Will 2007 hyundai santa fe make a good SUV?

Question

have you driven in it? did you like it? feel free to say...

Answer 1

Our family owns a dark blue 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe Limited AWD and we love it. It's been a great car. It hasn't had any major or minor problems since we have gotten it, and it has about 15,000 miles on it now. (We bought it last year in July). The gas mileage is average for an SUV this size, and the AWD I believe lowers it maybe 1 mpg. We get around 21 mpg for mixed driving (suburban and highway miles).

The only things I can think of that you should make sure you like are the front seats (the head rests especially), the standard radio (with or without XM), and the ride on the bigger wheels.

The front head rests are father forward than other cars, and some people that we have driven around have found them uncomfortable, to the point where they put the seat back a bit. However, it doesn't bother anyone in my family so we are fine with it. One thing that annoys me personally is the radio volume control. At volume level 4 or 5, it is already really loud and the volume steps between numbers is large, so it is hard to find a good volume sometimes, but this is a small inconvenience (you can always get an aftermarket radio, can't ya?). Last, the ride on the biggest wheels available, which is standard with the Limited and I believe available on the sport edition. They make the ride a bit rougher than the GLS and it can get a bit bumpy on badly paved roads. But it isn't like it is knocking your drink over or hitting your head on the ceiling. But it isn't like a Cadillac or GMC Envoy, that's for sure.

Taking that all into consideration, it is a great SUV and I'm sure you will be happy with it if you do decide to purchase it. The price was a big draw for us, and all the features and most of the things about it made it even easier for us to decide to buy it ourselves.

Oh yeah, one thing. This isn't necessarily a problem, but every time we have the defroster or the a/c on, there is this fairly moderately loud noise that sounds like cranking/clicking coming from the engine compartment while coming to a stop or at a full stop while the engine is idling. It isn't a big deal, but we have asked the dealer about it and they seem to think there isn't much concern to it.

If you want more information about consumer complaints of the 2007 Santa Fe, go to the site listed in the sources. Good luck!

Answer 2

No HYUNDAI doesn't make good Sport Utility Vehicles (S.U.V.) as it doesn't make any good car. And why it doesn't make any good car?  Because HYUNDAI has no quality.

I will tell you something from my experience. I own a HYUNDAI Accent from 1998 and have only 92.000 klms (that would be about 65.000 miles ). I also -and always- drive "gently". I don't drive fast, I don't accelarate strong, I don't go above 90 klms ( 70 miles ) per hour because I want to have fuel economy.

HYUNDAI cars generally may be cheap to buy, seems to have enough good technical specifications and they're good looking. But I believe its not worth because:

a)  it has poor construction quality,

b)  it appears often mechanical and electrical malfunctions,

c)  the fuel consumption usually is bigger than this described by its book,

d)  it has expensive genuine parts so an expensive service,

e)  it burns lots of oils inside its engine (so, I have to carry always Oil with me, ...if you believe it!!!).

f)  when I drive I hear sounds and “cracks” from the main body and the plastics of the car.

In the long term, I EXPERIENCED ALL THESE PROBLEMS. My opinion is absolutely NEGATIVE for HYUNDAI generally. When I will have to replace my car, I will not buy a HYUNDAI again (not only Accent, I mean any HYUNDAI). That's for sure!  It's wasted money. Hyundai cars are worthless.

If HYUNDAI had quality, it would have it in 1998 and today (as a principle). Often, the quality is better when someone has an older model, because every car industry by the pressure of lower cost, reduce the quality year by year. In the other hand, when a car factory is new in the game (as HYUNDAI was in 1998) makes better products because the Industry is not known (famous) and want to have costumers. As the years passing, they reduce the quality because they gain fans. Fans have no brain. They want tell you the truth: they are fans. So, do not take HYUNDAI. Take any car, but first search the Internet for the owners -mostly negative- opinions, reviews, problems etc..

If HYUNDAI had done improvments in the quality of its cars at the last decade, then why the resale value of Hyundai cars is still very low? Anyone can say anything. I say that Hyundai cars are not worthing, some other says they worth. How someone can know if it is true and who is true?  I will tell you.  The resale value of the cars balances by demand and supply. Someone finds the resale value at the secondary cars market. The whole market is formulating by demand and supply. We have all the Hyundai's owners and all the possible buyers. If we consider that demand is stable, we have the unstable factor "supply". The resale value is very low.  WHY?  Because the total of the already Hyundai owners are not sutisfied with their Hyundais and so, they want to sell their "good" cars and accept the low value that the buyers of the secondary market give them. Otherwise we can not have a low resale market value. The whole market shout to us that "Hyundai are not good cars". That's why they don't have good resale value. If they were good cars (today, not in 1998), their owners would appreciated and they wan't like to sell them. If they wouldn't like to sell them, the supply of used Hyundais would be small and... magically... the Hyundais would have better resale value. And we are speaking for today, not 1998.

Answer 3

Not bad for its price, and a much better look than the older model. It has a pretty good interior lightnings for a Korean-made car, but it kinda gets inconvenient in driving as it gets older ... around 2 years or 1 and a half.

My advice, get it if you want it for a year or so, if not, its not really the best in the market.

You can check out Nissan's Qashqai, Chevrolet Captiva or Toyota's Rav 4 (this one is a little more expensive) for alternatives with around the same price range.

Answer 4

I stole this from a previous answer by CJGT2!_!

Santa Fe:

2007 Santa Fe is named SUV of the year by FIPA (Federación Internacional de Periodistas del Automóvil/International Federation of Automotive Journalists. FIPA members consist of 68 auto journalists from 19 different countries including the U.S., but mostly Latin America.

2007 Santa Fe is named “Best New Midsize SUV” by Autobytel in its 2007 Editors’ Choice Awards.

2007 Santa Fe is named a finalist for “Most Improved New Vehicle for 2007” by Autobytel in its 2007 Editors’ Choice Awards.

2007 Santa Fe is named “2007 SUV of the Year” by Autobytel in its 2007 Editors’ Choice Awards.

2007 Santa Fe earns National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) five-star crash test ratings for frontal and side impacts, the highest government rating under the agency’s New Car Assessment Program.

Author Jack Gillis and the Center for Auto Safety named the Santa Fe a “Best Bet” in The Car Book 2007, which selects vehicles based on how well they respond to the safety and performance needs of today’s consumers.

2007 Santa Fe is named one of AAA/Parents magazine’s 2007 "Best Cars For Families."

Strategic Vision awarded Santa Fe the top spot in the small sport utility (SUV) segment. TQI measures the total vehicle satisfaction among new car owners.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gave five-star crash test ratings to the Santa Fe for both frontal and side-impact crash tests.

IMO the Santa Fe is the best mid-sized SUV on the market, and the best Large SUV on the market is the Toyota Highlander.  Honda no longer makes a mid-size SUV as the Pilot is now large, but the Toyota Rav4 is also a very nice mid-size SUV worth comparing the Hyundai too.

Answer 5

They are STILL "throw-away" cars!(SUV, Whatever!)

  If you just want it to beat for a year or less, It's all right, but if you wanna have an SUV for 3+ yrs, FORGET IT.

Answer 6

It is a very nice car and is one of the best selling SUV's on the market.

Answer 7

I just spoke to an owner of one yesterday and he really likes it. Much improved over the older Santa Fe. Matter of fact it was awarded top pick in it's class by Consumer Reports

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23390986/

and was one of the top safety picks by the IIHS

http://www.cnn.com/2007/AUTOS/06/12/iihs...

It's not the best for fuel economy but it is a well rounded auto.

Hmm....kelly s - You do know they don't make the Excel any more right? A fully loaded new Santa Fe is $33,000+. Your tech friends don't know very much do they.

As far as sofpan is concerned, well....I rather listen to Consumer Reports then mindless "cut and paste" rants.

Serious about quality:

Few in or out of Hyundai could have imagined a quality turnaround in 1998 when the automaker stood as a symbol of shoddy workmanship. Hyundai sold just 90,217 cars in the USA that year. Dealers were abandoning franchises. Engines in the company's top-selling model, the budget-priced Excel sub-compact, had been failing. Rusting bumpers and doors were common. Electrical systems broke down. Air conditioners blew hot, when they blew at all.

A year later, the automaker got serious about quality as it split away from the South Korean Hyundai group of non-auto companies. Cosmai says Chairman Chung Mong Koo recognized that the only way North America and Europe would take Hyundai seriously was if quality improved to a level near that of Japanese brands.

Specifically, Hyundai has:

• Dramatically improved the electrical systems in its vehicles. It was Hyundai's biggest area of complaints a decade ago. Changes in suppliers and revamped designs have cut down on the problems, which plagued Excel in Hyundai's early days, say Hyundai executives and Consumer Reports magazine.

• Redesigned automatic transmissions to be smoother and quieter. This area could get better as Hyundai, which is 10.5% owned by DaimlerChrysler, swaps more learning with Mercedes-Benz engineers, who excel in transmission design and manufacturing.

• Invested in body integrity. David Champion of Consumer Reports says Hyundais now have far fewer squeaks, rattles and clanks after three to four years of ownership, ranking with the industry's best. Hyundai says cabins are quieter, brake noise has been reduced, and ride and handling scores are up because suspension tuning has produced stiffer, Japanese-like rides.

Perhaps as important as any of the changes, Hyundai began offering in 1998 a 10-year/100,000-mile warranty, designed to alleviate buyers' quality fears.

This is from 4 years ago.Look how far Hyundai has gotten since then! Hyundai has since bought back their 10% from DaimlerChrysler before the break up. Smart move on Hyundai's part.

So yes sofpan, car companies can improve from your 98 Accent. Believe it or not.