2005 Santa Fe: Why or Why Not?

Hello All,

I am new here, so don’t spin me hard into the wall yet. I’m
considering getting a 2005 Santa Fe as my next vehicle. My current
lease, a 2002 Chrysler Sebring LXi Sedan comes due at the end of the
year. I am weighing all my options before making a decision regarding
buying the lease out or getting another vehicle. The good news, is if
I choose to get another vehicle, the Sebring will stay in the family,
as my Pop will most likely buy it at some point. Anyway, I digress.

Essentially, what I want to know is whether the Santa Fe (GL 2.7L AWD)
is worth checking out. If so, what about it makes it worthy of
attention. If not, why not? Please let me know. Thanks.

 

Well, it's less ridiculous than most other SUV's, but it's still a
pretty pointless purchase for most people. That is, unless all you
really care about is being trendy.

As you may have guessed, I'm not a fan of large, gas hogging vehicles.

 

I have an 03 GLS 4wd and just love it. Gas milage is about 20mpg
mixed driving. ( not quite as good as the sticker leads you to
believe) If you bump up to the 3.5liter engine it is quite powerfull
but wiht the added cost of weaker fuel economy. It should be noted
that this year 05 is the last year for this body style. 06 is supposed
to bring us a larger redesigned Santa Fe with perhaps 3 rows of
seating.

If you are seriously considering a Santa Fe come on over and check out
the www.santafeforum.net? It is a very large online owners group that
has an extensive combined knowledge of this vehicle.

Another option in the Hyundai Family is the new Tucson. It is a bit
smaller than the Santa Fe ( think crv, or rav4) but comes with even
more safety features than the Santa Fe and is available with the same
2.7 liter engine. There is another growing online community of
enthusiasts at www.tuscsonforum.net.

 

The powertrain you mention is reliable. Older models have had some
problems with transfer case leakage, but I think there have been some
redesigns to help correct that. All in all, I think it's a rather
reliable vehicle. Beyond that, you need to find out whether the vehicle
fits you -- size, shape, seating, function, etc.

 

Wow, I didn’t realize there was an entire forum dedicated to the Santa
Fe, LET ALONE the Tucson. I’ll check them out. I’m still in the
early stages of my search. With the fuel economy issue, it all
depends on driving style and location. For example, someone who’s
hard on the throttle would burn more fuel than someone who employs a
lot of coasting when behind the wheel. Off-roading also burns more
because the driver has to be heavier on the gas to go places. The
Canadian mileage is pretty similar to my Sebring, which is a big
bonus. I can calculate when I need to fill up and how far a tank of
gas will go.

I like the Hyundai SUV’s because they look good. I know that’s a bit
vain, however if it looks like a box with wheel wells are you going to
want to drive it?! Thought not. I hope to go on a couple of test
drives in the next couple of months. That will be the swing vote.

Thanks for the reply and links.

 

Just got my Santa Fe

Previously had a Mitsubishi Pajero (similar to Montero), with the
diesel motor

It was a great car, but the 2.7 Santa Fe returns 27 mpg(English
Gallon), which was better than the significantly heavier Pajero

The Santa Fe is very car-like to drive, and I am so far very impressed


The Pajero Owners Club website is brilliant

It all adds to the ownership experience.