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I drive the Golden Beige (beautiful) with beige interior, Limited FWD w/sunroof and xm :shades:
I pretty much want the same thing you have the limited/fwd with the sunroof and upgraded stereo.
I have read tons of reviews by experts and consumers and everyone seems to really like it. I haven't seen to many negative reports. I love the looks of it. Of course looks is not everything but it helps.
Thanks for your best wishes.
I don't have the Infinity. But, what I do have sounds great IMO. I have never liked any of our cars as much as I do this one. Our last was an Intrepid and I liked the looks and comfort, but it wasn't as much fun to drive as the SF. I love how quiet it is, the view, the storage, XM and the sunroof. It was a must; I've always wanted one. Too bad it's been too sticking hot to use it. But, the air cools quickly and I get about 20 mpg average city/hwy. I better stop, I can't say enough good things about it! Have fun!!!
I might go for the khaki with the black interior just because of the dogs. The green one with black might be nice as well. Thanks for all the information.
As for colors, I looked at 'em all before deciding on Steel Gray/Black. Personally, I'm not too big on beige so I ruled it out. I like the black but the gray is very nice, too. Both black and gray give you the light gray inside pillars and headliner as well as black-grained (as opposed to brown) "wood" trim on the dash. It's actually very attractive. A few killer color combos include:
- Dark Cherry Red/black
- Slate Blue/black or gray
- Natural Khaki/black
- Deepwater Blue/black or gray
- Steel Gray/black or gray
- Golden Beige/black
Good luck with your purchase!
Until we buy ours I just have to look for them on the road. I am set on the 2008 model because I want the upgraded stereo without the rear DVD and third row seating. I don't plan on getting the NAVI. The only thing I would like to have is bluetooth but oh well is not something I have to have.
Thanks for the info.
Does anyone know if the headlights will turn off by themselves if accidentally left in the "on" position? My previous car used to have a chime to alert me that I left my lights on, but my Santa Fe doesn't. Is this a defect? Should there be some kind of warning?
I've accidentally left my lights on a couple of times now, and I didn't notice until after I returned to the car and started driving again (it had been around 30-45 minutes both times). I had turned them on manually due to some stormy weather, and when I returned to the car it had lightened up outside, so I didn't notice if the lights were on or not. After I drove a few minutes, I glanced at my steering column, and saw the "lights on" on the headlight shaft. It gave me a sick feeling! I don't like to use the "auto" setting, b/c my lights don't turn on when it's storming or just starting to get dark. I tried testing it at home one evening, but after a couple of minutes they seemed to stay on, and I didn't want to drain my battery just to see if they'd eventually turn off. Any info??? Thanks!!
Just wondered if anyone here finds the Santa Fe headrests uncomfortable? During my test drive, I was wearing my hair in a ponytail and it was very uncomfortable. I felt like my back was hurting from holding my head in an awkward position. Just wondered if anyone has found a way to adjust the seat or something to deal with this? I haven't bought the car yet because I want to find out if I can deal with these headrests long-term. Any comments? Thanks.
Bottom-line price was only $1,500 more for the Rav4 with these comparable specs:
GLS vs. base
Base engine (2.7 vs 2.4)
Hyundai's standard 10 year 100,000 mile warranty vs. purchased 7 year 100,000 bumper-to-bumper from Toyota.
The Santa Fe had the nicer interior. Driving impressions were quite different. The Santa Fe felt much more massive and lethargic. The Rav4 is an absolute hoot to drive, agile with a tight turning radius. Interior room is as good in the Rav4, but I suspect the Santa Fe is 500 pounds lighter. Mileage at 2400 miles is a little over 26 mpg (mixed city, suburban and highway). The Hyundai salesman and the Edmunds forums say that the 2.7 liter Santa Fe will get realistic numbers between 17 and 21. No contest!
Quality of the Rav4 is primo. I couldn't be happier with my decision to buy the Toyota. I will probably buy another Hyundai in the future, but I have to say, Toyota is really competitive with the value factor, if one just looks into it. I think Hyundai has to be careful with their pricing. Case in point, the new Elantra. The price has increased quite a bit, which is hard to see because of the tricky packaging.
In three years or so, I'll be looking to replace my 2000 Taurus, and will look again at the small SUV segment (or possibly a crossover). I will look at the Asian brands again, and will look very closely again.
Yes the gas mileage stinks but other than a leaking windshield that was fixed admirably by Mikak Hyundai Chevrolet, there are no problems.
Of course the wise move would to get the bigger engine, as mine seems sluggish without using 89 octane, especially on the highway.
FWIW, the 3.3L engine in the Santa Fe is very efficient in fuel economy.
I cannot be happy paying $29,000 for a limited RAV4. Is not worth it. Trust me.
Santa Fe
Length: 184.1
Height: 67.9
Width: 74.4
Weight: 3793
Rav4:
Length: 181.1
Height: 66.3
Width: 71.5
Weight: 3444
A couple of things the Toyota rewards you with: Two sweet high-tech engines and resale value!
Nevertheless, the RAV4 is also a very nice vehicle. I think it looks nice and is built well and will make any purchaser very happy. Since people have different tastes and different priorities when shopping for a vehicle, it sure is nice that we have so many great choices available. Hopefully everyone can find their perfect car
The Rav4 comparison specs to the Santa Fe is fair but unqualifiedly misleading. Having spent an extremely lengthy seat time in a Rav4 4 cyl (approximately two weeks) I can speak to the comparison between the Santa Fe and Rav4. However, the Rav4 was not the only vehicle that I have compared to the Santa Fe.
The first thing that jumped out at me was the interior materials used to assemble the Rav4. Unlike the Santa Fe's interior only one word comes to mind when comparing the Rav4:Cheap! It literally screams this throughout. The cloth inserts in the door trim is unsubstantial and chintzy. The center console is both flimsy and not built for long lasting durability. I suspect this is due to the hard, brittle plastics that abounds throughout.
Both the front and rear cloth seats are uncomfortable and do not offer much back support. However, the front seats do offer more front seat travel. Surprisingly, the doors don't close with a thunk, Toyota quality sound. The Santa Fe's interior quality and feel are much better.
The driving characteristics of the Rav4 are quite predictable and stable, that is until you ask it to do more, such as manuver quickly and suddenly, this is when the Rav4 understeers and wallows like an overweight ox. It has good acceleration for a 4cyl but once loaded with passengers it does what all other 4cyl engines do, gear hunts and works harder to keep itself up to with traffic.
What's was also shocking to me was how thin it felt as in not substantial. I never got the feeling that this was a solidly built vehicle. Why? Although it felt well isolated from most road noise the vehicle had a very thin, tin can feel to it. I suppose this is why the Rav4's crash test scores were average to poor in the IIHS(insurance Institute for High Way Safety) while the Santa Fe tested and received one of the highest crash safety rating that any SUV in its class can received. Visit the site for the current safety award winners listed at the left of the home page: http://www.iihs.org/ratings/default.aspx
Check the safety ratings for the Rav4..you will be disappointed and surprised by the lower than expected crash safety ratings of this vehicle.
I came to the conclusion that the Santa Fe was the best built, best value and offered the best safety for my myself and family and made my purchase decision inspite of the fact that Toyota's perceived quality and therefore resale value will allow the market to prop-up this particular model for the short term, but I believe in the foreseeable future the value of Hyundai's Santa Fe will in fact see an increase.
It sure was fast, but I really never got a good feeling about the quality of the interior materials. It looked and felt cheap to me. I also never seemed to be able to get the audio system to sound good, no matter how much I futzed with the bass and treble controls. It had the sound quality of a cheap clock radio. But the real killer was the seats. Try as I might, I couldn't get comfortable in the driver's seat, and my lower back would start to hurt after about 10 minutes.
I took it back the next day, and the dealership had all the paperwork ready for me to sign. I decided I wanted to think about it a little more.
Two days later, I turned into a Hyundai dealership. I had never previously considered owning a Hyundai (I've always had Hondas and Toyotas), but I'd just seen a positive review of the new Veracruz. I didn't know anything about the Santa Fe, but when I told them salesman I wanted "small" and "three rows", he suggested I look at a Santa Fe. Wow! After driving the RAV4, the Santa Fe Limited felt like a Rolls Royce. It was quieter, smoother, a lot more roomy inside, and the materials all felt and looked expensive. The seats were actually comfortable, and it came with a real 3rd row seat -- much larger than the tiny 3rd row in the RAV4. The Santa Fe's rear seat even has its own A/C vents and controls! It wasn't quite as fast as the RAV4, but the V6 Santa Fe was still plenty powerful for me.
I ended up buying a Santa Fe Limited AWD a week later for $28,000 even. That was about $850 more than the RAV4 was going to cost me, but it was well worth it. Besides everything I mentioned above, the Santa Fe also came with leather on all 3 rows, and adding leather to just the first 2 rows of the RAV4 would have pushed its price to $29,000, or $1,000 more than the Santa Fe.
I now have 7,200 miles on my Santa Fe, and I love it. We just returned from a family road trip. My family of five was comfortable the whole way, and we averaged 22.8 mpg overall, much of that with the cruise set at 80 mph on I-35 and the A/C on. I've also had exactly zero problems with it. In short, I'm thrilled, and will definitely be looking at Hyundai again the next time I'm in the market for a new vehicle.
I am considering a 2007 Santa Fe (over the Mitsubishi Outlander) - people have mentioned that the Santa Fe feels sluggish compared to the Outlander - may I ask, I'm coming from the perspective of driving a crappy 1996 Nissan Sentra (actually it's been a very good car) - do you think I can safely assume that nothing would feel sluggish to me!? I test drove both SF and Outlander and much preferred the SF (but could be because of aesthetics, I'm not sure).
I don't want to get buyer's remorse, but I also don't want to over analyze this as I do most things!
Thanks!
-Sarah
I looked at the Outlander before buying my Santa Fe Limited AWD. I liked that it was available with xenon headlights and GPS navigation (neither of which is currently available on the Santa Fe) but for me everything else tipped in favor of the Santa Fe. If you like the Santa Fe and "sluggishness" is your only concern, I think you can rest easy. (Of course, I'm basing my opinion on the 3.3 liter found in the SE and Limited; I've not driven a 2.7 liter GLS.)
I think one reason everyone seems to like the Outlander so much is that it's so technologically option-based - something that I don't care about.
MPG do matter to me, but it sounds like all these SUVs/crossovers are somewhat similar for that.
thanks
I think you would be happy with the Santa Fe. Is an all around nice crossover. I test drove it and the ride was smooth and plenty of pick up. Not sure about the AWD.
Does the part number corresponds to the same you purchased?
Does anybody know if there's difference in older models and 2007 wiring?
Do you have some pictures of the cable installation for 2007?
thanks
I would follow the instructions that came with the harness if it matches your SF. If it is not the plug in type, I would check with the dealer too since i am unfamiliar with any of them except the 07.
Here's a post I made in another thread:
"Hyundai has finally released a plug-in trailer wiring harness for the 07 Santa Fe. It is part number U8612-2B000. It's so new that my dealer didn't know it existed, and tried to tell me it didn't. They wanted to sell me part number U8614-2B000, which requires splicing. I told them to check with Hyundai, which they did, and surprise! I was right. The computer showed it in-stock in the warehouse, so I should have it in a few days. Retail price is $81.61."
I bought mine from Morrie's Hyundai in Minnetonka, Minnesota. It took them two days to get it. I installed it myself in about 15 minutes."
I've had my SF for 6 weeks now and have put over 4,000 miles on it (including a 3,000mi road trip through the Rockies) and I have no regrets with my purchase. It's an incredibly comfortable car with loads of useful features. It's easy to drive around town and great on long trips.
I think he may have been talking about the crimp on connector that POSSIBLY did not change!!!!. Just my guess.
The 07 PLUG and PLAY harness was the source of much consternation on this forum, and another member posted the correct part#'s for the 2007 models!
1st step is to locate the plugs on the car (07 they are under the driver's side fender well - REAR!....then make sure the new harness plugs match with the car....there are caps on the car end which must come off ist.
You can always call HyundaiUSA to confirm the correct part#. I would not leave with the part until you open it and make sure it is correct...something just feels wrong here! I wopuld not just take the dealer's word for it...in fact he probably had your year or similar on his lot...do a comparison!
let us know
Most dealers don't seem to know about the plug-in harness for 2007+ Santa Fes. Make sure you have them order part number U8612-2B000. Write that part number down and take it in with you. They'll likely tell you it's the wrong part number and isn't in their catalog. Have them punch it into the computer, anyway. It will come up, and the suggested retail is $81.61. They can have it from Hyundai within a few days. If they give you any grief, tell them you will call Hyundai direct and complain about them.
My dealership didn't know about it until I told them about it. When they ordered one for me, the service manager asked if he could open it and show it to the techs, because none of them had ever seen it before.