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Hyundai Santa Fe vs Toyota RAV4 vs Mazda CX-7 vs Ford Edge
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Comments
U.S. News and World Report.
Would you really go to them for advice about cars?
Politics, maybe. But cars?
I'd give them about as much weight as Family Circle Magazine.
Nobody said it wasn't, but that doesn't mean the Outlook is full size, either.
No, they're midsize just like the Explorer. The Acadia has a 3 inch shorter wheelbase, 7 inches shorter in height and 1-2 inches shorter in width and overall length.
I don't know where you got your info, but it doesn't match GM's or Edmunds.com's specs. According to the specs available at GM.com and Edmunds.com, the Acadia has a wheelbase of 118.9 inches vs. the Yukon's wheelbase of 116. The Acadia's external dimensions are barely smaller, but the difference is so slight you'd need three friends and a lot of tools to detect it. The Acadia is 0.8 inches narrower (78.2 vs 79) and 1.3 inches shorter (200.7 vs. 202). While the Yukon is taller, that's because it has more ground clearance (9.1 inches vs. 7.4 for the Acadia) and its body-on-frame constructions pushes the floor even higher. As a result, the Acadia has significantly MORE room inside that the Yukon -- 117 cubic feet for the Acadia vs. 109 for the Yukon. Payload capacity is essentially a wash, too, at 1463 for the Acadia and 1472 for the Yukon.
By those figures, it seems to me that the Yukon and Acadia are in the same size class. By comparison, my 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe AWD is a pipsqueak. The Santa Fe is 16 inches shorter than the Acadia, 4 inches narrower, five inches lower, and rides on a wheelbase that is 13 inches shorter. Max cargo capacity of 78 cubic feet is just 2/3 of the Acadia's capacity. And trust me, parked next to one another, my wife's Outlook looks huge compared to my Santa Fe.
If the Santa Fe is midsize, then the Acadia/Outlook/Enclave have to be full size. The only things meaningfully larger are mega-SUV's like the Suburban and Yukon XL.
If it makes you feel better to call it a full-size then be my guest. But seriously - what difference does it make?
You might ask yourself the same question, as you were the one who started this discussion by insisting that the Acadia/Enclave/Outlook are not "full size" and the Yukon is. I simply pointed out that your statement is incorrect.
Hopefully U.S. News and World report will update their website.
I also subscribe online to Consumer Reports. They still call the Santa Fe a "small" SUV (after the RAV4), even though it is obviously now in the Midsize category.
However, since "midsize" vehicles like the Highlander are getting so much larger this comparison the Santa Fe can probably be considered a "smaller midsize" SUV.
Another complaint is that the Santa Fe is Consumer Reports second most highly rated small SUV, however they still don't recommend it. I guess they are waiting for the reliability reports.
I know that the CEL is hypersensitive in my particular car and that for the most part, it is completely meaningless. Does that make my car "unreliable"? No, not in my isolated case. The car's been fantastic since Day 1, and I have no regrets. However, I do understand the smackdown by CR; in theory, the CEL can mean something really serious is going on with your car, something that might actually mean danger. It just made me laugh, though, since for me - for my car - the CEL is just an annoyance, something that comes and goes depending on the amount of twists of the gas cap as well as the outside temperature, something to which I assign no importance at all (sounds negligent, I know, but again, this applies only to my car). I take scrupulous care of the vehicle and have full confidence in its performance each time I drive it. Still, it's annoying and is a blemish to the car's reputation. I would hope that later models have no such issues by now.
It is so nice to drive a highly rated CR vehicle! Hopefully these ratings will go a long way towards improving Hyundai's resale value.
OEM tires, Goodyear, have finally worn out but that's normal wear n' tear for that type of tire. Gonna replace the tires AND the rims in a couple weeks, so I'll post pics in the tire thread.
Considering the miles, I'm still IN LOVE! I wipe it down daily, dress the tires daily. I CONSTANTLY get compliments. It just gleams in the sun!
Vince. :shades:
Be careful with the rims, you have tire pressure monitering system, you can by-pass the system but the light will always be on, please let us know if you find any after market that will work with the TPMS.
Also FYI tirerack has the best price for the Goodyear on the Cx7.
Also, assuming he stays with the same size wheel (I probably wouldn't if it I was going to all that trouble) there are tires with better customer reviews on Tire Rack than the Goodyear. It's been a while since I looked, but it seems like there were some Michelins that people liked. They cost more, but had a much higher treadwear rating than the RS-As.
-c92
TPMS compatibility is a "must" for me and there are lots of rims that meet that standard. I'm upgrading to 20" rims/tires, so according to TireRack,com, the 245/45-20 is compatible with the CX-7. I'm looking for all-season tires, so tirerack has 6 recommended tires, so I'll problably go with the Kumho Ecsta ASX. As for the rims, tirerack has a cool feature, that allows you to display the rims on pic of the CX-7. Tire Rack also tells you if the rim is compatible with the TPMS.
A tire shop here in Leesburg warned me that while OEM TPMS is compatible with a wide range of after-market rims, I'll probably have to get the TPMS sensor reset/recalibrated. The Mazda dealer confirmed that, as well.
Catch y'all later! Vince.
The sensors resetting is also supposed to be semi-automatic; there is a procedure in the manual for this for when you rotate the tires, etc. Worked fine for me last time - IIRC, you basically turn the key on and let the car sit for 10 minutes without driving so the radios can resync.
P.S. We'll want pictures of those installed dubs, Vince!
I didn' realize that the manual had a procedure, so I'll look into that.
As for the pics, I'll definately post 'em when I get the new rims/tires.
Vince.
can't find the original post of this - but i'm a little late on the reply but whoa - somebody is really trusting - dealers always lose money when they have to honor warranties as well as the manufacturer so dealers are urged to be very "careful" when it comes to honoring warranties because it does cause a loss... so from dealer to dealer you will see differences- mostly it depends on the particular dealers' overall performance - some will quickly resolve warranty issues to retain customers and build customer satisfaction - others will refuse and deny as long as they can... they make more money on initial sales and non warranty services and for them it is all about making money - make no mistake. anytime they have to perform a warranty repair - they lose money on the retail priced service/repair they could have been working on in that service bay... like any other business - the bottom line is what counts... so hopefully your cel or service engine light problems are trivial... sometimes they are... but sometime you're getting the song and dance from the svc dept. good luck...
That is the most retarded thing I have ever heard. Dealer MAKE money on warranty claims, as long as Mazda does not reject the claim after they examine the defective part. I am a Mazda dealer, and I see the financial reports for the service department.
This is the way it works: John Q Customer come in with an issue with his CX-7. It's a CEL. The tech plugs the car into the computer, and the computer says what the code is. This case, it is a gas cap. The tech then tests the fuel filler area with a series of vacuum tests to ensure that the gas cap is properly sealed. If the test shows a leak in the gas cap, the cap is replaced, if the cap shows no leak, and there are no other signs of a leak, the code is reset. If there is nothing to show that there was a problem, the tech cannot fix anything. This CEL is reported to Mazda, and Mazda pays the Mazda dealer for the work. If the cap needed to be replaced, the dealer sends back the faulty gas cap, as well as the diagnostic test the showed a faulty gas cap, and the dealer then gets paid for the work.
One would be stupid to think Mazda dealers lose money to do warranty work. Every dealer gets paid by the manufacturer to do work. The only one who loses money is the manufacturer. Dealers are privately owned and operated, and do not operate under direct control of the manufacturer, Mazda North American Operations.
Service departments DO make more money on regular repairs that are no longer under warranty, because they get retail value, and full labor charges. Dealers would prefer to do that type of work, because it is more profitable, however, you need to keep your new car service customers happy, or else you will not see them in the future. As long as the service department does that, they will continue to be profitable.
I'm pretty sure my dealer billed Mazda for a new gas cap when in reality all they did was try to file the threads down so it would work. As aviboy said, things like this affect how I will view this particular dealer's honesty if I ever go back their for other work, either under warranty or post-warranty...
Yes, sucky service departments exist (I know - I've got one that I don't go to anymore) but as a rule, there is no motivation for most dealers to tick off their future livelihood.
Maybe they mean not to forget to flush the commode :P !
Personally I like the extended warranties myself !!!!! as well as replacement with rebuilt parts myself:shades:
Auto repair...gotta be the highest percent markup in the whole place (besides the counters that sell the hats, jackets and jewelry.....)
I kinda figured that was your point, but I must have missed it. Yes, that is 100% correct. This is where scheduling comes into play. If you can properly schedule appointments, so every customer get's in, in a reasonable time frame, the customers are happy, and the service department is happy. It's not easy to do, though. I am glad I am not in the service end of the business.
another point i wanted to make was - it takes longer to get paid through the manufacturer when the warranty work is approved than when a retail customer pays at the point of sale/service (i think - aviboy will correct me if i'm wrong!) then you might not see that money hit soon enough to effect the bottom line for that week or month...
I wish our store would have full bays at all hours of business, but, that does not always happen. You know what my tech's complain about? Not enough big jobs. They don't really make any money doing oil changes, tire rotations, 30K services etc. They make the big money doing tranny jobs, big warranty work like replacing engines Mazda's, for the most part, do not break that much. When they do, it's little things like a gas cap.
I would take full bays everyday, no matter what the job is. Of course, we want the big jobs, but, they are few and far between compared to routine maintenance and small warranty claims.
I am trying to decide between the two. I need some help here you guys.
thanks
Which model did you buy?
Actually, I believe SF's second row is pushed forward to accomdate the available (and adequate) third row. Still, the second row did not feel crowded in the SF; actually, volume behind 1st row with rear seats folded down the Santa Fe has a signifcant edge (again, no pun intended): 78.2 cu. in. for SF vs. 69 for the Edge. Also, the Santa Fe gains significant room over the Edge in the front row, which is one of the reasons the Santa Fe felt that much more comfortable for me in my month long tests between the two.
I agree the rear seat leg room is pretty nice and overall just a nice solid comfortable vehicle. I give Ford thumbs up for the EDGE!!!
CONGRATS..
I still rather have the EDGE than the SANTA FE...my choice. Thanks.
I'm sure both use parts from all over the world, though odds are most parts are sourced from the US and Canada.
certain colors make it look like garbage tho' - but i guess that's every car...