Hyundai Santa Fe 4x4 AT Ownership Experience


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Hi guys this is my first review on TAI , so please bear with me.
Sorry for being late I was busy with her

Few weeks back, me and my father wanted a new SUV in our stable. After a long research and helpful inputs from my fellow TAI members we were able to decide our next beast!
The Hyundai "Santa Fe'' even the name sounds too exquisite, pronounce it with a nice accent and it oozes out a rare excellence .

After searching for the car in various parts of north india , we finally booked it with our local dealer as he was ready to deliver the vehicle in just 10 days ( compared to other dealers who wanted 3-5 weeks for the delivery)

Our carbon Blue santa fe arrived within the promised time period [thumbsup].
The whole dealership experience with Das Hyundai was excellent, the owner personally came and presented us with the keys.

Now coming back to the car.
Personally i like big dominating SUVs with a nice road presence, and Santa Fe is all about Presence. It does not look pretty old school like the Endy or the T-Fort nor it looks a girly softroader like the CR-V or say the Koleos .
Its a bit of both worlds.
And once you step inside that massive cabin and thumb the starter button, its pure luxury . Now i can't compare the hyundai engine with a BMW or a Merc diesel, but it feels pretty refined once you are inside.
A nice "Truck" like driving position with an upward tilt of the leather wraped steering wheel, big supportive seats, a nice auto shifter and an awesome music system with a subwoofer further add up to the experience.
The snake leather interior along with blue backlighting ( irritatingly bright ) and wood inserts feels pretty soothing. There is loads of legroom for the second row even the third row doesn't feel as cramped as others ( Believe me because me and my father are XL size guys!).
Fold the third row which nicely flushes into the floor and you get a massive boot.


The auto box along with the CRDi mill up front is very responsive, a slight touch of the throttle shoots the car forward. Although i haven't gone beyond a 100kmph. Cannot say anything about the suspension as i have been driving it on really nice highways , but what highways reveal is the handling character. Surely there is some body roll present but it doesn't scare you off, the steering though is a bit on the lighter side which i think would be helpful in the city traffic.

Now coming to my personal like and Dislikes about the vehicle.

LIKES
1. Awsome engine and Gearbox
2. Nice quad bulb headlight with a projector for low beam
3. Big supportive leather seats with electric adjustments even for the passenger.
4. Passive entry and start system ( Although present on my cruze but i really liked the button:biggrin:)
5. Driving position
6. Music system
7. The dual zone climate control and independent controls for the 3rd row.
8. Big rear view mirrors
9. Loads of cabin lighting
10. The handle to open the hatch ( Looks very bad but is very useful)
11. clever tool kit and Spare tyre release mechanism.
12. Boot net
13. Most importantly, the way she looks


DISLIKES

1. Very vibrant interior lighting ( dimmer is of no use!)[frustration]
2. No HIDs even in the low beams
3. No GPS or Bluetooth connectivity
4. Steering controls are mistaken for horn pad.
5. No sunroof
6. No auto dimming inside rearview mirror.
7. No rear view camera ( really required for the car of this size)
8. Very small buttons for 4WD and TCS.


I feel this vehicle is 100 times better than its nearest rival the BMW X1 except for the batch!!
 
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Re: Hyundai Santa Fe 4x4 AT experience

Nice review Aviral but where are the pictures?


How is the ICE with the sub-woofer? How is the handling in the highways? Is there too much vertical movement just like other Hyundai's?


Completely agree with your last statement. Just because of the Hyundai logo good cars like Sonata Transform and Santa-Fe failed to kick off.
 
Thread Starter #5
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Re: Hyundai Santa Fe 4x4 AT experience

Nice review Aviral but where are the pictures?


How is the ICE with the sub-woofer? How is the handling in the highways? Is there too much vertical movement just like other Hyundai's?


Completely agree with your last statement. Just because of the Hyundai logo good cars like Sonata Transform and Santa-Fe failed to kick off.

The ICE is pretty decent with a nice Bass and good clarity.
It handles very good on the highway unlike other hyundais, feels very firm and grippy.
 
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Congrats Aviral on the Santa Fe, can u share some pics with the third row up ?
Also once u spend enough time let us know of the ride quality and fuel efficiency figures..
 
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First of all congratulations Aviral and that's a nice color you have. And buddy it looks awesome. Do share the ride quality, comfort, FE and the stability of your new ride.
 
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Yes even i would like to know about the FE figures and it's performance once the running period gets over.


Nice pictures , please post more. This is the first time i am seeing Santa-Fe in this shade , looking good. Most of the Santa-Fe's i see are white or silver!
 
Thread Starter #9
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Thanks a lot guys.. I wanted my car to stand out , thats why i opted for this colour. Even i have seen every santa fe in a white or a silver shade.
Currently i am getting an efficiency of around 11kmpl, mostly highway driving.
Ride quality is very nice but i havent been to very bad patches till now.

More pics are coming soon!
 
Thread Starter #12
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I somehow love the way the Santa Fe looks. Excellent choice buddy. The 200 bhp monster is icing on the cake.
Even i love its looks. Well, i am yet to reveal the monster! [evil]
But this break in period is killing me !!
i was hoping for this to happen, Aviral if u have any news on the facelift from the dealer, please let me know :-

Hyundai Santa Fe and new Sonata to be priced aggressively
Can't say anything about the new santa-fe. And i dont think there is a "Completely new model" coming anytime soon. Plus it has just got a facelift.

But yes the new sonata is about to hit the showrooms. You can check it out on the Hyundai website. The bookings have also started i guess. Although my dealer knows nothing about it.

Even a new Tucson is coming.
 
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Nice review, congrats.
How do you see it against Fortuner?
Also whats is the service interval? costs?
 
Thread Starter #15
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Nice review, congrats.
How do you see it against Fortuner?
Also whats is the service interval? costs?
Thanks. :)
Personally i never liked the Fortuner. Its just a Hi-Lux pick up truck!
Sure the santa Fe can't match the off roadability of the fortuner but still its a lot nice vehicle than it. Being marginally shorter than the toyota it gives better legroom for the 3rd and 2nd row seats. I mean the 3rd row feels same as that of my Nissan Patrol ( Which is bigger than a H2).
You get a lot better engine than the toyota, a nice 6 speed Auto box ( Compared to the 4 speed of fortuner), Lots of features. And a decent fuel economy.

Each service is spaced out at 10,000 kms interval.
 

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