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Comments
We were actually ready to buy a Jeep GC Limited instead of the Santa Fe at first (wanted more power, luxury, better 4wd system), that is until we looked at both the Insurance Institute and Government crash test results. What a piece of crap. And no active control systems.
Hope the SF holds up in a crash or helps you avoid one.
the trib and Escape are identical. except for some body moulding and a few minor componets they are exactly the same. Even the folks in the Trib Escape discussions agree on this (for the most part). They are built on the same line in the same plant in Claycomo MO.
If you have to justify $40 grand for "Saftey" go ahead. If you were really really a saftey nut then you would buy only Mercedes Benz products which are the most engineered autos in the world.
I have had several people mistake my Sante Fe for a Lexus at first glance. And I like the Lexus RX I just can't spend that kind of money.
As for reality checks, most of the folks on this board are very positive, very much in touch with themselves and reality, and don't misinterpret posts and respond as if they had sat naked on a bed of poison ivy. Try a little decaf man!
I would think folks that are truly happy with their Lexus purchase would spend their energy focusing on the Lexus board and higlighting the positives about that great purchase (and tremendous savings!) they made.
But then...I'm just a bonehead.
So, therefore maybe the new Buick mid-sized SUV will be the safest vehicle ever made!
She drives it everyday and has never complained about the performance. For the area we live in, mostly flat roads, I feel the performance is more than adequate. If I lived in a mountainous area and routinely carried passengers I would want more power.
CAUTION:
The following specifications are recommended when towing a trailer. The loaded trailer weight cannot safely excced the values shown below:
1a. Engine -2.4(2WD) w/brake - Max Trailer=1200lbs Max Tongue=120lbs
1b. Engine -2.7(2WD) w/brake - Max Trailer=2700lbs Max Tongue=270lbs
2a. Engine -2.4(2WD) w/o brake - Max Trailer=1000lbs Max Tongue=100lbs
2b. Engine -2.7(2WD) w/o brake - Max Trailer=1200lbs Max Tongue=120lbs
2c. Engine -2.7(4WD) w/o brake - Max Trailer=1200lbs Max Tongue=120lbs
3a. Engine -2.4(2WD) w/o brake+ABS - Max Trailer=1200lbs Max Tongue=120lbs
3b. Engine -2.7(2WD) w/o brake+ABS - Max Trailer=1500lbs Max Tongue=150lbs
3c. Engine -2.7(4WD) w/o brake+ABS - Max Trailer=1500lbs Max Tongue=150lbs
According to this, an LX 4WD ABS can tow 1500 lbs., while any 2.7 2WD w/out ABS can tow 2700 lbs. as long as there are trailer brakes. Does it seem to anyone else that the concern seems to be more the ability to stop the trailer than the ability to actually tow it? I'm considering an LX 4WD ABS and am currently towing a double jetski trailer with my Grand Cherokee. Now, two three seat jetskis fully loaded probably weigh in at 1200 lbs. plus maybe 400 - 500 lbs for the trailer. That's pushing 1500lbs. a little over the limit. Any thoughts or experience on whether I'll have trouble starting - or just stopping. I can't beleive a SF with 4 wheel discs and ABS would have trouble stopping a couple of jetskis, yet I can't believe Hyundai expects anyone to put trailer brakes on a jetski trailer.
Any thoughts?
I bought a Subaru Forester S+ in November, but the SF was a VERY close second. Had the MPG on the v6 been better, I'd probably be driving one right now (I have a 130-mile round-trip commute). So, I guess this is an endorsement of the Santa Fe from someone who DIDN'T buy one.
While I disagree with tonychris' attitude and a lot of what he says, I do agree with his idea about having safety very high on his list of priorities. When I made my purchase, the SF had no safety data. The Forester performs REALLY well on just about every crash test, and the lower center of gravity and superior AWD system made me feel safe putting my two babies and wife into it. My priorities are roughly: how enjoyable is it to drive, safety, functionality, looks.
I understand that the real emphasis of this SUV is not real offroading.
***** But has anybody taken it to the test and what is it capable of??? Besides just the dirt road, what about no road at all, Upgrades with lots of loose rock mud etc.... ??????
***** Has anyone seen a skid plate option for the underbody protection of the Santa Fe????
**Or will I need to stick with the Lower gear transfer case (currently own a Chevy Blazer)for real off roading which the Santa Fe doesn't offer???
**** What about the 17" chrome 10 spoke tires ???? ** When will they be available as option on new Santa Fe ??????
Interestingly, had a Tribute as a rental vehicle and all I can say is CHEAP. The doors sounded like they would disintegrate if closed too hard. And very uncomfortable.
For those of you having trouble paying less than MSRP, try southern california... I got three quotes on the internet for $500-$1,000 UNDER MSRP... hard to believe they would all be bogus...
On my final test drive I checked for all the problems posted here... rear end vibration.. faulty clock... soft brakes... lack of acceleration/power... and happy to report all failed to materialize. Got 400 miles on it so far and nothing to complain about. No off roading or towing for me... first fill-up took 16.1 gallons, so "non-fill" fill not a problem for me either.
I have had some experience with Hyundai resale, and it's all sadly true. Toyota, VW dealers don't even want to discuss them, and the Toyota guy is a friend of mine. "Who's going to buy a late model used one when the warranties on new ones are so much better"... and an old one, still has the onus of old. Even my Santa Fe dealer hemmed and hawed... said he could pick one up at auction for better price... we "Compromised" since I didn't want to try to sell a Hyundai privately.
Hyundai apparently even less popular in southern california than anywhere else... must be the "expert" car crazies out there... oh well, here's one who rolled the dice at the $20K and under table" ... it will take 5 years to see how I did.
But in the short term, the vehicle is a gem. I've had vans, trucks, Millenias, station wagons, even a Fiat Spyder.. and this is the best fit yet. Let's hope they sell a bunch and the values hold up.
As for the options, I agree with you that Hyundai is probably still trying to erase a huge bad PR scar left over from the 80's. It seems Americans have terrible collective memory except for things like this. Anyway, while getting on better public relations footing with the American consumer is, and probably should be, Hyundai's first priority, it would be nice to see a few extra niceties on the options list on this side of the ocean. And a longer options list matched with the great list of standard equipment and the lower price might just go a long way in opening up the American market to Hyundai once again.
***Compare*** There is nothing to compare the Sant Fe with any other vehicle. There is so much different people out there and have different hobbies. We should not say anything bad about other manufacture vehicles. Let's say a little bit about the Santa Fe versus the Lexus RX300. Yes! That's right for anyone to say buy 2 SF for the price of 1 RX300. However, RX300 built with much more options, etc.. For those who have money and being able to afford over $40k then worth to buy the RX300. For over $50k look into BMW or Mercedes.
***Reliability Info*** Here is a trick about why Luxury manufacture like Lexus, Mercedes, BMW, etc.that carried the name with reliable reputation. Every manufacture can do the same. Most of the Luxury cars are to built with expensive options and carry good brand name. The trick is that most of these luxury car are to built in a way that you can not maintenance yourself. Look at the User Manual and you know what I mean. Most of these luxury class vehicle you have to bring the car in the Dealer Service to maintenance the car. That's why the car is mostly work after you ride out of the service place. Most of these car even have computer check to see what to inspect. But money talk....The Santa Fe that I have is great. I have already ordered 6 oil filters, 3 air filters, Brake pads, fuel filters, etc.for the use in the future. Just follow the User Manual and inspect yourself and save a Million... VERY IMPORTANT-Reliable are all depend on the driver and road condition where they live and/or drive. Yes! There is some vehicles that are recall but free of charge to fix. That's okay. Not everyone is perfect.
***Hyundai Options*** You can buy nearly all of the Hyundai Manufacture products that available in Korea but not in U.S. Just simply visit HDkautosport.com and order the options that you need for your Hyundai, Daewood, & Kia vehicle.
***My Santa FE*** I like the Nordic White Santa Fe! Why? Only the white SF have the silver body cladding and rest of the other colors have the gray body cladding. Also, the white color is better for the summer time if you have leather seats. The silver body cladding is much nicer than the gray to me. I lived in San Francisco and I would really like to ride the AWD vehicle on rainy and foggy condition. I go to ski sometime in Christmas season with my friends and it is nice to ride a vehicle with AWD, ABS, and Traction Control to handle the icy and snow road. More important to have the Mirrors Defroster to clear out your view while driving. With the same button it will clear the Mirrors and the Rear Windows as well. This vehicle have a small V6 engine but there is the advantage and disadvantage about this vehicle. Less power to accelerate but save a little of gas and maintenance are easily to work around the engine. What is import to you?
***My Santa Fe Price*** I paid $24980 Out the Door for my Santa Fe LX-AWD-V6-White Fully Loaded with Options 13. My budget was $28500 to spend for a new Mid-Size SUV. This car save me a lots of money. With the extra money I added the following feature (options) for my car. Wood Dash Trim, Wood Wider Rear View Mirror, Chrome Front Grill Protector, Chrome Side Steps, Chrome Rear Bumper Protector, Chrome Window Visors, Chrome Pano Mirrors, Blue Headlight Bulbs, Two Lumbar Support, Gauge Face Sport, Chrome Exchaust Tips, Silver Pedal Cover, Blind Spots Mirror inside window, Digital Multimeter System, Automatic Climate Control, Much Better Stereo System, Front Sway-Strut Bar, Radar Detector, Trunk Cargo Liner, All Season Mats, 6 Oil Filters, 3 Air filters, 1 Fuel Filter. Any more info please send me an email at travis@y2kcatalogs.com.
On a more "younger" level "The Santa Fe ROCKS"!
The only problems I've had so far is that the passenger leather seat as a defect. The leather is all dried up on one side and ready to crack. The dealer is acknowledging the fact and looking into it. The other is when I fuel up, the gas spits out when it is full without any warning...
Gas consumption is very high so far but I only have 700km. It should get better over time.
I put Bridgestone Winter Dueler tires on and this thing handles snow, slush and ice like a snowmobile! Seriously, it handles slippery conditions very well; the shiftronic is very usefull in those conditions. It handles very neutral, without excessive under or oversteer.
I had a CR-V for 4 years and it was too a very nice vehicle but I got tired of going trough the mountains fully loaded with a 2L engine. It was very reliable however and it retained more than 50% of it's original value after 4 years and 115,000 km.
The Santa Fe has better traction in the snow, is more comfortable, has obviously more power, is better equipped and is roomier. The transmission is also smoother on the Santa Fe.
I look forward to many years of fun with my Santa Fe.
PS: I road tested the MDX, the RX-300 and the Volvo XC which were all very nice (and on some aspects nicer) but I could not justify paying 50% more for these vehicles altough I could afford any of them.
How about after parking it for about like 30 to 50 minutes?
Anyway wcharles go to www.geocities.com/adamjrae and there is a scan of my window sticker there. It's a GLS 4WD ABS/Traction Control and carpeted car mats. Say $21,909
I already have the most powerful looking SUV in the whole world - Dodge Durango 5.9L in my garage. Its cost me CDN$45K before taxes. Now I want to buy a SUV for my wife to work (we live up in a mountain very sloppy). I want something smaller but at least same luxury, leathers seat, sporty shape, new look... etc. for under CND$30K
For under CDN$30K
The road test results.
1)Ford Escape - The noise & cheap interiors & old ugly angular shape body made me run away after test. Also, Ford have poor recall & resell history. Look at what happen in the Ford Exploror. I forget it.
2)Mazda Tribute - Same product like Escape. Ford change the outside of the body a little bit want to fool the cusumers. I can see they use a Ford Tranny, not mazda. The terrible low clearance under body made you in deep trouble during Heavy snow and of course offroad, warning! Don't drive it off road. I'd rather buy a MPV (seat 7) than Tribute. Don't let the shiny Mazda Logo in the car body fool you. Those shinny Logo is attractive but not worth what you pay. I forget it.
3) Subaru Forester - Body Too low, just like a car, if i like this kind of suv i will prefer a acura or honda. Their engines is probably more reliable than Subaru. I forget it.
4) Santa Fe - The supreme comfort I ever feel in my whole life, so luxury & beautyful all in & out, I paid cdn$29,000 (Asking sticker price cdn$31,900 plus freight & tax) fully loaded 4WD GLS Silver body color. Before xmas, We go for a trip in Rocky mountain, & also there is a heavy snow fall in our city. This car handling very well (I have 20 year driving experience in GMC, Acura, Honda, BMW, BENZ, Durango). Anything functioning well - ABS, traction & Slip controls..etc.
The gas milage is very good. I am not so lucky like US customer. Canadian Model only come w/ 6 years & 100,000km warranty but it is still the best in canadian market. It made me don't worry about the engine.
One more thing to mention. Don't let the car mazagine testing reports fool you. They are basically BIAS - they might wrote a story for their big advertiser. The few second difference in acceleration is not realistic to our real life. Different test person can easily response slower or faster in few seconds. Test drive by yourself is the smartest way to purchase any car.
Gasoline engine will eventually replace by electric car in the next decade, the performance of the gasoline engine almost go to the extreme, if the car maker can price us$20K you don't have to worry the engine, you paid what you get.
I think if not because of the cheap labor & money exchange, the Santa Fe definitely is underprice.
So far, I real enjoy this car, and my community have at least close to a dozen people already driving this beauty. I don't care who is the manufacture - american or japanese or korean, I hope more nice car like Santa Fe will show in the near Future.
The vibration is not bad and only noticeable to the driver. Also it does not vibrate at a steady speed.
Other than this we really like our Santa Fe, but we only have 400 miles on it and only time can tell.
They recommend slowing down towards the end of your fill up.!!..
If someone else is having this problem, please let me know..
Also, has anyone found any of these winter floor mats that fit fairly well in the Santa Fe? I would like to save the carpeted ones for better weather!
Thanks!
If the problem persists, have the dealer check the ORVR(On-vehicle Refueling Vapor Recovery) system in the tank, especially the fuel cut-off valve.
This is US-mandated pollution control system and dosen't work well w/ some pumps' recovery system. The spec is very tight...you'll see more of this refueling problem as all light vehicles sold in the US are required to be fitted w/ this vapor recovery system effective 2000 model year.
Let's quit the computer and go driving!
Has anyone noticed how negative the comments are getting on MSN CarPoints Consumer Reviews? It would scare me off if I were just starting to look. Do you think they are honest reviews? For some reason, I think people are trying to sabotage the board over there. I'd like to see more accurate reviews posted.
Vibration: All new vehicle have an automatic cooling engine system. Notice the Santa Fe Hot/Cold Gauge. They are below the Middle, Most of the vehicle are right at the Middle. The cooling engine system really made the Santa Fe engine last longer according to me. The engine won't burn much and it should last longer. That's why I think Hyundai are willing to give a better warranty. Vibration affect when the automatic colling engine break in. I have driven RAV4, Celica, other. They have this problem too, but only happen in a second or so only. That should be very normal.
Shifttronic Gear: Follow the User Manual with the correct miles using on each individual Shiftronic Gear. This way you can keep the transmission last longer. If effort for more power when driving at higher speed use the 3 gear for a second or soo but don't use it long for a temporary using higher RPM. This will boost your car a little better in acceleration. Work similar to most car with an Overdrive button. Santa have an automatic Overdrive when the car boost on the 4 gear.
Any question please contact me at travis@y2kcatalogs.com
I live in Michigan, the dealer from your post "Jeff Wylers AutoMall, Springfield, OH" is about 250 miles away. However, the price in MI is much higher to what you are paying. Could you please share the sales person's name.
Thank you in advance.
The overall rating had been about 9.7 - 9.8 before this guy showed up, and is now down to 8.6.
If you read the postings, it is fairly obvious they were written by the same person, with the same bad sentence structure, and grammar.
This person claims everything from having blown TWO engines, and broken an engine mount, to having TOTALED one in a 5MPH crash, with serious injuries! Gee, where was he posting from, the hospital?
His main complaint seems to be the lack of resale value. He (assuming it even IS a he) never really
seems to cite any valid complaints, just broad assertions.
I have complained to MSN, and gotten an electronic form letter in response.
It's too bad, because a lot of people look at these reviews before purchasing a vehicle.
For what it is worth, I have a new LX V6 AWD, with pkg. 13, and other than stiff wiper blades and a fairly deaf FM tuner, it has been flawless so far, at 700 miles.
Initial mileage (first two fill-ups) during break-in, at about 12 degrees F. is 21 MPG, mostly highway.
No problems yet with vibration, 'soft'brakes, getting in gear when cold, gas filling or blinking clock display.
One thing that did throw me for a loop was the keyless entry. If you unlock the Santa Fe with the remote, and do not open any doors, the vehicle will re-lock itself after 30 seconds.
This is not mentioned in the owner's manual, and it took my noticing the exact 30 second time frame to deduce this must be normal.
All in all, I am very satisfied thus far. I would highly recommend this vehicle, and I pity the people who will be misled by the MSN imposter.