Hyundai Santa Fe took on the Antarctica and won

Hyundai undertook an expedition of a lifetime in a ‘slightly modified’ Santa Fe and lived to tell the tale. Commemorating the centenary of the brave and gallant voyage by Sir Ernest Shackleton, the famous Antarctic explorer of the old, who unfortunately wasn’t able to conquer the South Pole almost 100 years ago. Now his great-grandson, Patrick Bergel, undertook a 30-day expedition crossing the coldest and driest continent on earth behind the wheel of a Korean people carrier.

The Santa Fe isn’t the first vehicle to come to mind when continent-trotting is the task in hand. But the 2.2-litre diesel Santa Fe proved its mettle, covering a total distance of 5,800 kilometres in the extreme temperatures reaching -30degrees. The only modification includes - giant, low-pressure tyres for better traction in the gruelling thoroughfare. The subframe, suspension, mounts and axle shafts were reengineered in the monocoque chassis, gearing ratio was reduced and an engine heater was installed to ensure the car could start in the extreme cold. The fuel tank was replaced by a 230-litre aluminium one for the expedition. Apart from these, no other changes were made to the engine or ECU.

The journey was a long and slow one. The average speed was just 17mph (27.3kmph) due to the constant need of checking for paths in the ice and other obstacles. The engine had to make do with A-1 jet fuel since it is only fuel that's available there. The coolest modification, however, were those extended fenders snuggly fitting those tyres and making the car look more badass.

This makes the Hyundai Santa Fe the first passenger vehicle to conquer Antarctica. The expedition took place in December last year, but strangely we are hearing about it only right now. Hyundai is hoping that this astounding achievement will help the people to start thinking differently about the brand