Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
Options
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
Certainly there are those very satisfied with the 4 cyl. and before I test drove it I was pretty convinced I would purchase it.
You touched on one of the problems I find with Hyundai vehicles in general; they seem to get too low MPG. $4 and $5 per gallon is in the future. IIWM I'd make MPG a priority unless you have money to burn or get reimbursed for your gas expenditures.
If it's not going to be a CR-V (and it seems as if it won't) the Mitsu seems like a good choice. The brand really has been beaten back in the last few years by poor sales in the US. Hopefully it hasn't effected the vehicles or their dealer network. Good luck.
And I am betting that you will never see a V6 in the CR-V. But you may see a 4 cylinder Diesel in the near future, mated to a 6 speed manual. The EU gets diesel CR-V with 6 spd stick which yields about 40 mpg in mixed driving with 250 ft. lbs of torque.
I was surprised by the Santa Fe - in terms of standard features, ride quality, warranty and reliability reports from CR, JD Powers, etc. We've been pretty much a Honda/Toyota family forever, so risking a Hyundai was hard for me to do. However, it just 'felt' right. I know the resale value isn't there (though with the deals Hyundai is making, I should be 'even' after a few years), and the 10 year warranty helps ease my concerns as well. The Salesman asked for the number it would take to close the deal today, I gave him one I didn't think he'd meet - and he did - so I'm now a Hyundai owner!
I think both are excellent vehicles out of the gate. The CR-V has been one of the best cars I've ever owned - smartly designed, safe, reliable, practical, superb resale value... The only dislike I have is the 'flip-forward' rear seats, which suck up 1+ feet of cargo length. The Santa Fe just 'feels' like a much nicer and more expensive vehicle, even though it's cheaper with current deals. It's quieter, smoother and a bit nicer all around. The v6 is nice, though the fuel economy sucks comparatively. I can only hope that reliability holds up to the stuff I'm seeing in CR and JD Powers. If not, I guess I'll chalk it up to learning, head back to Toyota or Honda, and stay there...
Are you looking to spend a ton keeping a car then?
Purchase price is just part of the equation. Look for 5 year cost of ownership and the resale values if you are not going to keep it for over 10 years.
Gillete model was always to sell the handles for cheap, or give away, but charge a lot for cartridges. Same for inkjet printers.
Don't focus on just one part of the equation.
As far as quality, my sister works very high up the food chain at Honda, when I told her that Hondas were too expensive for what you get, even the used ones. I told her that I was looking at the SF and she said that Hyundai makes great cars... I was like wow, why would you a ranking person at Honda tell me that. She said that really all of the car companies are very close on quality and reliablity. Also, that Hyundai will not have poor trade-in values for much longer. In 3 years by Hondas estimation Hyundais will only be 2-3% lower in trade-in than Honda. In 5 years it will probably be 0-1%. So all things considered Hyundais are no longer a risky buy. I figure that most people that go on message boards to bash a company have investments in competing companies, or they have other issues with that company. It's really sad actually, that some of you would waste your time posting negatives about Hyundai and have nothing to back it up with. Oh well to each their own...
A friend is pretty high up in the Toyota org said their last corporate meeting was spent with a lot of time devoted to hyundai and their increasing quality as well. Apparently Toyota has also cast an eye at the Hyundai company as being a potential LARGE threat! Interesting.
As I see it,
CR-V Advantage
- better fuel economy
- aux audio port
- better handling (not so tipsy)
- 2nd row seats can slide
- optional Navi with backup camera
- driver window auto-up
Santa Fe
- power drivers seat with lumbar support *
- dual zone climate control *
- smooth and powerful V6
- optional 3rd row seats
* will be available in 2008 models on CR-V
The other stuff is mostly subjective (looks) or equivalent (safety, features, and to a lesser extent interior which an edge to the CR-V, although the leather on the Santa Fe seems like it's "better").
Sound system, comfort and interior volume, among others, I would give the nod to the SF.
Santa Fe Limited's 3.3 liter V6 is much more responsive than the CR-V's 4 cylinder. To me, the CR-V felt significantly under-powered.
The Santa Fe's 3.3 liter V6 is also extremely smooth and quiet; it feels like a very refined engine.
CR-V's 2nd row seats don't fold flat.
CR-V's center stack-mounted shifter is quite unappealing IMO.
I didn't find the CR-V to be the least bit fun to drive. The Santa Fe Limited is IMO extremely enjoyable to drive.
Santa Fe's interior lighting is an absolute kick, especially the illuminated cup holders!
Honda can't come close to Hyundai's warranty.
While the CR-V's interior is very nice, it's "over-rated". I found the Santa Fe's leather much more appealing. CR-V also lacks an intermittent wipers on the rear and wiper heats on the front.
2nd row not folding flat isn't an issue for me as the second row will be occupied by baby seats and will never be folder. This leaves the usable cargo space about the same in both vehicles.
My current cars are the Honda Fit and Acura RSX, so you can see why I would think that the Santa Fe is a bit tipsy. OTOH, I'm kind of tired of engine and road noise on long trips and wouldn't mind having a nice, smooth hwy cruiser.
You can really feel the weight during quick lane changes, and body sway on tight on-ramps. But the steering feel was excellent and the engine was a delight.
What's the real-world MPG on the Santa Fe?
The Sante Fe is certainly a good car and we debated this a few months ago. It's really personal preference. With incentives, the Sante Fe comes out the same if not cheaper, in some trim lines than the CRV. They are both good choices.
By the way, the Santa Fe is larger:
Passenger Volume: CR-V 100.9 / Santa Fe 108.3
Maximum Cargo Volume: CR-V 72.9 / Santa Fe 78.2
On Honda's website, they list Tuscon as one of its competitors on the Compare Vehicles section - fyi
As far as fuel economy, some people want better mpg, while others would like to have more highway power. I think the only reason I was comparing the CRV to the Sante Fe to begin with was that they were both new models, while the Tuscon was older.
For example, the CR-V and Tucson have essentially the same wheelbase (103.1 for the CR-V vs. 103.5 for the Tucson), which the Santa Fe's is longer (106.3). The CR-V and Tucson are the same width (71.6 and 72.1) while the Santa Fe is wider (74.4). The CR-V and Tucson have almost identical curb weights (3549 and 3548) while the Santa Fe is heavier (4022). Front and rear shoulder room are, likewise, identical in the CR-V and the Tucson, while the Santa Fe is larger. The CR-V and Tucson are both 5-passenger vehicles, whereas the Santa Fe can seat 7. The CR-V and Tucson have similar horsepower availability (max of 166 for the CR-V and 173 for the Tucson), whereas the Santa Fe is a lot more powerful (242 hp).
About the only place that the Santa Fe and CR-V are directly comparable is the price tag. A loaded CR-V will cost about the same as a loaded Santa Fe, while the Tucson will be $2-4,000 less.
NORTSR
I'm reading and posting in this thread because I'm curious what others think of two, and to see if there are any non-obvious things to consider that's not easily seen by a quick test drive.
Honda quality
Overall nice appointments
Available navigation (not common in this class)
Leather seating (heated)
Ideal size for our needs
In short, I went into the test drive wanting to be impressed with the CR-V. Unfortunately, I wasn't. It was boring to drive. (It's tough to articulate exactly what was missing. Steering was numb, engine was on the anemic side, acceleration was weak.) I felt like I was driving a tired appliance. Admittedly, the navigation was nice but it didn't make up for the fact that the CR-V was just plain dull. I also didn't care for the fact that the rear (2nd row) seats don't fold flat; they fold forward and rest against the front seat backs. The arrangement is nowhere near as tidy as the Santa Fe's flat-folding 2nd row seats. Another thing is the CR-V's gear shifter - it's mounted at the bottom of the center stack rather than on the console. It's no big deal, I suppose, but just didn't care for it.
We ended up buying a Santa Fe Limited AWD and I couldn't be happier with it. The only thing it gives up to the CR-V IMO is the lack of an available navigation system. (Even that will be corrected later in the 2008 model year.) With its 242 hp V6 (compared with the Honda's 166 hp I-4), power driver's seat, 18" wheels (vs. the Honda's 17"), dual zone electronic climate control, HomeLink, front fog lights, and auto-dimming inside mirror, it was a simple choice. Add to that the very cool blue interior lighting (including the front cup holder!), illuminated steering wheel audio and cruise control buttons (also in blue), and the best warranty in the business.
In fairness, the CR-V has some things that are missing on the Santa Fe e.g. a flip-up liftgate window, engine immobilizer, rearview camera (on navigation-equipped models), rear reading lights, multi-disc CD changer (in-dash), MP3 input, RDS, and a memory card slot. These are all cool features but IMO not enough to make the total package as desirable as the Santa Fe.
We've had our Santa Fe Limited AWD with Premium Package (power moonroof) for 3.5 months and couldn't be happier with it. It's remarkably enjoyable to drive. I'm impressed by a lot of things on the Santa Fe but I think the most impressive part is the outstanding drive train. It's smooth, powerful, and whisper-quiet. The entire vehicle is well-built; it reeks of quality. I'm sure a few issues will crop up over time but it definitely looks as though Hyundai has done their homework with the Santa Fe.
And about 20% less MPG (23 highway vs. 27 highway). I had a 2003 CR-V, which would actually produce around 30 MPG at 65 MPH (pure highway), and that was with only a 4 speed and AWD. The current CR-V has a 5 speed and is available with FWD in the higher trim models. In town, one cannot really expect better than 22 MPG (with very careful driving).
The CR-V is not really a competitor of the Santa Fe; it is being compared simply because Honda did such a good job of packaging a lot of interior space into a small exterior. But the Santa Fe is designed to compete with the Honda Pilot (which, BTW, gets almost exactly the same MPG).
Honda and Hyundai have very different engineering standards; they have different expectations for the engines and the ride. It is a matter of preference which one is preferred.
Congrats on your purchase!
I think what makes people compare the two is price. As many others did, we also started out looking at the CRV, but when we saw how much more you can get with the Santa Fe for less money, it was a no-brainer.
For 2008, they do, along with dual climate control, the uplevel stereo w/o having to get NAVI, and a rearview camera with the NAVI. These are a few of the changes made for 2008
http://www.hondanews.com/categories/842/releases/4135
We just bought a Santa Fe Limited while they were clearing out the '08's. We feel we paid 2 to 3 (000) less than the Honda and received many interior upgrades. Most important for my wife (primary driver) were the power drivers seat (I don't get that one but she constantly pointed it out), higher driving position (liked that about the old minivan), Good handling and tight turning radius (hated those about the old minivan), and larger size without feeling it when driving.
If the CRV and Santa Fe were the same price, it'd be a toss up for us and depend on whether we wanted to go bigger or smaller on size. However, the money we saved will buy a lot gas over the next few years and we don't feel we skimped to save a few bucks, quite the contrary.
The next day we get a rental, it's a santa fe. LOL Similar enough to the crv but I find it goofy for lack of a better word. Some things are placed similar and others seem counterproductive when driving, having to look to see where they are. The ride is choppier. A good alternative I suppose if you need to save a few dollars, but nothing beats the real deal.
Right now waiting on insurance checks and running to buy a 2011 Crv. I have no doubt it protected us in that crash
I had the opposite impression; the Santa Fe rides better to me, but the CR-V handles better.
Thanks for playing.
true that. Why have a forum open to opinions and then be mad when someone gives them.
It's still not laid out intuitively for me though. Some of the controls are large on the steering wheel and it's not easy for me to just click in the dark. I'm sure after a few days of trial and error, I'd mostly have that down. But I won't have many more days with it.
A decent car I think. Not sure about it's reliability. Havent checked on that because I am not buying it. Test drive them both, read reports and make a list of likes and don'ts. I think it'll come down to a few factors one way or another.
I'm in the market now, and GLS 4-cylinder Santa Fe is at the top of my list.
It's #4; the CR-V comes in at #22.
Out here in California, Hondas are very much in the crosshairs to be stolen and parted out.
I'm going to the LA Auto Show this week, and will wait until later in the month to pull the trigger on the Santa Fe.