A handsome beast, the Santa Fe, but after three weeks of living with one over the festive season I'm not sorry that it's about to be taken away from me.There are three main reasons for this. One is that I've become increasingly exasperated by the window design, which undoubtedly gives the profile of the Santa Fe a dramatic aspect but at the same time makes it almost impossible to see what's behind the car when you're sitting in it.If it hadn't been for the rear-view camera (whose display, ironically, advises you not to rely on it but check the view for yourself, the very thing the window design doesn't allow you to do), I simply wouldn't have reversed the car at all. And if, in some odd set of circumstances, that had meant abandoning the car at the start of this test and leaving it where it was for three weeks, well, to hell with it.Another reason I won't shed a tear when the Santa Fe departs is that it can be quite clumsy to drive. Hyundai said at the UK press launch that the suspension had been retuned for British roads, but having driven the car on every type of British road from single-track lanes to motorways to city streets I can say that more work needs to be done here.It's only on very smooth, very flat roads - such as are more readily to be found in Germany than in our land - that the Santa Fe really rides well. Anything resembling a bump or a dip makes it feel rather sorry for itself.The third reason why I'm waving goodbye to the Santa Fe even before it's left me is the fuel consumption. According to the trip computer, I was getting between 35 and 37mpg in the early days of this test, when most of my driving was in town or on country roads. I reset the computer for a later, long trip on various motorways and was pleased to see that it reported 41.1mpg for the next tankful of diesel.However, the next time I refilled was 483 miles later, and the tank accepted 62.38 litres, which suggests an average of 35.2mpg. Either I've miscalculated horribly, or the trip computer is optimistic to a greater extent than I've seen in years. I know which possibility I think is more likely.There are good points to the Santa Fe. It's roomy, with a particularly impressive amount of space for second-row passengers (those in the foldable third row have very little legroom, and their heads will come alarmingly close to the rear window).In Premium specification - not the highest in the range, but the most popular - it's also very well-equipped (though for £31,895 it jolly well should be) with 18" alloy wheels, self-levelling suspension, dual-zone climate control, that reversing camera (not fitted as standard to the cheaper Style, which I therefore consider unsellable) and an excellent, easy-to-use satellite navigation system.Full marks to Hyundai, also, for supplying the Santa Fe with an active bonnet to help cushion the blow for any pedestrians who may land on it, for offering Trailer Stability Assist for the first time on any of its cars and for fitting a proper, full-sized spare wheel rather than a stupid tyre repair kit to every model in the range.I still don't like the car, though. If the Santa Fe were as good an SUV as the i30 is a family hatchback, I'd be very impressed, but it just isn't and I'm just not. Engine 2199cc, 4 cylinders Power 194bhp Transmission 6-speed automatic Fuel/CO2 41.5mpg / 178g/km Acceleration 0-62mph: 10.1 seconds Top speed 118mph Price £31,895 Details correct at publication date
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