2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
bjohnson2007
Member Posts: 1
in Hyundai
Does anyone have info on what to expect for the 2008 Santa Fe ??
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Don't know what else. I am praying for a proximity auto-starter to be standard, like it is on the Veracruz.
alterations to the vehicle or wiring. There is a wiring harness available as well as a new trim plate. Took a hour to install it and has the best ipod controller i've seen as well as satellite radio , blue tooth, and dvd player. The unit is about $ 1200.00 and i can bet you
the factory unit if available in 08 , it will be about 3 times the price. there is even an option
to have the steering wheel controls functional.
personally I like the portable ones. I have a garmin Nuvi 350 that I move from car to car. Fantastic accuracy (Like 10 ft) and actual text to speech function.
Pioneer rapes you when new cds come out with maps(as do all built ins). The garmin 350-360's are now down to maybe $350-400 and there is a bigger 660 out too. Mine actually switches to night lighting at sundown by itself...great unit...but then and again, I do not keep cars for more than 3 or 4 yrs. It is is also nice if you go for a hike...it has about a 4 hr battery + mp3 player to boot (sd cards) If the SF only had an ipod jack it would plug into that and interrupt the music when it had something to say.
It is great when I travel too...I just toss it into the suitcase and put it into the rent a car....where I REALLY need it!!!
Who knows, maybe i will keep the 07 SF.....
As for the Santa Fe, the factory stereo is a standard "Double DIN" size, which means any aftermarket double DIN head unit will fit fine and look great. Since I don't want in-dash NAV, I'm looking to upgrade the factory stereo in my 07 Santa Fe Limited AWD with something like the JVC KW-AVX800 or Kenwood DDX7019, both of which provide 7" touch-screen displays, DVD playback, iPod interface, Bluetooth connectivity, etc. Street prices for these units seem to be around $600-700, plus a little more for installation and accessories like the iPod and bluetooth adapters.
I saw from the Garmin installation procedure have it has to to be plugged in to the base when installed on the windshield. I've never had one before, so I'm not sure of all the pro's and cons yet.
Thanks for any info you or others could provide.
The Nuvi 350 is VERY sensitive...I remember when I first got it, I was playing with it in my computer room about 3 ft from a window....I had a signal from at least 6 sats and couldn't believe it...did not lose it until I was about 15 ft from a window either. (Sirf III chip is the best imho)...you can also get a mount with a beanbag from Garmin that sits on the dash or on ebay a mount that clips to the air vent louvers....The Beanbag is great but is expensive when you add in the special garmin mount for it (about $55)....as I said it is very sensitive and works well pretty much anywhere within the front area of the SF
The Tom-Tom unit has bluetooth connectivity only , which in sales-speak means that you have to subscribe to their extra cost suplemental signal to use it, whereas in the Nuvi unit it's already built in.
I tested both out at best buy, and the Nuvi is a much better screen, voice volume and look, but more expensive.
Tom Tom is good as long as you only want simple navi.
dealer's showrooms?
from now and the discounts or rebates should be attractive.
I doubt if one could tell the difference between an 07 and
08 from 50 feet away.
Flwonder
After trying out a few locations, I now keep mine mounted at the lower left corner of the windshield (to the left of the steering wheel). This keeps the screen in my field of view - much nicer and safer for me than having to look down at the center console. It's also easier to reach and does not obscure any road visibility. I run the power cord straight down, then tucked out of the way under the dash across to the center, where it plugs in.
Garmin now has the Nuvi series, which uses the same user interface, but are thinner and have a more sensitive satellite antenna. I strongly recommend one that speaks the street names, which I find very useful. I have no experience with other brands.
2007 Santa Fe AWD Limited with Premium and Touring packages
Dark Cherry Red with beige leather interior
At least with the Nuvi 350 at under $400,(was $1000 when it came out!) you can always toss it and buy something new if they stop selling new map updates and buy a new model when needed...not to mention the car to car and travel portability. The SIRF III chipset is accurate to within about 10 ft...Not to mention that within 3-5 yrs...I am sure there will be many more advances, not to mention that the Nuvi can be firmware updated over the Net I have updated the firmware at least 4 times since I bought it a year and 1/3 ago....I really am sold on mine. (it also is an MP3 player with SD cards....The garmin interface is VERY straight forward as well) unfortunately Hyundai neglected to put an input jack on its stock Radio, so I don't use that feature when the Nuvi is in the SF.
BTW: I do NOT work for Garmin
I know it can play audible books. Anyone have any other info or opinions on this unit?
Since it's a $75 update fee, if you buy it you may want to make sure you can return it if you think you want the latest map version.
The posters over in the Navigation / GPS Systems discussion may know the real skinny - I just saw a few people complaining about the map versions over on Fatwallet.com
The ease of use, text to speech feature (street names instead of turn right in 500 feet), small size, and long battery life are great features. Once you upgrade your software you can download different little icons to match the general shape and color of your car.
I had a Magellan 2200T that I bought formy car, and though it was a good basic Navigation system and could get you to where you wanted to go it had a very un intuitive interface that was extremely frustrating to figure out after leaving the Nuvi. You couldn't search for a new destination or point of interest without cancelling the destination you wer heading to (like you can on the Nuvi). And locating what you were trying to find in the point of interest database was almost impossible.
You can also change the accent of the voices (male, female, American, British, Australian, etc). Right now my wife and I prefer the female Australian voice, sounds more realistic.
One of the best features are the points of interest feature. It is so easy to find local stores, fast food places, gas stations in your area. Even though my maps are a year old my points of interest are usually accurate.
"We may only be half-way through 2007, but Montgomery's Hyundai plant is busy churning out 2008 model Santa Fe's.
About 100 new SUV's rolled off the assembly line Thursday. Officials say once the vehicle is in full production 350 to 400 will be manufactured daily.
The 2008 Santa Fe will hit showroom floors in about two months. There's no word yet on pricing."
Montgomery Hyundai plant rolls out first 2008 Santa Fes
By Cosby Woodruff
Hyundai began production of its 2008 Santa Fe sport utility vehicles Monday, when the plant reopened after the July 4 week. A handful of Santa Fes -- Hyundai won't say exactly how many -- were declared "pilot vehicles."
Then the company put those first vehicles through the wringer.
Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama puts every vehicle it makes through the paces on a 2.3-mile test track at the plant. But when the car company changes the model year, the new units get an even tougher workout to ensure that all the changes in the new year's models work as planned.
The pilot vehicles are used strictly for testing. They never will leave HMMA, according to Jason Pezold, assistant manager of line inspection.
"We hold them here for transportation around the property," he said.
Only after the pilot vehicles pass a series of benchmarks will HMMA send the 2008 vehicles to Hyundai dealers.
Because changes to the Santa Fe were minor and mostly cosmetic this year, that testing goes fairly quickly, Pezold said. In fact, the Santa Fe could start shipping to dealerships as early as today.
"So far, so good," Pezold said when asked how the pilot vehicle inspections are going.
"This is a minor model change. There are no external changes, and to the buyer, it will be very minimal."
Pezold said HMMA vehicles overwhelmingly pass inspection, but that inspectors are told to fail every vehicle that has questions.
"We are focused on customer satisfaction," he said. "Our fallout is very small."
HMMA went through the same pilot vehicle procedure about three months ago when it changed the Sonata from its 2007 model to 2008. Hyundai's mid-size sedan stayed much the same from one year to the next, but it did have more changes than the Santa Fe.
Still, HMMA testers found no major problems.
"From my perspective, it went very well," Pezold said.
Hyundai officials said the minor changes to both the Sonata and the Santa Fe point to the vehicles' popularity with consumers. The Sonata is Hyundai's best-selling unit, and the Santa Fe has the fastest-growing sales numbers.
Vehicle inspection at HMMA begins as soon as the final touches are put on a new unit. After it is started for the first time at the end of the assembly line, it is pulled to the inspection booth, where a team checks the outside of the vehicle.
The driver follows instructions on a video screen while the vehicle sits on rollers, then slams on the brakes.
On the track, the vehicle really gets a workout.
Kevin Vinson, one member of the test-driver team, gave a quick rundown. Everything from the power mirrors and windows to the sunroof are tested. The air conditioner, heater, audio system, instrumentation and remote entry keychain are checked.
Finally, Vinson takes the vehicle on the track where it's put through sudden, hard S-turns, sudden stops, accelerates to highway speed then checks the alignment by releasing the steering wheel.
Grooves in the pavement simulate rough roads, and a hill allows Vinson to test the parking brake.
Then the vehicle heads for the shower booth, where it is sprayed with heavy streams of water to test door and window seals to test for leaks.
If the unit passes every test, it is sent to a company called Montgomery Vehicle Processing that checks the inspection then sends it out a special door -- called the Money Door -- where it is handed over to Hyundai Motor America, the company's U.S. sales arm.
The rare vehicles failing Hyundai's test are sent to a special area of the plant, where workers repair or replace defective parts.
Hyundai worker Kevin Vinson tests a 2008 Sante Fe.
Pictures from Montgomery Advertiser
2008 Test
The video is at the bottom of page. Description says take a virtual test drive.
Chris
I bought the Santa Fe specifically because is was the most compact SUV that offered a reasonable 3rd row. I think Hyundai is missing a big market opportunity if they give up on it. They probably just need to advertise that feature a little more, and they'll discover lots of people like me who want three-row seating but in a compact vehicle.
The "Ultimate" package has a 605 Watt, 10 speaker + subwoofer included. I don't know if it's Infinity brand or not.
"Ultimate" alone is a 5-seater. "Touring + Ultimate" is 7 seats.
"Ultimate" always includes "Premium" (sunroof).