Few car makers offer a perfectly curated lineup that seems perfectly aligned with celebrating life’s milestones. And with one of the fastest growing populations in the world, family plays a pivotal role in all our major decisions. With cars being in the top three purchases people will make in their lives, picking the right car is crucial. Fortunately, Hyundai offers a well-balanced mix of smart and sexy vehicles to suit your different life stages.
Let’s take a close look at the Korean brand’s offerings. 
Hyundai Santa Fe Calligraphy celebrates the possibilities that await for you to discover
When we reach what we think is our peak in life, it’s then that we realize that there is just so much more that life has to offer, beyond what we see and perceive. The stability afforded by life’s successes inspires us to go beyond that which we know, to see and experience more, further leaving our comfort zone.
The Santa Fe is arguably the vehicle that fits your needs to go beyond your well-worn, oft navigated very beaten path, to explore new adventures, discover new challenges, and truly push yourself to your limit. Its boxy exterior encourages you to get excited for the rough and tumble uncertainty of what lies beyond your horizon.
Owing to its crossover construction, the Santa Fe remains highly capable on the highway, with excellent cruising manners and great confidence at highway speeds, thanks to its firm self-leveling suspension and the massive 21-inch wheels with 245/45R21 highway terrain tires. Driving position is excellent, giving you a very commanding view of the road ahead. The 177-mm ground clearance seems modest even for a soft-roader, but it’s more than adequate to navigate the drive to the farm, or an unexplored piece of property for your next business venture.
The drive is engaging, egging you to go and explore the rough road rather than the paved path, testing the limits of the suspension and your nerves. Steering offers good feel despite being light in effort, allowing you to flow effortlessly from corner to corner while remaining steadfast on the highway, and the powerful brakes shed speed progressively and consistently.
The heart of the Santa Fe is a powerful 2.4-liter turbocharged gasoline engine pumping out a heady 280hp with a good spread of its 422 Newton-Meters of torque that drives the four wheels via an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. Acceleration is very brisk, allowing confident overtaking. It makes for an excellent long-distance tourer with the added confidence the brakes more than a match taming the Santa Fe and the suspension more than a willing dance partner to the Santa Fe’s high-speed antics. But thanks to its drive mode selector, you can opt for an efficient cruise in ECO, to a relaxing mood in COMFORT, all the way to an aggressive experience in SPORT modes.
It feels high-tech and luxurious inside, thanks to its combined 24.6-inch (12.3-inch each) LCD display for the main instrument cluster and the infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The dual glass roof panels give an airy feeling, seemingly welcoming the challenge of the outdoors while the roomy interior allows five adults to comfortably sit inside. The third row can serve two adults for short drives but is however best reserved for children on long journeys. Best part about being inside? Soft Napa leather caresses your backside in the Santa Fe Calligraphy variant. Perfect to navigate the country via long road trips.
As with any top-spec luxury crossover, the Santa Fe comes with Hyundai SMARTSENSE, the brand’s full ADAS safety suite which includes lane keeping and lane tracing assist, rear-cross traffic alert, blind-spot collision avoidance, driver attention warning and much more. The Santa Fe also comes with six airbags, stability control, hill-start assist and ABS brakes. If you want to go above and beyond the usual, to see new horizons, explore new vistas, try new experiences, the Hyundai Santa Fe celebrates the possibilities that await for you to discover.
Hyundai Stargazer X IVT is the perfect starter car for a new family
Newly married and expecting a child very soon? Then, Hyundai’s Stargazer (and Stargazer X) is the perfect vehicle. It’s stylish, well-equipped, versatile and has a footprint comparable to a typical B-segment sedan. The seven-seater layout fits copious amounts of cargo, and you can fold up seats to make room for even more cargo or a mix of both bulky objects and people. The powertrain is a 1.5-liter 4-cylinder gasoline engine that pumps out 113hp and 144 Newton-Meters of torque driving the front wheels via a continuously variable transmission which Hyundai dubs ‘Intelligent Variable Transmission.’ It’s more than adequate to propel seven with some cargo to all the most popular vacation spots in the country.
Hyundai calls it as a ‘sporty’ MPV and I can see why: The progressive styling, buff 17inch alloys and tires on the 1.5 X IVT variant, coupled with the surprisingly good driving dynamics, a comfortable yet controlled ride and composed chassis at high-speed turns means the Stargazer is more than capable of taking your family and friends to the country’s many scenic locations in style. The steering is light, offers decent feel and while not exactly exciting you to attack those curves, it’s soothing after a long day at work and driving home. The sporty leatherette covered seats with red stitching on the X IVT variants are comfortable for long drives yet offer good support for a wide range of body types and builds. Overall, the solid chassis, composed ride and well-appointed interior exude incredible value in this segment, coupled with an eye-catching design that hints progressive, modern and resolutely Korean-cool!
As with any modern car, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are standard. Top-spec models get LED lighting, while the two lower models make do with halogen lighting. And thankfully, the Stargazer comes with Hyundai’s full ADAS safety suite which includes high-beam-assist, lane keeping assist, blind-spot-collision-avoidance assist, rear cross traffic alert and much more, which are on top of the four airbags, ABS brakes, stability control and hill-start assist, among other features.
The Stargazer also comes with 200 liters of cargo capacity, increasing to 585 liters if you drop the 60:40 split-folding third row seats. Pretty good, comparable to a B-segment sedan. But fold even the second-row 50:50 seats and you get a mammoth 1,892 liters of cargo space, which is impressive for a car of its size.
Hyundai Custin 1.5T GDI Premium: Vehicle to show that you have arrived
As we grow, accomplish more and level-up in life, our responsibilities also grow. More kids, caring for our elderly parents, more hobbies and activities, but also desiring more convenience, more luxury in a capable, versatile, and of course equally stylish MPV. A regular MPV like the Stargazer, though capable, lacks that extra ‘ooomph’ to signify that we have leveled-up. Enter, the Hyundai Custin. When we had it, my cousins from abroad loved it so much, they said they wanted to buy one after trying it out, thanks to the stylish interior, the futuristic exterior and the piece de resistance, the power sliding side doors on both sides which worked flawlessly the whole time we had it for a week!
The Custin is also so popular with modern Filipino moms who drive their kids to school and lead very active lifestyles, putting great emphasis to how easy and convenient it is to own and drive, and as mentioned, all the convenience features, such as the around view monitors, the power sliding doors and tailgate, wireless charging pads for the front and back, a plethora of USB ports and a large multi-function display infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The Premium variant even has power operated front and second row captain’s seats that are ventilated and heated, all covered in leather. The second row seats recline and even come with footrests to ease you to sleep. Definitely a contender for an executive express. The Premium variant also comes with a panoramic glass roof, to enhance the mood at night, or totally change the vibe when you go to the beach and the sun starts shining early.
The heart of the Custin is its 1.5- liter turbocharged engine that delivers a powerful 168hp and 253 Newton-Meters of torque, attached to an 8-speed automatic transmission driving the front wheels. Power comes in strong and seamless, and the minimalist interior, with the push-button gear selection gives a clutter free and intuitive interface.
The Custin drives like it looks, safe yet stylish. It’s competent on the highway, controlled and confident on the winding roads with the suspension on the firm side when unladen, but rides very well when full even with the large 18-inch wheels and tires. Brakes are surprisingly firm and responsive, but the steering was a tad too limp and lifeless. To nitpick, I guess paddle shifters would have helped as the transmission will sometimes stick to the higher gear and force the engine to lug the car, then suddenly downshift and break traction. Happened to me twice on a slippery ramp leaving our condo’s parking.
It is thirsty at barely over 5 km/liter but that was with 5 adults (Americans!) with their respective gear. It did better on our drive down south at a shade under 9km / liter.
Hyundai SMARTSENSE is fitted of course, and with it, advanced driver’s assistance systems like lane keeping and lane following assist, forward collision avoidance assistance, high-beam assistance, rear cross traffic-alert, rear occupant alert, and much more. These are on top of the ABS, stability control, hill-start assist and the six airbags included.
Safe, stylish and very luxurious, the Custin is the vehicle to show you have arrived.
