a welcome relief to those of us who want to carry our crates and cargo while saving some substantial cash for more important things than gas — like another bag of chicken feed.

Look for a complete DogCars review here soon.

* * *

Speaking of Hyundai — which rhymes with “Sunday” — the Korean auto manufacturer is quietly gaining in popularity and status throughout the automotive world. Having just completed an ambitious roll-out of seven new vehicles in 24 months, Hyundai is embarking on another 7/24 campaign as it continues to bring new vehicles to the U.S. market.

The most recent to arrive is a luxury sedan called the Genesis that won’t qualify as a DogCar, but will go head-to-head with the high-end sedans from Lexus and Infiniti, yet priced thousands less than those popular brands.

Share & Enjoy

Facebook	Twitter	Google Buzz	Digg
Technorati	StumbleUpon	Delicious	Email