On a visit to Hyundai’s design middle in South Korea final summer time I acquired to see previews of 5 upcoming fashions, one in all which was the rad new Santa Fe. Its unexpectedly squared-off styling was a shock to me and the opposite journalists on the journey, in a really constructive manner. There are tons of cool particulars, from the H-pattern mild signatures to the massive tailgate opening, however one element specifically has been on my thoughts ever since.
As an alternative of a boring, typical pillar design, the Santa Fe’s C-pillar has a vertically oriented matte black rectangle set into the window glazing on either side of the automobile. In Korea, Hyundai’s designers advised us that these rectangle had been hidden seize handles, however because the automobile was only a clay mannequin, we couldn’t attempt them out for ourselves or see how they labored. At the Los Angeles Auto Present final week I used to be lastly ready to check out the Santa Fe’s hidden deal with, and I believe it’s very cool.
The highest third of the rectangle is separated by a seam to delineate the deal with, with a small raised mark on the high and backside so your fingers know the place to land. Press within the backside of that top-hinged panel and it flips inwards, permitting you to grip the highest of the fastened backside part along with your hand. It’s a large enough opening that individuals who have bigger fingers or are sporting gloves will nonetheless be capable to get a great grip, however shallow sufficient that you would be able to’t actually drop something in there by accident.
Utilizing this deal with makes it manner simpler to hoist your self up and entry the roof rack, whether or not by stepping on the Santa Fe’s rear tires or the door sills. The deal with itself feels correctly sturdy, one of many advantages of it being a built-in a part of the Santa Fe’s construction, and the deal with will be locked closed from the within of the automobile.
Hyundai says the brand new Santa Fe’s boxy design, elevated cargo area and outdoorsy focus are the direct results of buyer demand. Extra house owners than ever earlier than are taking their SUVs off-roading or tenting, even consumers of crossovers and smaller automobiles, and the Santa Fe’s seize deal with is a good instance of a design crew pondering outdoors the field in a manner that genuinely advantages the buyer.
