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Comments
We bought it on Saturday and on Sunday we drove it up to Snowbasin Ski Resort here in Utah and it did AWSOME!! It was -2 degrees F on our way up the snowy canyon. Our Santa Fe did great on the ice and snow. I was able to do a 360 in the parking lot and slam on the brakes without slipping!! It was great, we have had a lot of people tell us how great it looks. My in-laws went to the 2007 car show in Salt Lake on Sunday and said how the Santa Fe looked just as nice or even better as the Acura MDX and the Lexus SUV!! We are happy buyers!! And it only took an hour to fill out the paper work!!
But on the other hand. I briefly looked underneath the car and the lowest peace is the catalytic converter and pipe. Usually skid plates covers oil pan and stuff. Wouldn't do much for us. I am right?
Plates are for serious off-road driving. Santa's from the factory should not be off-road with large rocks. Mud, snow and imperfections in the road that do not exceed an approach angle of more than six inches is fine. The drive train can handle it but the tires and suspension will not in its original OEM configuration. Been there, done that. Dented the cat. Woops!
"approach angle of more than six inches is fine."
Don't we have a clearance of 8.1 inches?
Does it turn on when opening other doors? what about a light for the cargo area?
This is a poor design. Plain and simple. Another missing feature is the ability to turn on the interior lights by the driver. I also own the Entourage and both of these features are available in it so you can imagine how annoyed I was when I discovered they were missing in my Santa limited.
On another note, the weather has gotten colder (NY) and when I first start in AM the windshield vent (defogger?) comes on automatically. Is this normal and does this feature also "heat" lower portion of the windshield (similarly to the rear window defroster when turned on?)
If you don't have the climate control screen then I don't know.
We're also concerned with maintenance on this South Korean auto. I see lots of concerns that I don't think should be happening to a new car.
We saw many folks at the car show who only talked about how much they could save by buying the Santa Fe versus a Toyota.
Since we keep cars forever (at least 10 years), we are not making money the biggest issue.
Any comments appreciated for we sure need to decide soon.
Thanks and please don't be offended.
Regarding the rollover rating, I just checked the NHTSA web site (www.safercar.gov) and the 07 Santa Fe is rated 4 stars in rollovers. That is the same ratings as the Rav4, CR-V, CX-7, etc.
As far as maintenance, I can't speak for the Santa Fe, but my wife and I own an 04 Sonata and an 05 Tucson and for my money they can't be beat. I have owned domestics and other imports in my 35+ years of car ownership and these two cars have been the most trouble-free of all the cars we have owned. Neither vehicle has ever left us stranded or cost us anything other than normal maintenance during our ownership. Would we consider buying Hyundais again? Without a doubt, YES!
As always, your mileage may vary.
The Santa Fe has a much nicer ride than the RAV4 and is truly sporty. After hearing your comments, perhaps we should look at the Tucson, also. Thanks for your confidence and clearing up this issue for me. JD Powers sure gives these cars good marks.
You're welcome and I'm sure whatever you buy will be a good choice for you.
So after a full day I'm still not sure. I guess more testing is in order!
I have posted some pics in a Hyundai forum.
link title
if you locked the AWD to 50-50% then that's a different story.
ESC reduces unintended understeer(plowing) or oversteer(fishtailing). The sensors monitor differences between the driver's intended path when actual turn is more than intended. Brakeforce is applied to correct. *(SOURCE: 07 Santa Fe Shop Manual).
Based on the conditions you have described the AWD/Traction Control got you up that hill not the ESC.
http://www.hyundaiaccessorystore.com/Hyundai_Santa_Fe_2007_Cargo_Screen.html
But since the Traction Control is also disable when removing the ESC. One question remains. In my situation described above. Is it better to have it on or off?
My Canadian 3.3L GL's only equipped with 16", which appear aesthetically adequately masculine. It feels noticeably more car-like in ride stability and comfort than when i test-drove the nissan x-trail, ford explorer & toyota rav4. For a mid-sized SUV, i find it nimble in city darting and parking, and robustly quiet at 120km/h.
On unrelated issue of cabin lighting: middle cabin light illuminates automatically with door opening if the "door" button next to it is left depressed.
I also live in Canada eggtart. how close to the invoice price you got yours? was it easy to bring the price down? which Province?
thanks
What effect(s) has the additional sidewall rubber?
After comparing all small-mid suv's (excl those >40K), I seized on the salesman quote of $200 above the hyundaicanada.com price quote for Alberta. I don't know how this compares to other buyers' - welcome anyone's comments.
I find my 3.3 GL without any options has powerful, confidently purring engine, tiptronic facility, nimble and stable turning, prompt cabin heating system (even in base model), leading stabilisation and safety technology (i think that it also has reinforced cabin cage - can anyone confirm this?), nicely balanced hatch door, steering wheel audio controls, tinted windows, vanity light. Lights extinguish when remove ignition key. Despite negative reports (see inside line), for my driving style, brakes are able. Standard sound system - according to inside line review link title - is better than cr-v or rav4's. Less fuel-efficient than cr-v, but they're of different subclasses. Less sporty than cx-7, but more fuel-efficient, spacious and versatile design. With 4000km on odometer, i measured fuel economy of 9.5L/100km in mountain highway, mostly 110-120km/h driving. Interior more classy and control panel more ergonomic than rav4's.
A few irks: D pillars hinder rear view when reversing, worry of effect of the elements on undercarriage spare tire, can't understand difference between Air Con (automatically illuminates when cold start yet warm air still emanates from ducts when i turn it off) and Air Con Max buttons, some arguably attractive elements of korean version missing (mp3 player plug-in, front wheel signal lights, cell phone pocket in gearbox, more stylish rear lights, diesel engine).
Most contributors to this forum seem well-acquainted with the santa fe 2007's salient features and its competitiveness (no longer merely a "value" buy), but sales is of course less about the truth than the market's perception, & seems to me that hyundai should focus on campaign to disseminate an unabashed image conveying it's intelligent design, quality, technology and comfortable driving dynamics - catch words used in the korean ad link title (click on any photo in "Gallery", then on "TV-CF"), which hit the mark for me - it polished my perception of the new hyundai image. Cdn magazine santa fe 2007 ads i've seen are neither catchy nor suggest its essence. Also, a Canwest (Oct 2006) and at least one other review of cuv's neglected to even include santa fe 2007 in it's list.
you mean $200 above MSRP?
This is what the brochure said.
"Structural Integrity
The Santa Fe’s reinforced unibody construction is intelligently engineered to absorb collision energy. High-tensile steel provides solid structural integrity, while front and rear crumple zones, bodyside reinforcements, hood-buckling creases and an energy absorbing steering column help protect you in an impact from any direction."
The manual calls for 5.5 qts w/filter change. When I checked the oil level @ home it was about 1/2 qt over fill line. I was charged for 5 qts.
My question is: has anyone changed their own oil/filter themselves. It's not the money, its just making sure it's right and also more convenient for me, retired, like to work on cars. The oil filter is a drop in cartridge and I'm not quite sure what the tightening limitation on the canister cap would be.
Or, do owners take their cars to "quick lubes" for oil changes? Do these places have this particular filter on hand? Does this satisfy the warranty restrictions?
I'm sorry to bore alot of people with this, but I think oil/filters are critical to any car. I've been searching the web for the procedure with this new filter, but to no avail. Anyone one w/info, it would be appreciated. If you want to email me direct (I don't think this topic intrigues everyone) pls do so.
Thanks for all the great info on this site.
OIL AND FILTER
CAUTION
Prolonged and repeated contact with mineral oil will result in the removal of natural fats from the skin, leading to dryness, irritation and dermatitis. In addition, used engine oil contains potentially harmful contaminants which may cause skin cancer.
Exercise caution in order to minimize the length and frequency of contact of your skin to used oil. Wear protective clothing and gloves. Wash your skin thoroughly with soap and water, or use water-less hand cleaner, to remove any used engine oil. Do not use gasoline, thinners, or solvents.
In order to preserve the environment, used oil and used oil filter must be disposed of only at designated disposal sites.
Park the car on level ground. Start the engine and let it warm up.
Turn the engine off and open the hood. Remove the engine cover.
Wait for 5minutes after loosening the oilfilter cap by turning it counterclockwise with SST(09263-3C100) to drain well the oil in the oil filter.
Drain the engine oil.
Remove the oil filler cap.
After lifting the car, remove the oil drain plug and drain the oil into a container.
Replace oil filter.
Disconnect the oil filter cap from oil filter body.
Remove the oil filter element.
Check and clean the oil filter installation surface.
Check the part number of the new oil filter is as same as old one.
Install new oil filter element(A) and two new O-rings(B).
Apply clean engine oil to the new O-rings.Lightly screw the oil filter cap into place, and tighten it until the O-ring contacts the seat.
Finally tighten it again by specified tightening torque.
Tightening torque
24.50Nm (2.5kgf.m, 18.08lb-ft)
Refill with engine oil.
Install the oil drain plug with a new gasket.
Tightening torque
34.3 ~ 44.1Nm (3.5 ~ 4.5kgf.m, 25.3 ~ 32.5lb-ft)
Fill with fresh engine oil, after remove the engine oil level gauge.
Capacity
Total : 6.4L(6.76U.S.qus,5.63lmp.qts)Oil pan : 5.5L(5.81U.S.qus,4.84lmp.qts)Oil filter : 0.4L(0.42U.S.qus,0.35lmp.qts)Drain and refill : 5.2L(5.49U.S.qus,4.58lmp.qts)
Install the oil filler cap and oil level gauge.
Start the engine and check to be sure no oil is leaking from the drain plug or oil filter.
Recheck engine oil level.
At the risk of inviting considerable ridicule, I'll freely admit that I'm Canadian. Anyway, I've noticed in the case of the Santa Fe that there's a considerable difference in terms of trim levels and equipment between U.S. and Canadian versions. In Canada, the GLS is the highest trim level, where in the U.S., it's the lowest. One thing I've particularly noticed is audio equipment. With the U.S. versions, there's considerable choice, including the ultimate package with CD changer and 10 speakers. In Canada, we get a lowly 6 speaker system with single CD across all trim levels. I'm really surprised why this is. Any thoughts? Doesn't this complicate things for the factory? Thanks!
Of course it is more complicated with the models but the Canadian audio non-option makes it a little easier.
There is no such risk. We have members from all over the world. Pretty neat, eh?
tidester, host
Agreed - difficult to understand. Unless the dealer can do a stereo swap at minimal cost, I'd say the new Mitsubishi is looking pretty good.
actually SF is build in Alabama not Korea. 6 CD changer is not the only feature we don't get in Canada and Hyundai is not the only car maker that strips down some nice features. With Nissan we don't get the FAST key just to mention an example. I believe this is because car prices are already higher than in the States and to reduce the difference they remove some nice features; why not just make them optional? :confuse:
Thanks for cabin cage reinforcement info. Does anyone know whether this is effective in roll-over i.e. i heard that volvo suv will protect occupants in such a scenario?