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First, thank you very much!!! I really appreciate the additional information. Also your English is excellent. Would you like to find out how good my Korean is? (I forfeit the battle to you and crown you the champion now!!)
For your information the V6 for the US and the Canadian markets only comes with the automatic sport shift and AWD. For a manual transmission for here, you would have to purchase the I4 engine.
Also on the Hyundai web-site, there is a video clip showing a rear facing third seat, that folds up and stores into a depression in the back of the Sante Fe. Do you know if that option is available for the US market?
Lxowner:
Please do not defile "Pumbaa" that way, I'm mad now.
I personally prefer the following comparison of the Hyundai Sante Fe to the Pontiac Aztek -- Nicole Kidman versus the Creature from the Black Lagoon.
My humblest apologies to the creature. Please forgive me Mr. Creature. I am so sorry for the horrible comparison I made comparing you to the Aztek.
If you could take one of them out for a night.........would you still choose "Nicole"
over ( she has some great curves) Pam Anderson..
I heard she handles well in the fast lane..!!
http://www.hyundai-motor.com/eng/vehicles/product/galloper/index.htm
I'm pretty not sure that Hyundai will sell the santa fe which has i-4 engine....
There's some example...
In Korean domesitc market, sonata has only i-4 I.8 and 2.0 Engine. We can't buy i-4 2.4 and if somebody wants to get v-6 in sonata he or she should order special model. The factory will produce v-6 korean version after getting order from individual consumer. Usually hyundai put stronger engine to American version.
(for example, elantra has 1.5 and 1.8 engine in korea.)
Especially santafe whicih is sold in Korea doesn't have i-4 engine. Only you can buy v-6 engine model and you can choose both manual or automatic transmission in korea.
Because of Tax and expensive gas in korea, santafe k-version has propane engine and third row seat. I'm pretty sure that you can't choose third row seat in U.S market.
The propane V-6 put 170Hp horsepower but Gas V-6 which will be equipped in NA-version put 185hp out.
I don't know exactly what model hyundai will sell in North American market.
Galloper is same model of Mitsubishi montero/pajero. Hyundai have sold this car almost for 10years in south korea and other countries. Galloper is really strong car but it's really old model and thesedays nobody want to buy it. Many people prefer Musso by daewoo to Galloper.The galloper will be disappeared and hyundai will launch new model in 2002. The new model looks similar to New Montero.
(This is not a picture of concept car...)
http://www.t-h-c.org/gallery/SantaFe-Pictures/1770_1.jpg
http://www.t-h-c.org/gallery/SantaFe-Pictures/1770_2.jpg
http://www.t-h-c.org/gallery/SantaFe-Pictures/1770_3.jpg
http://www.t-h-c.org/gallery/SantaFe-Pictures/1770_4.jpg
http://www.t-h-c.org/gallery/SantaFe-Pictures/1770_5.jpg
http://www.t-h-c.org/gallery/SantaFe-Pictures/1770_6.jpg
http://www.t-h-c.org/gallery/SantaFe-Pictures/1770_7.jpg
http://www.t-h-c.org/gallery/SantaFe-Pictures/1770_8.jpg
Santa Fe. They have come a long way since their
first offerings.Hopefully they will keep their
stigma of a junky car so availability will be high and prices low.I will test drive both
Tribute and Santa Fe,hopefully some car magazine
will do a back to back reviews.My local dealer says the end of September they should be here.
If money grew on trees I would get an RX300.
to take what you can find as far as options,
whereas the Escape/Tribute can be ordered
custom made from the factory.Regarding seating
it felt roomier than the Tribute/Escape.One nice thing about the Santa Fe I liked is the storage
area under the rear floor for emergency stuff
like flashlights,flares,jumper cables etc.The
Tribute has a spare tire at that spot without
any storage pocket.
As to the Sante Fe's projected arrival, I keep hearing late September to mid October.
I thought my heart was set on the Tribute - I'm not so sure any more. From just sitting & looking over the Santa Fe - the quality and especially the style gives it a whole new dimension on the SUV. It copies the Honda CR-V picnic table & storage well in the back but other than that it's original. But - don't know how it drives yet. I was also told by a internet rep. who works both sides Hyundai & Mazda - not to expect the drive to be as nice as the Tribute. We'll see.
any Honda so why shouldn't the Santa Fe ride
as well as a Tribute.
has KIA Sportages in droves so I imagine in 6
months Hyundai lots will be full of Santa Fe's.
Point being Korea can pump out lot's of cars and
people aren't knocking themselves out to buy them.
Hopefully this will keep prices low.Speaking of
Korean cars I saw where Daewoo came out #4 in customer service which is very good.
Forgot to ask what the + and - console shift position stand for, anybody know? Btw, where's the hood open release?
It was really nice and roomy. The engine looked strange (btw, hood release is under dash on left) and I couldn't locate the spark plugs! But there's all kinds of room to work on it with the bonus feature of a manifold with a flat top for cooking! (Somehow, I don't think that'll be a listed feature)
I am anxious to drive one. When I asked about availability, the sales manager said a definite "November."
No pricing or brochures yet.
The fit and finish was quite good, the only problem/potential problem I saw was the plastic insert on the tail gate.
One thing that concerns me is visibility. The rear headrests are quite large and obstructed views to the rear more than usual.
The vehicle was not drivable and I took my time with it, in the showroom, without having a single dealer employee bother me -- a first!
The only other questionable area is the roof rack. There were no crossbars -- perhaps they just weren't installed.
jd
on merit not on price.Are you sure this wasn't a
dealer gouging.If they are priced the same as
Tribute then you have to decide which one excites
you.If you ever need service and or parts you won't have to wait for them like you might for
a Hyundai.I have had the brakes on my Acura
replaced twice and both times they were not in stock and I had to wait while they found another
dealer that they could get them from.
said it's performance is tepid.Not very sporty
and the price loaded is 23k.It's 0-60 time of
9.5 seconds puts it typical suv time but not near as good as Tribute/Escape.So what would cause one to get a Santa Fe instead of Tribute? Warranty?
Triptronic tranny?Looks?If you buy from a dealer
that might make a difference.I don't like my local
Mazda dealer because of vulture like salespeople.
I do like the Hyundai dealer because of low pressure style.Then again I my son works for FORD
and I can get an Escape at invoice thru him.
C&D: “ 185-hp V-6 is sufficient for normal driving but wanting when a burst of power is required, passing on a two-lane takes forethought. The Santa Fe’s relatively ponderous mass takes a toll here”.
Wheels: “The V-6 gets the ute up to speed in reasonable time, and is far smoother and quieter six than either Ford or Mazda will offer in their new SUV’s. It’s worthwhile noting, however that if you’re cruising in top gear and want passing acceleration, knocking the sportshift back a notch into third isn’t going to achieve much of anything-it’s better to drop down two gears”.
Why Hyundai did not use a more potent powerplant for the Santa Fe I don’t know. Oh well, back to the Tribute.
an extended to 100k miles warranty for about
another $1000.So we are about even in price but
not performance.Don't forget too if you need
an oil filter the Escape filter will be available
everywhere,not so Hyundai.We shall see if they
accumulate on lot's.Maybe Highlander will be better.With gas at $2.00 a gallon soon consider
a 4 cylinder,slower, but nothings free.
the Tribute is $300 cheaper. The dimensions are
so close that there had to be spying going on
during design process.The Santa Fe is 300 lbs
heavier and has 20 less horses.This is because
they had to use a Sonata engine to keep costs down.I guess Hyundai is hoping the warranty will
sell them.If it is as quiet as a Sonata then maybe
it could compete favorably with Tribute,which is
noisy so I'm told.
Santa Fe, Loaded... invoice = $21,844
The Tribute ES is $22340 incl.dest. So Hyundai
is $1406 less but has a longer warranty.It is also
slower.Will have to drive both to see if Tribute
is as noisy as they say.I assume the extra weight
in Santa Fe is sound proofing.3549 lbs vs 3292 lbs.As soon as the lot's are filled there will
be deep discounts you can bet.
I have compared the interior finishes in the Sante Fe with the Mazda Tribute and I like the Sante Fe a lot more. (The materials in the Sante Fe were softer in appearance and I prefer the shifter on the floor instead of mounted on the steering column.) I did test drive the Tribute and I liked the way it handled and the acceleration and braking were very good. I am still waiting to have the chance to test drive the Sante Fe and I would like to see some crash test data before I make a purchase. I expect the Tribute to come in at 4 star frontal and 5 star side impact for its crash test (same as MPV since they share the same platform). I understand that the Sante Fe is built on the Sonata platform. The 2000 Sonata has not been tested but the 1998 Sonata had a 3 star driver, 4 star passenger frontal impact rating and an abysmal 1 star front seat and 2 star rear seat rating for side impact. Those numbers don't look to promising. I elicits images of a tomato can under a 10 lb sledge hammer in the event of a side impact collision.
The Tribute is not built on an MPV platform. It is built on an evolved 626 platform. Mazda expects to get 5 star ratings all aroung on the Trib. The results should come out late this month or in October.
Why is there a constant delay? No one seems to know or won’t tell.
I am waiting to test drive one so I can compare it to the Mazda Tribute, which has good power and handling, but the interior leaves me somewhat cold. I am willing to sacrifice some power for a better fit and finish exterior and interior wise.
I have seen two in Houston, at different dealerships. The wine red "Merlot" is a bad exterior color. The other one I have seen is a metallic silver and extremely better looking.
Drives extremely nice & smooth. I think smoother than the Tribute. Steering not as tight & a little more play in gas pedal than Tribute. You can definetely feel its a heavier auto - but pickup was good.
The one & only option I was most interested in was a moonroof with sliding glass. I was told by one dealer a few weeks ago - it would be an option. I don't see it on kbb's site. This dealer I talked to today did'nt know of this option but he wasn't very informative to begin with. Does anyone have any info. on this? I can't see how this can be installed even after market with the roof rack & sunglass console.
plus a disc changer is the only things not offered. That should not be a problem because
there are a number of after market companies
ASC is one.I once had a power sunroof installed
in a new 89 Mazda and it cost about a $1000.
I have a 98 Explorer and I ordered it from the factory with a sunroof.It is one of the few Sport
models with it.I'm thinking of trading it in
but I want to see all the possibilities.Subaru has
a big sunroof offered,and RAV4 will offer it,
CRV does not offer it but I have seen some with it.The only time I use it is when it's cloudy
or dark cause I burn very easy and it is very
noisy on the freeway.
Hyundai clearly put more thought into the entire design of the interior, whose quality, layout and comfort far exceeded the Tribute. I was ambiguous regarding the Santa Fe's performance: I noticed a vibration probably from the driveshaft at low speeds when accelerating sharply. There was a faint but noticeable whine when you lifted your foot off the accelerator at most any speed. As this the only Santa Fe the dealer had for demo, I could drive another to compare the two. As for speed, it seemed adequate to me. The interior was relatively quiet, without the wind noise of the Tribute.
If I were to shut my eyes and forget that the Santa Fe is a Hyundai (and the possible reliability problems associated with that brand) I would certainly buy it over the Tribute. However, if towing capacity is an issue, the v6 Tribute will certainly be more practical.
BTW I owned a 1989 Sonata that had more problems alone than every other car I have owned since! My wife nearly killed me when I said "let's look at a Hyundai." I say, don't be the first one on your block to buy one: wait a few months if you can to let others be the "beta testers."
Personally there are only two kinds of sun/moon roofs in existence, those that already leak and those that are going to leak.
Every car that I have ever been in with a sun/moon roof has leaked. That is why I never want one.
Hyundai name has worried me too. Never thought I would even consider one - till I saw the Santa Fe. From what I heard - they really have cleaned up their act. I've heard praises & horror stories. They want to keep up with the competition & be selling $30,000+ vehicles like the rest of them. It looks like their on their way & the only way their going to get their is to prove themselves - which is where their warranty kicks in.
(toeouch) I heard no whines or vibrations on my test drive. I drove a LX model 4WD, ABS - not that it should make a difference. I'm waiting ANXIOUSLY to drive a GLS model. I think the upgraded cloth seats I saw at another dealer was really nice. The base seats were cheap looking.
Again, please keep me posted on any power sunroof options you all hear about. Thanks
As a side note the only available cars this dealer had on their lot were a few 00 Accents and one 01 Elentra. Hate to be a Hyundai dealer at the moment with basically no product choice to sell.
You think they would even update their USA web-site, considering that October is always considered to be the new car year deliver time.