THE original Santa Fe was in part responsible for Hyundai's rise to prominence.

Launched at the beginning of the last decade, it became a big success in the US.

It wasn't bad to look at, it drove well, came laden with equipment and was, relatively speaking, a steal.

It is a principle that the company has retained with each evolution of the car and is ingrained in this, the latest model.

Emerging after a spell under the knife last year, the Santa Fes redesign is more subtle than bold, ensuring that those who were keen on it before remain so now, while no doubt adding more than a few new admirers.

At the front, the grille has been tweaked, the lights have been freshened up, as have the bumpers.

The rear bumpers have also undergone an overhaul, theres a trapezoidal exhaust and the alloys have been updated in a bid to toughen the car's stance.

To my mind Hyundai's savvy approach has paid off. The enhancements have served to improve what was already a winning design. They will appeal to both the male and female markets, having enough curves and creases to distinguish it from utilitarian rivals, while still retaining a certain butchness.

On the inside, the wood trim has gone in favour of carbon black. Critics have previously labelled the interior as cheap looking and while it's not as high end as some of its rivals, it can certainly hold its own with most of them.

Potential buyers can choose between two models, known as Style and Premium. Our car was at the higher end of the scale and so in addition to the likes of reversing sensors and ESP we got 18ins alloys, dual zone climate control, heated leather seats with the drivers electrically adjustable.

In terms of space, there's plenty both fore and aft. We had the benefit of seven seats and put them to full use, though at an extra £765, you might prefer to stick to the conventional five if you would only use them sparingly.

With those extra seats laid flat there's 969 litres of load space, but drop the lot and you have an almost cavernous 2,247 litres.

One of the highlights of this revamped model is its engine, a 2.2 litre direct injection unit. It has power and then some and a fearsome amount of torque which should make towing anything up to 2,500kg a breeze.

It is a big car and at times it can feel it, but there's enough grip to ensure theres never any danger of it getting away from you and it's comfortable whatever environment you place it in.

The Santa Fe has so many things going for it that the addition of a five-year warranty seems almost unnecessary, but if you are looking for something to swing the deal then that should do it.