We first purchased our HyundaiSante Fe almost 2 years ago when we found our we were expecting our first child. I went from an Audi TT to this massive chair on wheels expecting not to like it all, and was happily disappointed as I love it.
We paid £14,500 for it - it had been pre-registered with the garage 6 months before and had 1,000 miles on the clock. I paid £4,000 deposit and took out the finance that Hyundai were offering at the time. The rate, at that time, was very competitive, but better still, extremely flexible. I was able to pay off chunks of the loan when I felt like it with no added penalties. I paid off the loan very early like this and ended up saving around £1,500 in interest.
At the time the Sante Fe came with a three year warranty, of which two and half years were still outstanding - I never had to use it.
I bought the 2.4 version and expected it to guzzle petrol - it used less than my Audi TT. It takes around £45 - £50 to fill up the tank (depending where you get the petrol from), and goes for around 450 miles, on a combination of motorway and about-town driving - I also have the air-con all the time which isn't very fuel efficient.
The insurance is higher than I expected - and wasn't much different to my TT but I think that is because of the size of the engine.
It is absolutely massive inside - three people can easily sit in the back with loads of leg room - there is an arm rest in the middle at the back and the front. The material seats are also quite plush and came in a nice gray-silver colour. The boot is massive - we keep our 3-wheelerbaby buggy in it and there is still room for the weekly shop. It has a retractable cover to go over the contents in the boot and a boot liner and boot net to hold the shopping in and keep it still. The window at the back also opens separately so you don't have to open the whole of the back door.
There is holder for sunglasses at the front in the roof, and lots of nooks and crannies in the door and dash for bits and bobs. And the coolest thing of all is that there are cup holders in both the back and the front!
In terms of safety, I can only speak from my own experience of having a blow-out coming off the M3 in the rush-hour with my nine month old daughter in the back. I used the RAC cover that the Sante Fe came with on the warranty to get help and safely moved to one side of the car. The key thing to note is that I was going quite fast when it happened and was able to pull over safely and sit and wait for help very safely.
The stereo (a Sony one) probably isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I like it, it does the job! We bought the CD changer and had it fitted as it comes with a front loadingCD player for one CD.
The air con seems to work very quickly and blows well into the backseat.
The service we had was astonishingly cheap at around £150.
This year we changed to a newer version of the same thing and found, to our disbelief that they have improved it even more! They've jazzed up the interior to make it look more modern and more expensive and changed the radio slightly and it could be my imagination but it seems to go even better - AND we got a FIVE year warranty this time I don't think you can beat that!
The garage service was fantastic - they gave us a great price for our old Sante Fe. And both times we've bought cars there they've given us a bouquet of flowers!
And in answer to my first statement - no I don't miss my Audi TT - I find the Sante Fe actually quite quick to respond when I want to accelerate and find it goes around corners just as well. Better still my passengers don't get leg cramps and I can fit everything I need in it!
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Advantages: Cheap purchase price, low running costs, ideal in urban areas, comfortable, 5 year warranty Disadvantages: Not in the slightest prestigious, looks that aren't to everyone's taste
kevin121 20.10.2009 (20.10.2009)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: exceptional
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