Hyundai Maxcruz

2013 Hyundai Maxcruz

Yes, most of you know that the third row seats of the current Santa Fe DM didn't quite fit but still most of you often want to have one of these. If the third-row seats on the Santa Fe DM were quite an issue, why not interest in this? Better known as the replacement to the Veracruz, which was discontinued last year, the brand new Hyundai Maxcruz is known to be the long wheelbase variant of the Santa Fe DM.

Yes really, it maybe the replacement of the Veracruz but the name, MAXCRUZ, is obviously weird. It's like it was named after someone named "Max Cruz". Yep, pun intended. Hyundai kinda gave it a person's name for the long wheelbase version of the Santa Fe DM.

2013 Hyundai Maxcruz interior

How does it compare it to the Santa Fe DM? On the outside view, the Maxcruz features a much more aggressive front face. In fact, the hexagonal grille now comes with four bars rather than three bars that the grille of the Santa Fe DM had. Then, the rear view of the Maxcruz is a bit more sophisticated than the Tucson-styled back that the Santa Fe DM had. Also, there has been a change in dimensions. The Maxcruz has an additional 100mm of wheelbase, 216mm long, and 11mm higher than the Santa Fe DM.

The Maxcruz also comes with an improved rigidity and an ultra-high strength tensile steel that improves collision energy management. Surprisingly, this ultra-high strength tensile steel reduces weight and also allows the suspension to work optimally. They were applied to those outer door panels for the first time in the company's history. Sounds interesting though...

2013 Hyundai Maxcruz interior

Shockingly though, the only engine available is the 16-valve e-VGT R2.2 engine which produces 200PS of power and 44.5 kg-m of torque while being mated with a 6-speed automatic transmission. 2WD variants will have a fuel economy of 11.9km/L while 4WD variants will have a fuel economy of 11.3km/L.

Just like the Santa Fe DM, the Maxcruz has the Flex Steer feature that changes the behavior of the handling. It has three modes - Comfort, Normal, and Sport. They're ideal in varying driving preferences and road conditions. Uh, yeah, right. They were ideal but what about some practical stuff?

If you go for the more expensive version, there's this cool feature that parks by itself. With this feature, the Maxcruz will find the applicable parking area and when it detects, stop here, shift to reverse and watch it park by itself. You can even feel it while wearing a blindfold! Get it?

The Maxcruz also comes with BlueLink telematics system combines safety, service and infotainment features to simplify owners' lives and reduce distracted driving. You can even use your smartphone as a substitute car key to open the Maxcruz or then start the engine as you were far away from the Maxcruz. That beats the everyday hassle of starting the car. Interesting...Those Koreans sure know how to make a smart car with smart features for added convenience...

Available colors are: Cream White, Mystic Beige, Sleek Silver, Hyper Metallic, Glacier, Red Merlot, Hunter Green, Arabian Mocha, Ocean View, and Timeless Black.

So, there we are. The Maxcruz from Hyundai. It may have a person's name for the Santa Fe LWB, it maybe available only in 2.2L diesel engine, it maybe start at 35,000,000 Won, and it maybe somewhat known to be the Veracruz successor but this is somewhat a sizing fit for a politician. The Maxcruz really addressed the issue where the third-row seating from the Santa Fe DM seems unfit and that's pretty good for a full-size Korean crossover. Sadly though, I'm not kinda sold to this one...

Photo: Hyundai Motor Company