13/05/2026
Since Hyundai India completes 30 years in India, here’s a little piece of my heart… our beloved Hyundai Santa Fe. To everyone who tells me how good today’s SUVs are, we were lucky enough to live with a gem long before being an SUV enthusiast was even “cool.”
Back in 2010, when the SUV wave hadn’t even touched India properly, we brought home our Santa Fe. At a time when the Verna, i20, i10, and Accent ruled hearts across the country, very few people even knew Hyundai had a CBU SUV like this on sale. And maybe that’s what made it even more special. It quietly existed ahead of its time.
But the ones who knew… knew. It was the kind of machine that could do everything and do it effortlessly. Nearly 200hp and 420Nm torque back then wasn’t just impressive, it meant business. The Santa Fe had a way of making every highway feel smaller and every drive feel powerful enough to leave everything else behind.
And yet, beneath all that strength, it carried us with unmatched comfort. It never once made us feel the need for anything else. By the time we finally let it go, it had crossed over 2 lakh kilometers on the odometer, yet it still drove as smooth as butter, just the way it did on Day 1 outside our home. Powered seats, 5-star safety, 7 seats… when I first saw it 16 years ago, it genuinely felt like the future had arrived early.
Maybe that’s why the “premium” features and performance in modern cars rarely surprise me today. The Santa Fe had already shown me what excellence felt like years ago. But beyond the specifications, beyond the power figures and features, our Santa Fe was family. It watched us grow from children into adults. It carried our laughter, our arguments, our vacations, our midnight drives, and memories scattered across highways all over the country. Every kilometer with it became a memory stitched into our lives forever. Even today, every time I spot a Santa Fe on the road, my heart pauses for a second. Somewhere deep inside, I still hope my “2700” baby is out there, loved and cared for, because no matter where life takes me, it will always remain a part of my heart, my soul, and my journey into the automobile world. (Continued in comments)
