2009 Hyundai Santa Fe Consumer Reviews

love this vehicle

Written by: Linda on 10/21/2009

Vehicle

2009 Hyundai Santa Fe GLS 4dr SUV (2.7L 6cyl 4A)

Review

I purchased this vehicle mainly due to the warranty and reliability. I also have a 2004 Sonata and have had no problems.This is a fun vehicle to drive with enough room for hauling. I love all of the features and strongly recommend it.

Favorite Features

This is fun to drive, great window visibility, like sitting higher than in my car, ease if all controls.

Suggested Improvements

Fog lights should be standard, we had to pay extra to add these. Side mirrors should have turn signal lights mounted.

3 out 3 people found this review helpful

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snow machine

Written by: northjay on 10/08/2009

Vehicle

2009 Hyundai Santa Fe GLS 4dr SUV AWD (2.7L 6cyl 4A)

Review

We took the Santa fe GLS into the high mountains of Colorado in a big snow storm performance was all most flawless excellent all wheel / 4 wheel drive

Favorite Features

fit and finish

Suggested Improvements

better seats Better stock tires

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Lots of bang for the buck

Written by: ddh on 10/07/2009

Vehicle

2009 Hyundai Santa Fe GLS 4dr SUV (2.7L 6cyl 4A)

Review

Bought this car 3 weeks ago and have put 1700 miles on it. I've been getting 26-27 mpg combined city/hwy mileage. The base V-6 is quiet & delivers spirited acceleration in town and when passing on the highway. The 6-speaker stereo sounds good; I really like the XM satellite radio, and the USB as I can put all my music on a tiny jump drive and don't have to clutter the car with CD's. Interior is comfortable, well- appointed, and build quality is as good as Honda, Toyota, etc. Handling & ride quality are excellent, & the stock tires seem to work well in all conditions.

Favorite Features

Smooth engine, quiet interior, nice stereo, lots of interior storage, lots of safety features, excellent build quality.

Suggested Improvements

None, really. This is a fine automobile.

16 out 16 people found this review helpful

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Love it, love it, love it!

Written by: C. Cook on 10/02/2009

Vehicle

2009 Hyundai Santa Fe SE 4dr SUV (3.3L 6cyl 5A)

Review

Great looking SUV and runs, drives and handles even better. Ride is a little firm on rough roads, but excellent on a good highway. The 3.3 V6 performs much better than the 2.7 with the same highway MPG rating. We LOVE the great looking beige premium cloth interior as well as the other upgrades that come with the SE package. The Limited package is nice, but we just don't like leather seats and one summer in Alabama will enlighten you as to why!

Favorite Features

Suggested Improvements

Allow individual options on the Limited package so folks can have cloth seats and no "hole in the roof" to cramp head room!

0 out 1 people found this review helpful

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Very Happy- but room for Improvements

Written by: CCM on 09/20/2009

Vehicle

2009 Hyundai Santa Fe Limited 4dr SUV (3.3L 6cyl 5A)

Review

My wife and I chose the Santa Fe for many reasons vs. the competition. The over-all value we felt we received with this vehicle meets our expectations. The 3rd row seating with the DVD player entertainment system is a BIG plus! The vehicle handles well, and has decent pick-up. I am slightly disappointed with the 1st of 5 gears; It feels like it hesitates a little from a stand-still. The "Range" feature of the trip computer is misleading- When I think I am about to run out of gas, and when I fill-up, I only put in 16.8 gal, not the 19.8 it holds! Overall, the vehicle is very quiet, has a great Infinity sound system, fun blue dash lighting (and cup holder), and user-friendly controls.

Favorite Features

8-way adjustable driver seat, dual-zone climate control, 2nd row B-Pillar vents, 3rd row auxiliary climate control, style, quietness, 1st and 2nd row leg room, 115v power outlet (at rear of vehicle).

Suggested Improvements

Passenger seat needs 8-way power adjustments, turn signal mirrors, memory driver seat, back liftgate glass should be able to open. The touring package should have the option to choose BOTH the in-dash navigation and DVD entertainment system- not one or the other, fold flatter 2nd row seats.

12 out 15 people found this review helpful

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2.7 + 5 spd manual, a mistake

Written by: whoops on 09/10/2009

Vehicle

2009 Hyundai Santa Fe GLS 4dr SUV (2.7L 6cyl 5M)

Review

Purchased the 2.7 with 5 speed manual. This power train combination is very disappointing and should be avoided. Recommended shift points are at 15 mph. 25 mph. 35 mph. and 45mph (each of these coincide with very close to 3,000 rpm). Slower-than- expected acceleration from a stop is unnerving, with over-anxious drivers behind you. After 1200 mile break-in (not traveling above 55 mph)the drivetrain mismatch becomes evident, as you can only reach and maintain 65 mph by sustaining 3,000 rpm or higher in 5th gear! Slight hills challenge you to maintain speed, even with no load. I believe this car fails to meet the minimum performance requirements for safe driving on U.S. interstate highways.

Favorite Features

Cabin very roomy. Fit and finish very good.

Suggested Improvements

Reconfigure or discontinue the 2.7 ltr. / 5 spd manual drive train. Radio face too big and oriented to accommodate XM use, an option I don't care about. Slight body roll in even moderate speed cornering, suggesting suspension could be stiffer.

10 out 13 people found this review helpful

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09 Santa Fe SE

Written by: Randy Miller on 08/30/2009

Vehicle

2009 Hyundai Santa Fe SE 4dr SUV (3.3L 6cyl 5A)

Review

One month in - No gripes. Reviews about lag in trans depend on how you drive. Easy driving - no lag, Hard accel - initial lag at downshift with quick recovery. Firm ride but smooth. Good features for $$. Concern about warranty - saw something about only good at dealership where purchased, but haven't confirmed. Compared to Toyota, Honda, Kia, Nissan before purchase and felt Hyundai was "best value". Dealer wasn't eager to lower price due to demand caused by $4clunkers, but still managed to get below TMV price. So far - so good. Features are nice & easy to use. Good layout. Seat slightly firm, but OK on first 300 mile road trip. Seems to be good value for the money.

Favorite Features

Good driver position/visibility. Rear corners - roof support posts not too wide - don't block view too much. Manual (high reliability) seat adjustment - tilt/height/lumbar and steering tilt adjustment. Rear under deck storage. Good drink holder & placement. 3.3L will jump if you need it. Love the XM.

Suggested Improvements

Minor issues: Transmission lag - Not bad, but could be improved. Roof rack - more forward adjustment.

20 out 20 people found this review helpful

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Very Pleased

Written by: David on 08/27/2009

Vehicle

2009 Hyundai Santa Fe Limited 4dr SUV AWD (3.3L 6cyl 5A)

Review

We really like our Santa Fe. It's our "family car" in Colorado. It seemed to be bigger than the CRX or RAV but smaller than the Explorer and comparable models. Nice size then, not too big, not too small. Gas mileage not too bad at 19.5 overall, mostly in the city, in Colorado. AWD drives like a tank in the snow on original tires. Won't be changing to snow tires in the winter anymore, yippee. Very quiet, smooth ride. Not really a sporty ride, but works well for me, I was hoping for a smoother, cruiser feel in the family car. Great price for a pretty good looking car that's already got crumbs, shoe marks and general family use. We are very happy with the purchase.

Favorite Features

Quiet, smooth ride, great in the snow, love the stereo, great AC, great price of course, nice size, not a monster but big enough to (barely) load in drywall, I think it looks decent, certainly respectable. The V6 is smooth and powerful, warranty includes 5 yr 60000 full coverage, insurance is cheap

Suggested Improvements

main complaint is driver seats not great for 6' tall guy with the sunroof. Seems like I have a hard time settling into the seat. It's been comfortable for longer trips though, so it must be ergonomically OK, no pressure points etc.

13 out 13 people found this review helpful

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Great SUV

Written by: justfawcett on 08/26/2009

Vehicle

2009 Hyundai Santa Fe Limited 4dr SUV (3.3L 6cyl 5A)

Review

This has been a great car. It got about 26/27 mpg on highway and about 22/23 combined since I do mostly local driving. It is comfortable, quiet, and fun to drive.

Favorite Features

I like the 5 speed auto transmission.

Suggested Improvements

I wish the radio was not designed so much for XM satalite radio. I would like the radio to display song info about radio songs.

6 out 11 people found this review helpful

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Impressed...

Written by: DanoNH on 08/18/2009

Vehicle

2009 Hyundai Santa Fe Limited 4dr SUV AWD (3.3L 6cyl 5A)

Review

We all remember the early Hyundais of the late '80s... total junk. I am admittedly impressed with the design, ride, noise level, performance and quality so far of my new 2009 Santa Fe AWD Limited. I would definitely recommend pitting at least 2 dealerships against each other's quotes to price match (or beat) as I did. Doing this, I got the limited model for slightly less than the SE retail price after rebates and the "Cash for Clunkers" deal.

Favorite Features

Ride is firm, yet quiet and smooth, good power, form fit and function.

Suggested Improvements

Include the iPod cable. You need a special cable to directly control your iPod through the factory radio. This is not well documented. Also, make the 10 yr./10000 mile warranty apply to ANY dealer, not just the one who sold the car... BOO!

36 out 36 people found this review helpful

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