Hyundai Santa Fe (2006 and earlier)

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Comments

  • alphansteinalphanstein Member Posts: 95
    check out etrailer.com, they have the drawtite hitch that is installed very nicely and tucked away under the bumper. About 1 hour to install it myself. Check out the santafeforum.com and some of the members have pics of this particular hitch. It's much better than the OEM hitch provided by Hyundai and at a very competitive cost to boot.
  • harry31harry31 Member Posts: 128
    >by dlewis513 Jan 14, 2002 (02:08 pm)

    >I am seriously considering purchasing a Santa Fe in the very near future. I would >like to know if any of you have had good or bad experiences with Hyundai dealers in >any of the following areas: southeast Georgia, northeast OR northwest Florida >(including the panhandle). I live in southeast GA and don't mind a bit of a drive if it'll >save me from a bad dealership. I would appreciate any help you can offer. Thanks.
    >==============

    I live in the north central Florida area and couldn't find ANYONE in this area, who would deal. Priceline found me the Santa Fe (with the color my wife required) in south Florida (Pampano Beach area). This is one red hair short of three hundred miles. Darn Santa Fe is just too popular. =;-)
  • mastrvmastrv Member Posts: 16
    If you live in Canada, I believe that the dealer hitch available is the Drawtite Hitch.
  • doc37doc37 Member Posts: 1
    My experience with Vaden Hyundai in Savannah was bad. They don't want to deal. They're trying to say that SFs are so much in demand that they can sell them above msrp. I purchased a 01 LX 4wd in November for $600 below invoice at Cocoa Hyundai in Cocoa, FL. Don't know if you want to travel that far. Also saw pretty good buys at carsdirect.com
  • guyfguyf Member Posts: 456
    Welcome to the group Samsdad,

    I bought my Santa Fe 1 year ago and while shopping I came to the exact same conclusions as you and your wife. In fact, the initial name of this thread was "Hyundai Santa Fe, Poor man RX 300" I used to own a 1997 CR-V which was great but lacking for power, refinement and accessories. I test drove the RX-300 for a full week-end (nice dealer by the way) and the MDX for 30 some minutes and both are great vehicles (terrible wind noise around the A-pillars on the MDX; I understand they redesigned the mirrors to take care of that for 2002.) but the differene was so small it could not justify the $18,000 to $22,000. CDN more over the Santa Fe.

    The Santa Fe is much more refined than I anticipated and is holding up great after a year (36,000 km) on the road.

    I'm sure you'll enjoy yours just as well.
  • suthernsuthern Member Posts: 9
    That's the main reason I bought my Santa Fe, comfort. It is simply the most comfortable ride out of all the ones I test drove. I was willing to sacrifice proven reliability for better feeling seats, softer ride, and quiet....guess what, after 9,000 miles, it's all the above.
  • thecpathecpa Member Posts: 16
    I bought a white LX in December from Stuart Hyundai. I didn't try WPB because they didn't have the car at that moment. Stuart said they get 15 S/Fs a month and they sell themselves. They let me put up a $100 refundable deposit while I tryed to beat their price. I walked out 2 nights in a row but the four LX's were all gone in 3 days except for my white which I bought on the third night for sticker plus $399 for dealer prep. They had a side sticker for "Additional Dealer Markup" on the car for $1,400 and I also saw a side sticker on a GLX for $1,000. They let me negotiate the "additional" off to get back to msr.
    I had a trade-in orginally but they called a wholesaler and the best I could get from them was 70% of Edmunds. I had a private party sale come along because the trade was super clean and I took it. My cash deal, as it ended up, might have been on the high side because I didn't order and wait or give them the additional profit of financing or extended warantee. I saw a posting back a ways where a lady with a cash deal got a good price through the Cosco car buyer plan. I believe that pricing has firmed as the S/F proves itself. If your still out there and want to try Stuart which is a little more rural give me o post back and I'll refer you to the sales woman I had. She was no pressure.
    It's a great truck and my wife loves driving it. I hope all this helps.
  • SAULADLERSAULADLER Member Posts: 8
    Hello all --
    I have 13,700 perfect miles on my Santa Fe AWD GLX and while getting my oil changed recetly the mechanic suggested changing the transmission fluid. I forget exactly how he described the fluid...I think he said white or chalky? Does this make sense to anybody after just 13,000 miles?

    Thanks very much for any advice.
    I have been babying my Santa Fe with an oil change every 3,000 miles.
  • hyundaimahyundaima Member Posts: 197
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    ****Details*****

    When: Saturday Jan 19
    Where: Pine Barrens (Lebanon State Forest, NJ)
    Meet: Intersection of Rte 70 and 72 near Whiting, NJ
    Time: 10:45-11am
    Who: AWD/4wd Vehicles (no 2wd please)
    What: Off-road Trail Ride through the barrens, will be fun for all, we encourage Subarus, Rav4s, CRVs, Isuzus, Highlanders, 4-runners, Santa Fe, Explorers, etc.

    ****Details****
  • SAULADLERSAULADLER Member Posts: 8
    Hello:

    It was an independent shop that gave me the news about changimng the transmission fluid. I had gone in for my one year New York State inspection (and also had the oil changed). Other than that suggestion from the mechanic, the AWD GLX was perfect.

    Thanks for taking the time to answer my post.
  • harry31harry31 Member Posts: 128
    SAULADLER:
    Check the fluid yourself. If you are unsure of what the fluid should look like, buy a quart (be sure it's the right type) and compare them. Will cost you what? Buck-and-a-quarter - and some paper towels. Also, check the odors. The two fluids should smell alike, too.
    Just remember - it ain't brain surgery. =;-)
  • hyundaimahyundaima Member Posts: 197
    Hi, you can check the condition of the ATF yourself. There should be a picture of engine room in the owner's manual showing location of the ATF dipstick. Normal color range is from pinkish red(when it's new) to brown. Also the fluid must not have burned-toast smell.
  • fizzzzpopfizzzzpop Member Posts: 2
    I live in stuart and tried to purchase a white LX in mid Dec. Deerfield, WPB, and Coastal had the same car(WPB did not have white). Stuart would not meet the same price as all 3 other dealerships. We had put $500 down in Feb. at stuart for a white LX. They never delivered the car and returned our deposit in Aug. unsolicited! We still wanted the car. It turns out, they don't sell unless at MSRP and we would not pay the "add on". Rex said he would "roll the dice on finding someone to pay MSRP". We paid $21800 and 299 dealer fee from Coastal. Deerfield meet that price, WPB would go $100 less, however their dealer fee is $399.
    Buy from Coastal or any other dealer, because their are deals out there.
  • thecpathecpa Member Posts: 16
    You did good! I got rushed by my private party sale of my old car. Bottom line was that Stuart had the car. Edmunds true value was showing $400 below MSRP at that time you did $600.est. Did they get financing or leasing profit in your deal?
    Do you know anything about the Stuart service dept? Who is the Coastal dealer that you ended up with? Ft Pierce? HAPPY TRUCKING!
  • fizzzzpopfizzzzpop Member Posts: 2
    Coastal is in Melborne, the same distance it was to deerfield. It was a cash deal. I haven't heard anyone who has used the service dept. in Stuart. I have less than a 1000 miles on mine, so I haven't the pleasure yet.
    One other point I'd like to make to anyone looking, I did all the negociating over the phone and by fax. In Stuart I went in and talked to them. But save the steps and use the phone. Just ask them the fax it in writting. Everyone did without a problem.
  • minnbillminnbill Member Posts: 28
    We are in Minnesota and heading out tomorrow to test drive a Santa Fe GLS. I know next to nothing about Hyundai's. Just leafed through the brochure on the Santa Fe (very nice) and read a few hundred of the posts here. My wife really likes the looks of the rig, both inside & out, as do I, but I am really concerned about the reliability. I take the view that Hyundai offers a 60,000 mi warranty to cover their [non-permissible content removed] when something inevitably breaks down, and reading some of the experiences of people here, that has happened to many people, in various areas of the country. We were on a waiting list for a CRV, but I sold my car to a private party this week, so we need wheels quick, and the Santa Fe was our 2nd choice. Will post again here tomorrow after our test drive and let you know what we decided. Someone please tell me if we buy one of these we won't regret it!!
  • thecpathecpa Member Posts: 16
    I was right where you are 5 weeks ago, my wheels were sold private party and Hyundai was the last place I would consider. We looked Honda,Buick& Toyota without feeling "right" about the vehicles. Looked at Jeep and loved it but the internet was alive with buzz about problems. Enter the Santa Fe test ride --it felt and looked good-- priced right, but ouch! that Hyundai reputation! Anyway, I went on a internet crusade, from lemmon law buybacks to road tests.
    See Autopacific.com where actual owners are polled the S/F is first in the small ute class and #34 in all brands and models in total driver grading.
    See msn--Autopoint.com under the S/F spec sheet there is a place for owners to review. read the pros and cons. Compare the overall grade with others.
    See santafeforum.com where over 600 owners share the good and the bad.
    I made the leap and after 5 weeks am happy. A good (the best) rating with the 40mph offset crash test too. HAPPY TRUCKING!
  • hyundaimahyundaima Member Posts: 197
    It's a two-piece design;Al part on top of the steel pan.

    http://www.hmaservice.com/webtech/iindex.asp?id=394877537#_394877537

    https://208.8.111.53/customer/index.jsp
  • carguy62carguy62 Member Posts: 545
    Ouch! Article in the Chicago Tribune (syndicated so it is around) today about seizing engines in the Santa Fe. I'll leave the conslusions to you people.
  • phonosphonos Member Posts: 206
    Tribune picked up article from Orange County Register from a couple of weeks ago.

    LINK:

    http://www.chicagotribune.com/classified/automotive/chi-0201210016jan21.story

    [snip]

    "Chuck Halper, vice president of service for Hyundai Motor America, confirmed that there have been 290 engine failures since November 2000, plus as many as six failures of replacement engines.

    Halper said Hyundai did not report the problems to NHTSA because the company doesn't believe it is a safety issue.

    But automotive experts disagree.

    'They should announce it because somebody out there could have a failure going down the freeway. Losing power at speed in the middle of traffic is dangerous', said Gordon Wangers, managing director of Automotive Marketing Consultants Inc., of Vista, Calif."

    [snip]

    On the other hand, I haven't yet rolled over in my 2001 Mitsubishi Montero Limited which Consumers Report was able to make them do in a couple of tests, and thereby declared the model "Unacceptable".

    Don't take everything you read too seriously.
  • minnbillminnbill Member Posts: 28
    Well, we returned home Saturday night from the dealership (we're in the Minneapolis area) with a Santa Fe, GLS 2 wheel drive with ABS, roof
    cross rails, mud guards, alarm system, the color is black obsidian (looks very cool but gawd, it'll be a bear keeping the road salt off it, not to mention we will have to watch out when parking to avoid scratches). My wife & I are in our late 30s and both of us have never owned anything but American made cars. We were amazed during our test drive, with the smoothness of the ride, comfort of the seats (we both like firm seating), tight fit and finish, good ergonomics, plenty of rear seat room (we have two small kids who use car seats). Despite having quotes in hand from 2 other area dealers, we ended up paying only $500 under sticker price, even though there were plenty on the lot. Three other SF's were being sold as we were there. But, after nearly 3 hours with the sales woman and the finance person (at least we got a good low APR there), the kids had had it, and we knew it wasn't worth it to go somewhere else just to maybe save 500 bucks.

    That being said, this is by far the finest vehicle we have owned. (other vehicle is a Chevy Venture van) We did purchase the extended Hyundai warranty for 10 yr/100000 mi total coverage, so we'll have warranty coverage long after we've paid for this vehicle. I drove the 35 miles home from the dealer, smiling the whole way. Now my wife and I will have daily battles over who's gonna drive the Santa Fe each day.

    Hyundai, in our opinion, is rapidly equalling the quality of Hondas and Toyotas and will be a force in the US car market if they keep building them as well as the Santa Fe. This web site is a terrific place to do research and hear from other owners of the vehicles one is considering buying. We will check in after a few thousand miles to update our experience with our SF...
  • mrmagoo55mrmagoo55 Member Posts: 16
    Looking down the road a bit, what does Hyuundai require if you need warranty service? Do you have to have the vehicle services at the recommended intervals in the owner's manual at the dealer at their $80/hr cost? If this is the case it gets expensive. What if you just change your oil and do the normal wear and tear items.. I hope not to have to use the warranty but what's in the fine print if the time comes.
    Thanks to all.
  • jaserbjaserb Member Posts: 820
    If you read the article about the seizing engines, it mentions that the problem engines were made between July and November 2000, so these were very early 2001 Santa Fe's. No engines made after November have had this problem. Also, by all accounts, Hyundai bent over backwards to appease customers that had the problem. This should ease the concerns of those of us with V6 Santa Fe's.

    -Jsaon
  • jaserbjaserb Member Posts: 820
    We bought a 2001 2WD LX in Merlot with ABS / TCS in Mar. 2001. After 14k city miles, the only real problem has been that the heated seat switches were crosswired (drivers button turned on the passenger seat heater, and vice versa). The dealer fixed it when we went in for an oil change. It's my wife's car, and the biggest priority for her was looks - it was between the Santa Fe and the PT Cruiser. Now, every time she sees a PT, she mentions how glad she is that we didn't get one. No regrets here.

    -Jason
  • lrchomelrchome Member Posts: 130
    I have a 2001 Santa Fe LX with V6 engine. I have 11,700 miles on the vehicle. It was manfactured in August of 2000. That is within the July to November failure time frame. I have not had a single problem with the vehicle. When I bought the car I told the dealer I wanted to do all the routine maintenance, and ask if that was a problem with the warranty.He stated that was no problem , just keep the maintenance record in the maintenance book.

    I really like the Santa Fe, and am not too concerned about the cylinder liner problem. If the failure happens I will get a new engine, and most likley a few extras added to the vehicle for my trouble. And I am sure I will get a vehicle while my new engine is being installed.

    I am not going to worry about something that I cannot control.
  • thecpathecpa Member Posts: 16
    I have a 11/12/02 LX and have found the seat warmers to be crosswired on my car as well. First I thought they were broke but later found the wiring fault. We live in FLA and it's my wife's car so I haven't tied the controls down yet. Do the warmers go off when you turn the truck off and restart even though the led light on the warmer switch stays on? Or is it temperature controlled and they don't work unless needed? I haven't found the combination to reactivate them after a restart.
    We're 6 weeks and 1300 miles with the crossed wire the only exception to perfection. We're HAPPY TRUCKERS!
  • jaserbjaserb Member Posts: 820
    As far as I can tell, button down = on, button up = off (as long as the ignition is on). They only really seem to make much of a difference when the temp. drops much below 40 or so. I imagine we probably use them more here in Utah than you do in Florida! They certainly aren't the same kind of bun roasters you get in an Audi, for example, but they're still nice to have.

    -Jason
  • losthat1losthat1 Member Posts: 93
    I had followed this board for a long time and then somehow last fall stopped. In Jan 2001 we bought two Santa Fes, both LX-loaded, AWD, tracs, etc.

    In October my son was driving and was hit by a Nissan going 35-40mph in an accident that looked just like the insurance offside tests. I.E. The car was hit in the front drivers side corner.

    It happened at a busy intersection and as soon as it occured the police, firetrucks and ambulance were called as the Santa Fe and Nissan looked terrible and as the police officer who responded said --"I was sure there were fatalities". I am happy to say that other than some bruises from the airbag and seatbelt, my son was not hurt. WHen I saw the car I would have thought he was dead. The Santa Fe was totaled but more importantly the structural integrity protected my son from injuries. (The driver of the Nissan had similar injuries and his car was totaled as well.)

    My message is that you can feel safe in your Santa Fe. It held up well. As Volvo owners we are concerned with safety, and bought the Santa Fes believing they were solid and safe.

    When totaled the Santa Fe had over 20,000 miles without any problems. Our second one has over 22,000 miles and no problems. What did we replace the totaled vehicle with --another one. This time a 2002.

    Does a Santa Fe hold its value? We lost $2,000 in all this but that included a $500. deductable. I'm sure with any totaled car you lose some. To be honest I was quite surprised.

    Just wanted to let anyone know that if you are considering a Santa Fe you can add "safety" to the many positive things that can be listed. My son had previously been driving our old Plymouth van. I believe if that had been in the accident he would not have walked away. That is why we did not hesitate to replace the Santa Fe with another.

    I still enjoy driving the Santa Fe after one year, and have no regrets about my choice.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Welcome back and thanks for the story. Glad to hear everyone was ok in the wreck. What kind of Nissan was it, anyway?

    Steve
    Host
    SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
  • losthat1losthat1 Member Posts: 93
    It was a 1998 Nissan Altima--driver was also wearing his seatbelt, and airbag deployed.

    Always wear your seat belt!
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Especially good to hear the other driver wasn't hurt; my wife drives one of those often at her office (they lease 4 of them for employee use). Maybe they should get some Sante Fe's when the leases are up....

    Steve
    Host
    SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
  • tu754ztu754z Member Posts: 13
    We just bought a 2002 2WD LX demo. We were going to get a GLS but when we went back they all were sold. So we looked at the all LX models but they were out of our price range. Then we looked at one and it had 2000 miles on it but looked brand new. The sales guy said it was a demo used for 3 weeks buy the sales manager who lives far from the dealership. He knew we were ready to buy the GLS so he said he would try to get us a good deal. So he offered the car with the 10 year 100k bumper to bumper warranty for just under MSRP and offered me Edmunds trade in value for my trade. We knew the dealers were charging $800 to $1000 for the warranty so it was a stretch but we did it. We have had it a week and love it. A few friends have the Honda CRV and Ford Escape The Hyundai has more room and options for the money. Our trade was a Hyundai Elantra that we never had problems with it. Any car can have problems I have a VW and have had the engine and trans replace so far and the trans is acting up again. I have 10 years and 100K bumper to bumper so if something goes wrong they will fix it. Hyundai has come a long way, soon others will have to match Hyundai's warranty or risk losing sales because the Hyundai's are flying of the lot. I wish we bought one last year.
  • shivelytshivelyt Member Posts: 46
    I've had my GLS now for a year and have 12,000 on it. No major problems, however the engine is noisier than I would like. Anyone know about installing a hood pad under the hood panel to try to muffle noise? Dealer says he doesn't stock them and Hyundai office professes to know nothing about them. Has anyone bought one and, if so, where? The engine runs quite hot in the SF and there could be a potential problem if this heat is retained in the engine compartment instead of being dissappated. Thanks
  • actionballactionball Member Posts: 6
    My girlfriend and I bought our SF Sept 9th 2001, we were told it was the first 2002 sold in Oregon at that point. We came to the dealer, Thomason Hyundai Beaverton looking for the advertised rig, 2001 GLS 4wd v6 at $19,495. It was before the ad took effect and that car wasn't even on the lot, but managed to talk dealer into the ad price on a similar 2002 with a few more goods (roof rack rails mostly). After loading up the warranty to 10y/100k bumper to bumper and 3 years of prepaid maintenance we paid a grand total of $20,900.

    Sept 14, rear ended HARD, driver rear corner by a 94 4Runner with about a 35-40mph speed difference as he swerved into my lane with me slowing to a stop. I got out without a scratch but the SF looked bad. Amazingly it was only $4000 in damage, no frame or suspension damage.

    Hyundai is the BEST deal going, bar none. I don't care what people say about it. Now at 4 months, 2 in the shop we have 7000 miles and not a single issue. I would expect a car that took a shot like that to be developing squeaks, rattles and mystery ailments. I will be getting another Hyundai while they are still cheap selling them.
  • luvmysantafeluvmysantafe Member Posts: 2
    I've had my Santa Fe for a couple of weeks now, and there's always been the smell of fuel fumes in the cab. Not very strong, but after a 20 minute drive I can smell it on my hands. The dealer says it'll go away after the break in period. Any other experience with this in new Santa Fe's? Mines a 2002 GLS FWD w/ ABS & Trac control. I dearly love it, but have never experienced this with another new vehicle. Help!
  • tu754ztu754z Member Posts: 13
    All Hyundais have that smell it takes a while to go away. I joked with the salesman since I bought a demo that I was buying it smell free. He said yes everyone notices the smell. Our Elantra had a gas like smell for a few months. Hyundai coats the engine, trans and underbody with some anticorrosion stuff that causes the smell. I think it is cosmoline that is a petroleum based coating. It will go away and it is usually the only negative thing about a Hyundai.
  • tomsrtomsr Member Posts: 325
    I have a desire for the new CRV but the price and
    limited availability turn me off.I drove the VUE and found road noise excessive.The warranty of the Santa Fe I like but does it's V6 use a lot more gas?
  • txsantafetxsantafe Member Posts: 25
    A V6 will use more gas than a V4 or I4. But then again it depends on how you drive the vehicle. I average about 21-24 mpg combined when I drive my Santa Fe.
  • luvmysantafeluvmysantafe Member Posts: 2
    I should have believed the saleman, but, heck, I don't want to get into that bad habit. Thanks again!
  • guyfguyf Member Posts: 456
    I had a 1997 CR-V before I bought my V-6 Santa Fe. Similar fuel consumption with both vehicles. Since I drove both of them basically the same speed, I had to rev the CR-V constantly in the 5,000 rpms to make it move. The Santa Fe may use a little more gas; maybe 3-5% more. (Or 1 MPG less)
  • lpjxk0lpjxk0 Member Posts: 10
    I have a 2002 Santa Fe 4wd LX Loaded, with 2500 miles on it. When I start the car I was getting a clicking sound, I thought it was coming from the fan belt, I even sprayed wd40 on the belt and the noise went away. Once the car warmed up the noise would also go away. Well I brought the car back to the dealer and they said the noise is coming from the air conditioner compressor, and has to be replaced. Has anyone else had similar problem?
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    I would never have thought to spray a belt with lubricant.

    tidester
    Host
    SUVs
  • blusf02blusf02 Member Posts: 9
    Try using some Belt dressing on the belt instead of the WD-40 and see if it lasts longer with no noise. If the noise stops with the belt dressing then I would say only the belt needs changing. I have had this problem before and changed the belt and no more noise....
  • SamsdadSamsdad Member Posts: 17
    Well we finally took the plunge on a 2002 Crystal Blue santa Fe LX 2WD. Got the roof racks,carpeted floor mats, and plastic organizer for the back, all for $21,350. only about $300 above invoice. had to do a bit of haggling, but they caved pretty fast when we started to get up and head out. They brought a copy of their invoice, after I offered them invoice price to the dollar, which matched my information, except for a $500 advertising fee. They wanted to deal AFTER this fee was added and call that the invoice price. I laughed at them ,and told them I wouldn't pay that fee. They actually told me that Hyundai charged that to them, and all other dealers for every car sold, so it was part of their invoice price. I said "lets see... Hyundai sold 240,000 cars last year, so they collected over 120 million dollars in advertisinbg fees. Seems you dealers are getting ripped off, cause I sure haven't seen that many hyundai commercials." They went for my price after that, real invoice plus $300.
    F&I guy was really nice didn't pressure us for extended warranty, or life insurance ( extended warranties are pretty much useless, unless you get your car serviced at the dealership, and do not miss one single service by more than a couple hundred miles, otherwise the warranty companies won't honor them) . Gave us same rate as our credit union, and we were out of there. Course it helped we had plenty down, and financing all lined up.
    So far drives very nicely, feels like a much larger car than it is. Hope it holds up as well as it seems it should. I am very impressed with the build quality, all seams match up very well, and parts fit together. no rattles or squeaks. Only problem, is the transmission fluid drain cap is leaking very slightly, may need tightening, or a new gasket. will be taking it in tomorrow for that. All in all very happy with the deal, and dealership, other than the bogus ad fee.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Did you name the new SUV "Persuasion"?

    Here's a message about ad fees that may be of interest:

    steve_ "Toyota Highlander" Jan 23, 2002 7:31am

    Steve
    Host
    SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
  • txsantafetxsantafe Member Posts: 25
    I had the same problem w/my 2001 Santa Fe LX. I left the XUV w/the dealer. The next morning, they started my SF. They heard the clicking and replaced the belt
  • SAULADLERSAULADLER Member Posts: 8
    I have to apologize for my past messages. I have, in the past stated that I was getting about 17 miles per gal. from my Santa Fe GLS AWD 6cyl. but am now pretty sure I am getting 20.5.highway.

    When the fuel guage shows full, the tank is still about 3-4 gallons empty.

    After 14,000 miles, the Santa Fe is perfection on the road in handling, comfort and feel.
  • gary117gary117 Member Posts: 4
    I did the research and have decided on the Santa Fe. However, I can't decide on the drive - 2wd (w/trac) or all wheel drive. The S/F will be used in New Hampshire by a college student that is not into winter sports, i.e. no reason to go exploring heavily snow covered roads. The question is do I really need all the moving machinery associated with awd when 2wd will do just as well? Also,is it true that the awd S/F only uses 1 drive wheel most of the time? Is the traction control (trac) available with awd or is that the same thing?
    Any advice would be appreciated.
  • big_guybig_guy Member Posts: 372
    The Sante Fe AWD system is similar to that in the Rav4 in that power is sent to both the front and back wheels 100% of the time (I think it is a 60/40 split front to rear). It is not like the system in a CRV or Escape where the rear wheels only kick in after a slippage occurs.

    If there is no need for climbing through heavy snow, I would say get the 2WD with TC and invest in a good set of snow tires for winter driving. If your student was going to school in Colorado or Utah I would go for the AWD because the hills combined with a small amount of snow can lead to slippery conditions where AWD would be of more help.
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