The Ute is roomy for 5 very large adults and plenty of storage room for the trips to home depot or Ikea, The controls are easly accessable and all near the driver so its easy to change the radio station, the power outlets come in handy when you need to shave, and there is plenty of room upfront to get a hummer while your driving.

The dealership. I guess since Hyundai only sold crap for the last 10 years they are not used to people actually wanting to buy a car, so they need to cut out the cheap salesman talk, as Gordon Gekko once said, "The cheap salesman talk is obvious, and get a new suit."

Now that Hyundai actually has a car people want to buy, not one people say.. well thats all I can afford.. they should train their sales people to be well.. less like pushy salesmen, I mean the Sante Fe sells itself, its a nice addition to the sports Ute market and with a 10/10000 warranty
it comes in handy when/if the thing starts falling apart (remember its made in Korea), while the labor might be cheap the workmanship comes into question and they still might be mad at us for that whole "police action" back in the 50's

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rav4 (death mobile) honda CRV (accident wating for a place to be) Ford Excape (allready 3 recalls.. something about the engine falling out) Jeep (over priced Yuppie mobile)

Many nice features for the price. Warrenty: 5 year/50K, and drive train 10 year/ 100k. Nice interior, leather heated seats, heated exterior mirrors, self dimming rear view mirror, roomy; front and rear seating with plenty of cargo space. Full time 4 wheel drive with 60/40 power split between front and rear drives, automatic transmition with SHIFTRONIC (Manual Mode), Keyless entry with alarm. Power outlets and nice CD stereo, 16" Alloy wheels with matching spare (didn't find any other competing vehicle with this attribute). Did I mention its looks, that is the only thing my wife cares about and the ergonomics work well for all the accessory knobs and buttons. Gas mileage with the V6 was tops in the class.

Lacking a factory sun roof. Our dealership had an aftermarket one that could of been installed, but we didn't want to take the risk of problems down the road with an aftermarket installation. Because we did our homework, the vehicle meets the expectations my wife and I had for an urban assalt family waggon.

We live in New England and we had a good old fashion winter this year. Even with a front wheel drive vehicle we had several bad trips getting to or home from work in the snow. We have almost 2K on our LX Sante Fe so far and we are very pleased with our purchase. There were many vehicles to chose from, but you need to drive them all, look at the price and features and how you intend to use the vehicle. I am very satisfied with the power of our V6 2.7L. I wouldn't try and tow my 19 foot boat with it. It was a combination of many things that made the Hyundai the best deal: Warranty, price, and features. Walk into any dealer ship with the list of features on the LX Sante Fe and you'll not walk out with less than a $27K vehicle, that doesn't include the extended warranty you'd have to buy. I think we'll see a lot of mom's hauling kids to soccor and basket practice in all kinds of weather in safety and security of the 4 wheel drive Sante Fe, and be very happy with thier purchase. If your an extreme off roader, buy something else, but don't buy the Hyundai and then trash it because you purchased the wrong vehicle. I will say, that my final decision was made when I read the reviews on this web site. You all were thinking like me in your decision process. Will keep you updated as we get more miles on the vehicle.

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We did our homework for about two months prior to buying. We test drove and price compared vehicles lkie the: Nissan Exterra, Ford Escape, Toyota Rav-4 and Mazda Tribute, Chevy Tracker and Blazer. What you buy should depend on how you intend to utilize the vehicle: I have no plans to tow anything, or off-road. We wanted a safe reliable vehicle with 4 wheel drive and comfort. The Ford Exscape, was stiff and not very comfortable to drive, and the auto shift stick must of come off an F250 and sticks out infront of the accessory controls. The Nissan Xterra came close, but it was more vehicle in every respect then we needed; higher price, lower gas mileage and average warranty. We also compare dealerships, some I wonder how they ever sell any cars with their customer clowns they have in sales. We went to three different Hyundai dealerships before we found one with good sales, and service support. (Gary Rome Hyundai, Holyoke MA)When we were ready to buy this month, you couldn't find a Sante Fe LX. But Gary Rome's dealer ship, found the one we wanted and brought it in. Looks like many other people have done there homework also, and are buying them and going on waiting lists for them. If you don't like the Sante Fe then you bought the wrong vehicle for the purpose you entended to use it for.

heated seat that is cool, nice v6, full time 4 wheel drive, every thing is good

they forgot to make sun roof.......and there is nothing to say...oh they need to put some more power, acceleration is just find.

it is unbelivable, just go to dealer buy it. i did not do test drive wheb i bought it because there was no choice for me. santa fe was only one left when i buy it. just go for it, you would not regret.

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my first suv in my life....

Value.Where else can you find an SUV that rides as good as most cars and cost less than 25k? I also really like the Shiftronic Transmission. Using the transmission in the usual way is ok, but I've found the shift points a little strange; shifting "manually" works for me a little better. All the "amenities" that can with the LX are nice. Leather seats are comfortable even on long trips. So far gas mileage seems to be doing rather well, averaging about 25 on the highway.

Well I'm going to echo most people and say the Santa Fe needs a sunroof. That's my major complaint. The other thing is the quality of some of the materials, but hey it's not a Lexus or Mercedes.

Excellent. Excellent. Excellent. Rides very good. Pretty decent engine acceleration from a stop, better I've found using the shiftronic option. Had my Santa Fe for almost three months and a little over 2000 miles and have had no problems (except for some idiot who doesn't know how big his door is). I highly recommend this vehicle if your in the market for a SUV. In my experience they are a little hard to find. I called ten dealers in about a 100 mile radius and didn't find the model/color combo I wanted till the last dealer I called. They can't keep these babies in stock. Well to sum it up, if your in the market for a mid sized SUV, forget the rest and get a Santa FE.

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Well I had a '97 Sebring JXi Conv. and I'll never buy another Chrysler product again. Drove the Durango, 25k+ for that? Puhleeze. Also looked at some of the other mid-size to smaller SUV's, all crap. (Didn't even look at the bigger ones, knew I couldn't even come close to affording them).

Roomy interior. Warranty. Price. Looks. Performance.

No sunroof. Power windows and door lock buttons are not backlighted.

I love my Santa Fe. I must admit I was a previous owner of a Hyundai Excel which I bought new for $9k had for 8 years and sold for $1,600 and it was a great little car. The Santa Fe impressed me from the get go. It is the best in class as far as warranty, value, interior room, etc. Half of the mini SUV class vehicles I test drove had no room in the back seat to put your legs. They all also rode like trucks whereas the S.F. rides smoothly. The Toyota Rav-4 is possibly the MOST overrated car I have ever seen. Every one I saw was $25K for what?? The Toyota nameplate on the back bumper?? Give me a break!! The Santa Fe is 360 degrees different and better allround. Anyone who buys in this class and does not consider the Santa Fe because it is a Hyundai has rocks in their head!!!!!!!

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Test drove - Nissan xterra, ford escape, toyota rav-4, chevy tracker, etc. Nothing in class has as much room inside or is as wide and sleek looking as the Santa Fe.

-V6 strength and smoothness
-Ride quality, smooth and taut
-Shiftronic transmission
-Stereo sound quality
-Ergonomics
-Seat comfort, front and rear
-Overall wraparound feel of cockpit
-Nifty rear cargo area has an underfloor storage area

-Dealer

This has to be the best vehicle in its class. The looks are very different but stylish. I was suprised by the quality of the interior materials, very durable plastic. The heated seats are wonderfully comfortable both front and rear. Santa Fe drives almost exactly like a car. The ride was really pleasant. Unless AWD is needed, I would stick with FWD and TRACTION CONTROL. The Santa Fe is quite a bit quicker without all the extra weight.

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-Chevorlet Tracker (rattely, underpowered, and noisy deathtrap)

Styling, both interior and exterior. Handling. Features.

No lighting on window/lock buttons

Just picked up the car yesterday. It was love at first sight. The warranty was a definite plus since I just replaced the transmission on my Ford after only 3.5 years! Nice to know that is all covered for 10 years. Looking forward to a lot of driving fun.

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Ford Escape- S.F. looks a whole like better for the same $. Didn't even consider RAV4

I chose this vehicle as a replacement for my E-150 (V8) and T-Bird (V8). I initially didn't expect to be satisfied. Surprise! It is fun to drive. A very comfortable ride on rough roads and handles great on snow covered un-plowed highways. The heater is fantastic!

Nothing to report.

A quality product at a reasonable cost with many extras standard.

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Have not used similar products. I am not a fan of spare tires hanging from the rear door.

Good engine and solid drivetrain. Rides very well on the highway. Everything about the vehicle seems very solid and tight and I am amazed at the overall finish of the vehicle.

No sunroof and could use a little more thought to the interior. Like making the lock/unlock buttons lighted. Stock stereo stinks...but then again its stock and I have been called a snob in this area.

My wife and I spen the last several weeks looking for a small to mid size SUV in the 20,000 to 25,000 range and could not believe how much garbage is out there. The Dodge Durango is junk, the GMC/Chevy and FOrd products are OK...but so many others do it better. The Jeep Grand Cherokee was nice and drove extremely well but for the price people want for a used vehicle...no thanks. The toyota Rav4 is possibly the most over-rated vehicle in America. Its slow, rides like crap, has uncomfortable seats, and is really noisy.

The final choices came down to a used Toyota 4runner, new Subaru Legacy, and the Hyundai. Any of these vehicles are great but the 5/60 and 10/100 warranty of the Hyundai speaks volumes about the company' commitment.

My last experience was with a Hyundai Excel so it pains me to say that overall I am absolutley stunned at the quality of a...Hyundai?

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I have used or tried everything and even with a higher price tag I would have bought this.

I do think the fully loaded GLS makes a very attractive overall package, I can't really say that I am left wanting anything more. Good power, Great traction, good looks, lots of comfort and convenience features, great fit and finish. Best warranty of any. Just plain SWEET!

Transmision shifts a little awkward and takes some geting used to, but with the "shiftronic" you can make it do whatever you like. Would love higher quality materials, like higher grade leather, plastic. O.K. for $30000 Can. though.

this thing is such a big toy. So great to drive on icy roads. Four wheel: drive, disk brakes, and anti lock. Short and wide wheel base feels secure to drive. Even if you don't want them, every one has to try the heated leather, on a test drive. The only way to get something significantly better than this vehicle, would be to pay double or more the price. I think Hyundai did their homework on this one, and stole popular features from several other well designed SUV's, and came up with a super fun, ultra usefull, value priced cute-ute. I would encourage anyone in the market for a compact SUV to ignore Hyundai naysayers and some nameless SUV of year award. (highly over criticall review considering what it was up against) Give the "little guy" a chance. I really like this car.

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Subaru forester, Subaru Outback Sport, Mazda Tribute.
The comfort accomodations in the subaru and interior design was a little spartan and odd to my wife and me. The Mazda was a bit more expensive, for the same features. Also, I am not really a big mazda fan anymore, or Ford for that matter.(badged Ford Escape more or less)