Hyundai Santa Fe (2006 and earlier)

peytonroad

Here in Oregon we also cannot pump our own gas - I've never done it actually - If we are in Washington, my husband usually pumps - we are paying $1.53 for 87 regular gas.

-peytonroad

tonychrys

I believe it was done in NJ for safety reasons and was enacted several years ago. But in fact gas prices are still cheaper in NJ than bordering NY (which has self-serve) by at least 15-cents a gallon due to NY's ridiculous taxations on gasoline. I drive between both states everyday and I always fill up in NJ.

raybear

The prices are worse in Connecticut. Taxes again.

suvshopper4

re post #2755: NJ may have enacted the no-self-serve law for safety reasons, but it was not done recently; no self-serve in the 33 years I've been driving.

Filled up with regular 87 octane Texaco tonight: 1.299 per gallon.

But back to the Hyundai Santa Fe...

hunter36

Boy, the way it sounds I've got to move to Coquitlam, BC (never heard of it but sounds like a good place to fish!) to get decent gas prices.

One advantage of having mostly do-it-yourself gas pumping is where else can you see a decked-out woman pumping gas into her new Mercedes...and getting gas smell on her hands...like us 'commoners' that can only afford a SF? (or choose to not waste money on a Merc.)

hyundaima: I thought I got rid of you when I didn't respond to your explanation of MPG! (I still can't believe I never figured it out from the 4 monthly car mags I subscribe to..it's so simple.). Ok, I'll be serious for a moment. I took the SF to Keyes Hyundai in Van Nuys, Calif. and they ordered a 'fuel sending unit' to see if that helps. The Service Mgr. was very nice but frankly, the part sounds more like what I would need if my gas gauge wasn't registering correctly - which is not the problem. The gauge is fine if I can just get the stuff in the tank.

Anway, I'll report back whether the part corrects the problem..but I'm not optimistic.

BTW, Keyes Hyundai had a dozen new SF's in the 'front row' in every color except White (even the ugly brown - Sandstone? one) so looks like supply has caught up with the demand - locally anyway.

ahyundai1

I can't believe I am considering on buying a Hyundai!! Owned a Accord for 12 years with no problems but the Santa Fe has caught my eye. Really close to buying a Green Gls 4 x4 but would really like to know what kind of Gas Mileage people are getting???? Is it closer to 19 or are you getting in the mid 20's on the Highway?

billtung

I've used my SF for commercial delivery, already 26,000km so far since December,2000, the gas milage is very impressive, approx. 11 Litres/100km (Usually shut off air-cond, & drive in sport mode(shiftronic) & drove on half highway & half city, one-fourth of those road was on mountain slopes.)

Know another customers also use SF for commercial, he also said his SF give him a very good milage.

***Tip*** If u used Automatic mode, the tranmission stayed in 2nd gear longer than other car before shifts up to 3rd gear, it might give us a feeling of smoother shifting(It may be the reason SF acelerates slower than its rivals), but sacrifying about 1-2 sec of acceleration time. So I usually use shiftronic to bypass the 2 sec delay. Next time when u test drive, used shiftronic to shift from 2nd to 3rd gear (around 2000 RPM) u will know what I mean!

Compares to other SUV on the same situations, I think SF is a very best pick for gas milage.

Hope it help!

ahyundai1

I will have to try your suggestion with the shifting. First time I used the Shiftronic during test drive and was not sure on how to use it. It is glad to hear the gas mileage is good for you. I don't think it would compare to the Accord but not apples to apples. Do you got the 4 x 4 or 4 x 2? When you get that Car buying bug it is hard to turn off. Can't wait until the vehicle comes in so I can test drive and buy

hung0820

Bill Tung and I have the AWD V6 Santa Fe...I get about 1 mpg lower than Bill Tung because of Bay Area Traffic...However, I do believe the 2WD Santa Fe V6 will get very close to the Accord/Camry V6 and while the 4 cylinder will get very close to the 4 cylinder Accord/Camry base of MPG...

manoy

My Santa Fe LX V6 did not have a Hood Insulation when bought in May of this year. This sure will cut down engine noise. Am I the only one not having this? My dealer is willing to order the insulation but claims that they can not locate part numbers. Your info will be appreciated. Thank You.

peytonroad

what does it look like?

thanks

lrchome

I bought my LX in November of 2000, and I did not have hood insulation , and neither did the other 2 Santa Fe's I looked at. Have you or anybody seen a Santa Fe with hood insulation.

bmcadoo

Looking at the Sante Fe here on Edmunds.com, I noticed that they have the 2002 marked on there instead of the 2001's. It says that the info isn't available just yet. Does that mean the 2002 specs will be coming out very soon?

I hope so. I have been waiting to see them for a long time now, since I have been holding out for one.

lscat

I bought my Sante Fe in March, recently I am having trouble getting my gas tank full.The pump shuts off before the tank is all the way full. I only started having this problem within the last month, and it doesn't happen all the time.Anyone else having the same problems.

newgrad

Hello all! I just purchased a new Santa Fe (love it so far) with Automatic Transmission and recently, I was stopped on a very steep incline when I started to slide backwards. In my old car, I used to be able to put the transmission into "1" and that kept me from going backwards. I noticed that the Santa Fe doesn't have "1" or "2". Help! What can I do to keep from sliding backwards aside from using the parking brake?? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

hung0820

Do you have the V6 Shiftronic or do you have the 4 cylinder A/T transmission....With the Shiftronic you can move into 1st or 2nd gear manually......

raybear

What about the foot brake?

hyundaima

You're in the first gear when you stop.

bpb

I just test drove a 2002 at my local dealer(Chicago). They had 5. The salesman did not even know they were 2002's until I pointed it out on the window sticker. No side airbags, no moonroofs, actually nothing new just some juggling of the packages. ABS is not standard on the gls, it is still part of the abs/tc package but it looks like the cd/cassette upgrade stereo is now standard. I did not notice anything else different and the salesman was clueless. There could be other changes I did not notice.

This was my first test drive of a sante fe. We drove it right after we drove a honda accord v6 and both my wife and I agreed that the sante fe was a better "in town" car. The accord brakes were better. We test drove the FWD V6 GLS so the acceleration was probably better than the AWD model, as a matter of fact the acceleration was excellent as were the auto shift points, cornering and handling especially considering this is an SUV. This is a very comfortable car, my wife liked it much better than the accord. We did not get to take on the expressway though. If the dealer would have budged from msrp on a 2002 Merlot FWD V6 GLS w/abs & tc we probably would have bought it tonight. According the dealer they have a "huge" waiting list for people willing to pay msrp on 2002's. I can wait, in the meantime I'm going to try some other not so local dealers.

Question: Does the AWD version have a higher seating position than the FWD model or is it just the ground clearance that is higher?

diploid

congrats on your new Santa Fe.

But why were you cross shopping it with an Accord??

jlngwr

I just bought a 2002 Kia Sedona (minivan). Kia is now associated with Hyundai, don't know how much engineering they share, but I've noticed the same thing with filling the gas tank with the the Sedona. The guage only goes just past the 3/4 mark. Just got it and only filled up once, so don't know if it'll be an ongoing problem. Any thoughts? Otherwise, a great car and real bargain!

We considered the Santa Fe while shopping (my sister has a 2001 and loves it). The SF is so hot around here that dealers are not coming down from the MSRP. My sister got her's 6 months ago for $19000 (Philadelphia), no way around here now (upstate NY). Ultimately, not enough room for what we need, couldn't turn down the Kia (with 1.9% financing).

bpb28

As I stated we did not buy the sante fe, still shopping. As to why we were cross shopping with the accord was because the accord V6 is right around the same price as the sante fe and we were at a honda/hyundai dealership. We had already test drove a CRV. We are not just looking at suv's, also wagons, and sedans. I see no reason to be limited to one style of vehicle when shopping for a new car/truck.

I also test drove the Trooper and liked it (great engine, tons of space, sit up really high) but it had a lot of the truck characteristics I do not like.

hung0820

There are not much different between the size and height when compare to the AWD and 2WD....The only different is that the AWD can do off-road and ride smoother while the 2WD is faster and better on gas mileage....Depend on the people situation need.....If you live in the region with less summer than I assume the AWD is better because people will drive on rainy, snowy, and hilly road more....On daily normal ride condition the Santa Fe is much better compare to the sedan...If you are involve in the accident the chance survive on the SUV is better than the Sedan because most car in the street now are bigger car (SUV and Van, etc.)....Beside the Santa Fe is a sedan ride NOT an SUV/Truck ride...

bpb28

The vehicle specs state that the FWD version has 7.4 inches of ground clearance while the AWD version has 8.1 inches. Thats just over a half of foot difference. One of my favorite things about suv's is the high seating position. I was unable to tell whether or not the awd had a higher seating position than the fwd version. Has anyone been able to gauge the difference?

My wife is still talking about how much she likes this vehicle. She said she felt safer in the sante fe than any other car we test drove. I just wish it had side airbags and a moonroof.

twolf32

Hi all,

I've pretty much decided that my next car is going to be a Santa Fe GLS 4WD. This forum and the other Edmunds forums have been invaluable in helping me come to my decision.

With the model year winding down, the next decision is on whether to get a 2001 or 2002 model. Has anyone heard any pricing/option/colour details on the Santa Fe for 2002?

Cheers,
Paul

hung0820

2002 model Santa Fe is higher than the current model 2001 Santa Fe....The 2002 model receive a better stereo system and also the some parts of the radiator system have been change/upgrade...That's all I know for now...There "MAY BE" a chance of the Copper Orange available in the US....Buying the 2001 or 2002 model; there are not much different. Perhaps a 2003/2004 would have a 3.0 engine; who knows....

You can manually adjust the height of the Santa Fe seat higher and lower....The AWD system is a little higher than the FWD system...Since AWD was mented for off-road; so they tended to make it higher...The Santa Fe received the best crash test in it owns category....Definitely the Santa Fe is safter than the Accord....

mudpuddle

I've been waiting for the 2002 Santa Fe option list to come out, and now that it has, I'm very disappointed to see that there's no 6 cd changer or sunroof option. The changer I can get aftermarket, but does anyone know why the sunroof option hasn't appeared yet ? Will it ever be available ?

suvshopper4

One thing I noticed about the Santa Fe I sat in at the NYC Auto Show - not a lot of headroom. Maybe this is why there is no sunroof option?
ejp

cindy44

I drove a Ford Escape and Jeep Liberty and I think the Santa Fe has more room on the insid eand I love the body style. It's cheapter too. Stick was only $20,200. Think I can get it for 18,500-19,000 on X plan. Only problem is my husband, says Hyundai is a joke. Only reason they have such a wonderful warranty is because nobody wants to buy one. What can I say to him to make him change his mind about Hyundai. I really loved it!

gsogymrat

Mudpuddle, where can you view the 2002 Santa Fe option list?

mudpuddle

Go to the Kelley Blue Book website - Search www.kbb.com

60562 Sport Utility 4D (Auto)

hung0820

sunroof/moonroof can be done aftermarket at the dealer when buying the Santa Fe...Cost about the $1200 with Life-Time Warranty which it is better than the factory warranty.....You can buy the cd changer from HDKautosport.com which cost cheaper than the dealer and easy to install as well.....

I would just tell people that the Santa Fe have the best crash test in it owns category plus the V6 is running the Porsche/BMW transmission....Hyundai quality have been much improve now-a-day....Other than that the bad reputation; because Hyundai used to run Mitsubitshi engine but now they run the own...They are totally different now-a-day....You can read all of the reviews from my web homepage to study more about the Santa Fe. www.y2kcatalogs.com/santafe.

mkesavaraju

I am in Southern CA and got a 2001 GLS 4WD v6 model last week. The price was $2500 less than MSRP. This dealer has 30 in stock. The Santa Fe is great! I just went on a trip to San Diego and it rides like a car with great pick up. I test drove Xterra also, but the pick up is so low.
If any one is interested in knowing the name of the dealer, please let me know.

raybear

About the best I've heard of. Who's the dealer? They deserve a plug.

gsogymrat

Does anyone know if it is possible to get an aftermarket in-dash 6 CD changer for the Santa Fe? I'm assuming the size is pretty standard.

mkesavaraju

The dealer who gave $2500 off MSRP on 2001 GLS V6 Santa Fe is FAMOUS ED'S HYUNDAI in El Monte in Los Angeles. Please mention the ad they placed in LA Times recently. Be careful with financing options though. I have excellent credit, but they tried to palm off 8.9% apr, but I negotiated and got 6.99% apr simple interest loan for 60 months.
The phone number of the dealer is 626-575-8200.

mkesavaraju

Cindy, I think this is one area where you can go against your husband. Santa Fe rides like a car and has great features at a great price. For 2001 models you can push for $2500 less than MSRP. It is even cheaper than Camry with similar features. In LA I have seen ad's for $15000 for Santa Fe 2WD models with stick. You won't regret this decision. I also have a Toyota Corolla; Toyota used Firestone tires and they went bad within 20000 miles and the front seats squeak! Talk of quality!

diploid

Is the lowest I've seen for a 2wd with 4-cylinder manual.

sen1

Wall St Journal reports today:
General Motors -7.6percent
Ford -7.5%
Chrysler -22.2%
Toyota +7.2%
Honda -.4%
Nissan -15.7%
Hyundai +46.2%

dreamwind

Now that's really good news! Congrats Hyundai!

iluvmysephia1

That sales news for Hyundai is too good to pass up. Both Hyundai and Kia are heading quickly to the top. NO kidding!!!!

lrchome

What equipment did your GLS have and what exactly did you pay for it in dollars.

magoo55

Wanted to pass along info (that u might or might not know). When last changed oil I did NOT use a washer gasket on oil pan plug and had some dripping. Dealer said I need to use washer with each change.

stever

diploid

That's a big improvement, but Hyundai still has a long way to go.

Check out autosite.com for sales figures for the top 10 automakers in the US. I think Hyundai comes in at 9 or 10, surpassing Mazda.

rfaires

Have the Hubby check out the following.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety rated the 2001 Santa Fe better than the Ford Escape and Toyota AV-4 in 40 mph crash test. For the article click here:

http://www.highwaysafety.org/news_releases/2001/pr042301.htm

Also, the Santa Fe was voted best in class in 2001 vehicle satisfaction scores. To read the artcle from USA/Today, click here:

http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2001-05-17-santa-fe.htm

Tell your husband, that Hyundai has come a LONG WAY, BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good Luck.

dreamwind

I just heard somewhere that GM and Ford is (was) interested in Daewoo because they predict that the Korean car industry will the largest in 5 decades.. will that be true?

cindy44

Thanks Rfaries. I showed him the articles and we drove a Santa Fe and he liked it too. Now I'm trying to see if gas mileage is as good as the sticker says and also the dealer says they won't come down at all on the sticker price. $21,000. I've never bought a car that they won't negotiate. That's really hard!

jlngwr

cindy, it's the same around here (upstate NY). I don't know where you are, maybe it's a regional thing. Dealers say they have no problem selling this car and will not deal.

gsogymrat

There was talk about a new color in the USA for 2002. Has anyone heard anymore about that? I would really like to see a dark green with tan interior or maybe a titanium metallic. Also, I have noticed that they now have about a dozen Santa Fe's at the dealership here in Greensboro, NC. They have added wood trim to a couple of the LX models at a charge of over $700; I can put it on myself for that price, thank you very much.