Memo

To: Hyundai Design Staff

Fm: Automotive Design & Production

Re: Stress

Relax. Take a few deep breaths. Calm down. There is absolutely no need to get so worked up about your designs.

Consider the Santa Fe. A sport ute based on the Hyundai Sonata midsize car platform (the Santa Fe has a 103.1-in. wheelbase—but you know that).

What you may not have been told is that the people over in Sales & Marketing have put an MSRP of $19,899 on the vehicle. And that’s a vehicle with a V6, 2.7-liter DOHC, 24-valve engine (173 hp @ 6,000 rpm; 182 lb/ft torque @ 4,000 rpm). It has a four-speed automatic with the (silly) Shiftronic function (if people want to shift their vehicles, they should buy a car with a manual transmission). There’s a Monsoon 218-W stereo with cassette and CD. Power everything. Cruise control. Floor mats. Cargo cover and net. Privacy glass. Sixteen-inch alloy wheels. And on and on and on. The vehicle, as standard, is loaded. Remarkably so.

In addition to which, there is a five-year/60,000-mile warranty, including roadside assistance. Yes, Korean vehicles don’t have the best reputations right now, but that’s bound to change.

The Santa Fe handles reasonably well and feels adequately powered for something that weighs in excess of 3,500 lb.

All in all, very well put together for something that is less than $20K.

But the design. There’s the rub. There are more surfaces on the exterior and interior of the Santa Fe than in a Picasso cubist painting. Yes, Santa Fe is located in New Mexico, and New Mexico does have some interesting peaks and valleys, but did you have to put a three-dimensional topographic map on the top of the instrument panel?

As we see both Honda (with the Element) and Toyota (with the Scion products) going, well, minimalist, we suggest that you steal a page from their portfolios.

In the meantime, relax. Take a break. Perhaps spend some time in, oh, Iowa.