Will You Be Itchy Soon to Peek at Santa Fe?

Let me describe an SUV to you. It's on the smaller side, but not unusually so. The engine's a six-cylinder, with good power. The automatic transmission has a manual gate, like Porsches do. It has a firm, well-controlled ride and four-wheel disc brakes. Air conditioning, power mirrors, remote locks, all the gingerbread.

Put a BMW name on that package, and it's over $40,000 to start. Call it a Ford, and the sticker probably starts with a 3.

But if I tell you that all this comes in well under $25,000 in your driveway, will you care that the badge says Hyundai?

The Santa Fe isn't the most graceful-looking SUV, and the interior materials could be better. But our test example was screwed together well, and if you want to sit up high without paying for a fancy name, this Hyundai could be your ticket to ride.

Shifty to be Thrifty

While it doesn't have the spunky feel of Ford's Escape and Mazda's Tribute, the Hyundai Santa Fe is no slouch. The hood hides a 2.7-liter, 181 horsepower six that can be mild or wild, depending on how you use the automatic transmission.

Yes, you get to shift it. The 4-speed Sportmatic transmission lets you push the lever across from Drive to where you can shift it with a nudge forward and back.

That technology isn't new; it's been around for a while on sports cars -- Porsche helped Hyundai with the box -- and even Chrysler boulevardiers. But it works in this package, helping give the Santa Fe more scoot than its numbers would suggest. With judicious stirring, you can get mid-20s of MPG with the six. And the best part is that you can carry things and get the Santa Fe muddy. Try that with your 911 Carrera.