moderate price, enough power for every day use. roomy. safty scores.

none, cause I have checked everything before I made final decision.

Hey, John. Didn''t you check that SF has no LOW GEAR, no DIFFERENTIAL LOCK before you bought it? You should have checked. Don''t blame Albertsons that they have no electronics for sale. They are grocery stores. Don''t blame Circuit-City that they have no milk for sale. They are electronics stores. You''re just in wrong place. I just love SF for everything it has.

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rodeo

The best warranty in the business, a lot of ''extras'' for the money, and a high safety rating = a great value. Lots of storage space, comfortable ride, and peace of mind = a vehicle you can ride until the last payment is made and you still have warranty left over! This vehicle is meant to last longer than the loan.

No power seat option, even in the LX. Look, I''m reaching here! I have had power seats in my last few vehicles, so I would have liked to have it now, but I think I''ll live.

I tried a lot of the psuedo-SUV''s, and I found myself drawn to the Santa Fe for several reasons. The primary draw of the Santa Fe was its 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain and 5-year/60,000-mile bumper to bumper (with roadside assistance) warranties. Of course, the warranties aside, the Santa Fe is a sporty, roomy vehicle that gets my family of 5 from point A to B in comfort very safely. The Santa Fe is easy to get in and out of, has lots of room in the back, and rides like a car. I also noted that several reviews reported a lack of power, but I was able to pass and merge easily on the highway. Having the Shiftotronic transmission control available gave me more confidence as I moved left and forward. The abundance of windows makes for a lack of blind spots, allowing me to shift lanes without craning my neck to an uncomfortable angle. I tried the Jeep Liberty, but I felt like it was smaller and less agile. It reminded me of the Suzukis that flipped easily on sharp turns. I also tried the Forrester, but it didn''t give me any feeling that I was getting more vehicle for the extra money. The Toyota and Honda felt like they would make a great vehicle for 4 20-somethings, but 3 kids didn''t fit well across the back seat and the storage space was lacking. Mazda''s vehicle was in the running, but I couldn''t see why I should spring for an extra three grand for a vehicle with a poorer crash rating and a significantly shorter warranty. All of the other models wanted a lot more money for the same options. So, I returned to the Hyundai dealer a few days later and picked up the truck they had in the showroom. Equipped with significant creature comforts (like cruise, tilt, heated mirrors, and A/C), as well as mud-guards, roof racks, a cargo mat, and a tow package, I was ready to go back to work.

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Forrester, CRV, Liberty, Rav4, Tribute, Escape, Tracker

Styling...nothing else in this class looks quite like it (looks like it should be way more expensive than it is). Value...many more standard features than RAV4 or CR-V for much less $$. AWD setup is very sure-footed on sloppy roads; vehicle overall has a really solid feel. Shiftronic is nice feature (fun too). Lots of legroom for back seat passengers. Full-sized spare under the body is great (nothing to block the rear view). Looks like Hyundai has really done their homework with the Santa Fe.

Slightly underpowered (even the V6) for the overall weight of the vehicle, but still better that RAV4 or CR-V.

Truth be told, I was unsure about buying a Hyundai, but after reading everything I could find (reviews by both auto experts and everyday owners of the Santa Fe, even IIHS crash test results) I was pleasantly surprised to see that, for the most part, people were extremely satisfied with the quality and value of this SUV. In the many owners'' reviews that I read, I noticed that the two most common criticisms were the location of the clock and the lack of lighted window controls. My wife and I purchased a 2002 model, and were very surprised to see that the dash had been revised with a clock directly above the radio, and lighted switches for ALL power windows, both of which were not in this arrangement on early 2002 models. When they make a change like this mid-way through a model year, it seems that Hyundai themselves must be reading the reviews...and listening to their customers. We are both extremely happy with the overall size, comfort level, and styling of this vehicle. Initial impression is that Santa Fe is an excellent package, but I''ll re-visit this in 6 mos. or so to update.

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VUE, Escape, RAV4, CR-V. Santa Fe is definitely best overall package.

PRICE,STYLING,WARRANTY THIS IS A SOLID WELL EQUIPPED VEHICLE. STANDARD FEATURES.

MORE SUITED FOR HIGHWAY THAN OFF ROAD IT CAN HANDLE SOME OFF ROAD BUT IS MORE SUITED FOR HIGHWAY.

FOR ALL THOSE NAY SAYERS,THE HYUNDAI SANTA FE PUTS ALL SUV MFG. ON NOTICE, IT IS FOR REAL AND HERE TO STAY.ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS DRIVE ONE TO SEE THAT THIS IS A VEHICAL THAT IS GOING TO BE AROUND FOR AWHILE. TAKE A TEST DRIVE ,READ THE REVIEWS AND YOU''LL SEE THAT THIS IS A VEHICLE YOU SHOULD GIVE SERIOUS CONSIDERATION TO IF YOUR IN THE MARKET FOR A COMPACT SUV. I HATE TO SAY IT BUT IF AMERICAN MFG. PRODUCED A VEHICLE OF THIS QUALITY,PRICE,WARRANTY THEY WOULD''NT BE IN THE SHAPE THERE IN. AND I HAVE TO SAY IN RESPONSE TO SOME OF THE CRITICS,THE HYUNDAI IS EVERY BIT AS GOOD AND BETTER IN BUILD QUALITY THAN ANY FORD,CHEVY,DODGE. SO DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND CHECK OUT THE SANTA FE YOU WON''T BE SORRY.

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CHEVY BLAZER,FORD ESCAPE, TOYOTA RAV 4

As mentioned, the warranty is the best in the business-10yr/100,000 powertrain, 5yr/60,000 bumper to bumper, 5yr/unlimited roadside assistance. I love the looks, and the milage isn''t bad for an SUV, in the low to mid 20''s, depending on what style you get. Almost everything is standard, so what you see as an advertised price is very close to what you will pay-you don''t have to add a bunch of options to get what you want. Lots of room for a compact SUV, for the most part (see weaknesses). Corners and handles very well. Oh, yeah, at under $20,000 base, just over that for the GLS, and about $23,000 for the leather/heated seat LX, PRICE, PRICE, PRICE!

Sluggish shifting on the automatic. Interior dash looks a little cheap, with all the plastic. Driver''s side leg room is a little tight for 6+ footers, and if you''re significantly overweight, you''ll find it a bit cramped (I''m over 6'' and moderately overweight, and it''s at my tolerance limit for legroom and width). Overhead clock takes getting used to, and takes a little more than a glance to look at (yeah, I''m reaching for weaknesses here). Rear seats don''t lay quite flat, and take getting used to when putting down.

I''m not sure what the negative reviewers have been looking at. I''m very impressed with this SUV. Regarding interior space, I looked it up, and here are the numbers compared to the Forrester and CRV: Max Cargo Vol: Pass. Vol: SF 77 cub ft 101 Frstr 63 94 CRV 72 106 (Don''t have RAV data handy.) It''s bigger than the Forrester, and has more cargo space than the CRV. In addition, I could not find a single bad review for this car. In fact, I found very few that didn''t place it among the best in it''s class. If you can find a negative review, send it to me; I''d like to read it and see what they found fault with. The warranty is the best on the market, and it was rated #1 in customer satisfaction last year. The looks are striking, I imagine it''s in the "love it or hate it" class. The curves give it a more sportish look, and the styling makes it different than any other SUV out there. The ride is smooth and quiet. I have the V6 AWD, and the accelleration isn''t bad, but isn''t great. The engine never seems like it''s struggling, even at high speed. However, with the automatic the shifting isn''t as smooth as it should be, but the ability to put the transmission into manual shifting mode is a nice touch. I''ve found shifting on your own makes it a little smoother. The interior is nice, but not fancy. Everything is plastic, although you can get a wood trim dash as an option. The climate control knobs are big and clunky looking, but easy to manipulate. The 6 speaker system sounds ok, if not great (it IS a factory system, after all), and the standard AM/FM/CD/Cassette deck (in the GLS and LX only) is nice. In fact, almost everything is standard on the GLS and LX versions: Power locks/windows/mirrors (the mirrors are also heated), A/C, tinted windows, remote keyless entry, etc. The only options are extras like floor mats and cargo cross-rails. The exception is that anti-lock brakes and traction control are optional on the base and GLS models. The exterior acess is good. It''s easy to get in and out of, and the rear cargo door opens upward rather than swinging to the left or right-nice when unloading or loading from a curb. The rear window opens upward as well, which is nice for putting in and taking out a few packages. All in all, this is one great SUV.

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Compared it to just about everything when shopping: RAV4, CRV, Forrester, VUE, Tribute, Escape, Chevy Tracker.

nice looking over all design and lay out.

1. rear seat draw string gets stuck and cant open seats to fold down, 2. clear coat on paint is very thin mild wax sratches surface, 3. noise tires and engine plus very weak proformace over all 4. if you have to power brake , good luck, they stick and you have to play and pray with the parking park to get it un stuck, 4. very weak tranns axels and tranny , mine shaterd after 8 months 5. dont buy poorly made hyundai bug/stone deflector, mine broke in the first snow storm and dented my hood.

Please save your self some heart ake, today i got a recall notice on my santa fe due to improperly manufactured crankshaft parts.God knows what eles problems im going to have with this nightmare

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ford f 250 1999,chevy 2001 blazer

Handles beautifully in rain or snow. plenty of leg room. Cargo area is quite adequate for carrying furniture. The body style is very nice. I enjoy looking at my car!!

Clock is mounted to high. Difficult to see. Speakers are less than perfect. A sun roof would be a nice addition. Gas mileage has dropped from 22 - 23 to 19. Can''t figure why since it''s well broken in. (14,000 miles.) An appointment with the service dept. is pending.

Great car. I drove several new SUVs and couldn''t justify spending an additional $10,000 or more for the same options.

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I traded in an Isuzu Rodeo. No comparison. Gas milage is much better and the ride is smoother. My head doesn''t hit the room when going over small bumps in the road any more. I test drove the RAV

Ride, price and value, looks, handling is very good. Quality is high, low road noise, good power (V6 - DON''T get a 4 for a SUV over 3K lbs - )

Radio shows controls for a CD stacker but not available (U.S.) speakers a bit weak, I am changing them Kenwoods, 3 way''s. Lack of sunroof - but with all that glass it is not as big of an issues as I first thought. These are nit issues compared to what is right about this SUV.

Excellent all around. I have the LX with AWD, traction control, ABS. It came withthe mats, mud guards, and roof racks. Not sure if I will ever use the roof racks but once you have something you use it. I belive like most of these reviews, there is a loat of first time SUV buyers driving the Santa Fe. I first saw it in an aorport and loved it until I saw it was a Hyundai. I themn started searching the internet and was pleantly surprised that folks loved it and were not experiencing problems with the Santa Fe. Well bought it and love it. Excellent ride, high value for the dollar and just the right size. I don''t want an off-road truck like the Xterra. Highway is what I am using it for. This truck, SUV, SXV - call it what you like it fits a large nitch of what drivers want. CAr like ride and features without the low gas milage and truck ride. It is also larger that the RAV 4 or CRV which did not fit this 6 foot, 240lb driver at all.

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Xterra, Explorer, CRV - have rode in these SUV quite a bit. Santa Fe beats them all for ride and comfort - AWD is much better than on demand 4X for commuting. Santa Fe is not an off road SUV or a SUV

Looks, comfort, ride, options, price

Gas Mileage is a ?, I can''t think of anything to put in here. I can''t give it a 5 until I have put some miles on it.

Initial opinion is it is an excellent car / truck. I say it that way as it gives you the best of both worlds. The price is great for what you get. The ride is excellent. gas mileage is still a question - about 20 combined - less than 500 miles so far. Like everyone else I compared wit all of the other SUV''s even the Xterra but the Xterra is all truck and the king of off road but I don''t go off road. I actually bought it for a commuter car. I am 6ft, 240lbs and it fits great not like the CRV or RAV 4. Stereo is very good. Controls are well placed. I will update the quality after 6months. But so far no morning after regrets. I have been asked about it while pumping gas and at the mall we had about 10 people gather around it to ask questions while I parked at the curb waiting for my daughter.

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Xterra

Excellent warranty, price, ride, standard features. Looks awsome. Shiftronic useful for highway and fast driving when needed.

Poor seating - not long enough for tall drivers.

Overall good automobile for the price. Researched many vehicles. Had 2 bad circuit boards and was in the shop for the first two weeks with only 13 miles. However, dealer gave me another to drive. I am 6 ft tall - problem on long drives because seat does not go back far enough. Gas mileage is less than expected. 22 at most with pure highway driving with automatic. Averaging 20mpg city/highway. Advertised 19-26 mpg, actually 18-22mpg

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CRV, RAV4, Explorer