2008 Hyundai Santa Fe Consumer Reviews Page 2

First Hyundai Experience

Written by: Tiana on 07/13/2009

Vehicle

2008 Hyundai Santa Fe GLS 4dr SUV (2.7L 6cyl 4A)

Review

My first time riding in the Santa Fe was actually in a rental.. I'd never looked at Hyundai before but my experience was so nice I ended up purchasing one. It offers an extremely smooth ride, really comfortable, fun and peppy drive, and the console is very stylish!

Favorite Features

The blue lights and stereo...smooth sailing ride!

Suggested Improvements

Better fuel economy. The Santa Fe is a nice looking car but Hyundai should definitely continue to enhance the exterior appearance to better match the inside.

3 out 3 people found this review helpful

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Great vehicle for the money!

Written by: peoples1234 on 07/11/2009

Vehicle

2008 Hyundai Santa Fe GLS 4dr SUV (2.7L 6cyl 4A)

Review

Having put almost 7000 miles on the Santa Fe in 4 months, I have to say that I am very satisfied. Overall a great vehicle. It is comfortable, spacious, and tows anything I can put in a 4x8 utility trailer. Gas mileage has been about 18 mpg with mostly suburban driving, but I leave it idling a lot for my daughter in the summer. Highway is about 22, but would be a lot better if I could keep it below 80. My wife frequently gets 24-26 on the interstate when she drives. Power is adequate, but not breathtaking. Overall the best value in the 20K SUV price range.

Favorite Features

XM, comfort, sunroof, headlights are superb. Silver Blue color. I'm not sure why it was discontinued, but it looks classy.

Suggested Improvements

Hyundai dealers are shady. I've bought two hyundai's and the dealers are usually the worst for trying take advantage of people. Hyundai should address this, it is a big turn off. Also, Hyundai seems to include less standard features each model year (painted light covers, exhaust tips, etc), bad idea

2 out 2 people found this review helpful

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BEST VEHICLE EVER!!!

Written by: Love my Santa Fe on 07/02/2009

Vehicle

2008 Hyundai Santa Fe Limited 4dr SUV (3.3L 6cyl 5A)

Review

This is our 11th time buying a new vehicle and the first time buying a foreign vehicle. The Santa Fe is our favorite vehicle ever. It is fun to drive and very easy to handle. Even though we live in snowy Minnesota, we opted for the FWD and have had no regrets. The FWD handled beautifully in the snow and ice last winter. This vehicle cannot be beat in terms of quality, safety, warranty, price value, and cost to insure. An added bonus is the great dealership where we purchased it - St. Cloud Hyundai. We'll be back there the next time we need to buy a vehicle.

Favorite Features

Quiet ride, blue back lighting, sunroof, reclining 2nd row of seats, all of the standard features included in the Limited.

Suggested Improvements

None

5 out 5 people found this review helpful

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So far, so good.

Written by: Ed Rea on 06/21/2009

Vehicle

2008 Hyundai Santa Fe Limited 4dr SUV (3.3L 6cyl 5A)

Review

Purchased this SUV after driving an Infinity G-35x and missing the roominess from my previous SUV. Also, Hyundai was recommended by other friends who have one. Only issue so far is pulling to left. After two alignments, seems to be okay. Although steering is pretty sensitive. Like all the features, styling, performance (little sluggish in shifting between 1st & 2nd gear) so far, after 2000 miles. CD player is only 1 CD capacity?? If reliability holds up, seems like a very good vehicle for the price.

Favorite Features

Styling on exterior and interior and roominess.

Suggested Improvements

1 out 2 people found this review helpful

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Navigation problematic

Written by: KF on 06/20/2009

Vehicle

2008 Hyundai Santa Fe Limited 4dr SUV AWD (3.3L 6cyl 5A)

Review

The Santa Fe handles very well in the snow and is much better than my other 4 wheel drive. After 8000 miles however the navigation/radio unit went out. Sent it to Hyundai dealer for warranty work and the part is back ordered indefinitely. Reportedly there are 50+ on back order ahead of me so apparently this is not an isolated incident. So I selected this vehicle because of the nav and other upgrades and they are unreliable. Fuel mileage is about 21.9 mpg.

Favorite Features

The classy detailing, rear air controls and comfortable riding.

Suggested Improvements

Improve navigation system. The whole unit went out no power at all after 8000 miles.

0 out 1 people found this review helpful

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Don't buy it

Written by: ck on 05/15/2009

Vehicle

2008 Hyundai Santa Fe Limited 4dr SUV (3.3L 6cyl 5A)

Review

Owned less than 1 year. Dealership closed so the cheap oil changes and factory warranty..kiss goodbye. Had 1 electrical prob. rt off. They fixed it. Then this week the engine light and ESC light came on. Called for a tow. They said they'll town to nearest dealer who is 2 hrs away. Called dealer to discuss issue and car rental. Mechanic there treated me like dumb female told me the lights did not mean much. So scared they would not cover costs I canceled tow. Then car died on BUSY hwy 2 days later suffering from same issue. Brand new car. Customer service stinks. Warranty not much better.Buy another make!!

Favorite Features

Heated seats

Suggested Improvements

It should not break down in the 1st year. The driver window squeaks and the sun roof leaks.

6 out 11 people found this review helpful

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Second Hyundai

Written by: Hyundai owner on 05/14/2009

Vehicle

2008 Hyundai Santa Fe Limited 4dr SUV (3.3L 6cyl 5A)

Review

We purchased this car one year ago after looking at RAV-4, CR-V, Escape, Murano, Rogue, and Tuscon. We might not have ever considered it except we have a 2000 Hyundai Accent that has been fantastic. This is pretty much my dream car. It has 99% of the features I really wanted (leather, sunroof, wheel-mounted audio controls, CD/MP3 with changer, blue lights...just missing the auxiliary jack which I hear they now have on the 2009 model). My husband and I actually mistook it for a Lexus in a Target parking lot a few months after we bought it. The interior materials are top-notch and I actually like the firm ride.

Favorite Features

See above.

Suggested Improvements

They have already added the auxiliary jack. I can understand why some people would complain about the headroom, but I am 5'3" and needed something that let me see over the steering wheel. :) I didn't think I needed navigation but I did end up going out and buying a separate GPS unit.

3 out 3 people found this review helpful

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Very Good Vehicle For The Money

Written by: Dick Smith on 05/10/2009

Vehicle

2008 Hyundai Santa Fe Limited 4dr SUV AWD (3.3L 6cyl 5A)

Review

We bought this 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe after a lot of looking at various SUV's. Our first choice was the Highlander, but they are very high priced. We ended up with the Santa Fe because it was a lot of vehicle for the money. About $5,000 cheaper than a comparable Highlander. We are very satisfied with it. It is a very nice vehicle in all aspects. We would highly recommend it to anyone.

Favorite Features

Comfort and reliability great so far. Has a lot of pep. Sterio is great and all the features are very nice.

Suggested Improvements

Haven't found anything, so far, that we would change at this point. At 3,200 miles we are very satisfied.

2 out 2 people found this review helpful

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Solid choice for the money

Written by: Dan on 04/23/2009

Vehicle

2008 Hyundai Santa Fe GLS 4dr SUV (2.7L 6cyl 4A)

Review

Hyundai is obviously not Toyota or Honda..that being said the Santa Fe is our third Hyundai SUV and we have never had major issues with any of them. The ride in this SUV is by far the quietest and most comfortable of other SUVs in ITS PRICE RANGE. We also have a 2008 CRV and the Santa Fe is a much better pic for highway travel. Gas mileage on the other hand has not improved from our older Santa Fe. I consistently get 21mpg mixed driving. You will not get 24mpg on a tank,ever. On a road trip I managed 23mpg going 70mph. Our AWD CRV averages 25mpg...then again it's lighter and a 4cyl. Fit and finish is great; front seat is not good for tall drivers..but acceptable. Trade-in is terrible

Favorite Features

fit and finish, road composure and ride noise...or lack there of. blue lighing is different. Grocery box in trunk is fantastic (our CRV is terrible for grocery shopping);

Suggested Improvements

Bigger foot rest; longer drivers seat travel; more thigh support; 5 speed auto; Stereo is ok but not great (good bass, but no highs); Image of Hyundai- you loose too much on trad-in even though the cars are very good.

9 out 9 people found this review helpful

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Definitely NOT worth $30,000

Written by: Stacy V on 04/22/2009

Vehicle

2008 Hyundai Santa Fe Limited 4dr SUV (3.3L 6cyl 5A)

Review

I chose my brand new Santa Fe over a used Lexis with 15K miles. WORST mistake ever. Just a months after owning it I had to have the carpet replaced twice and bumper repainted because paint was peeling off. Now after 20K miles the dash is peeling and the leather seats have rubbed down to nothing leaving a rip in the driver seat. I'm 5'4", weigh 120lbs but they say it's not covered under warranty because I'm not entering my car the right way. The latches on the third row seat broke and had to be replaced. I'm scared what the value is going to be if I decide not to keep it.

Favorite Features

Stereo system, I love the peal white color and having heated seats. However, the heated seats are only in the front.

Suggested Improvements

BETTER QUALITY!!! I worked for an aircraft interior company that has the type of leather I would expect to be in a $30K+ vehicle.

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