It’s not easy to pigeonhole the new Hyundai Santa Fe. A rival to the popular Honda CR-V and increasingly popular Mazda CX-5? Could be, but isn’t that a job for younger sibling Hyundai Tucson?
Under the RM200k mark, we have the Mitsubishi Pajero Sport and Toyota Fortuner, which also have three rows of seats, but those SUVs are essentially canopied pick-up trucks, whereas the monocoque Santa Fe is a much more sophisticated machine. Then there’s newly updated sister SUV Kia Sorento, which unfortunately doesn’t come with a diesel engine in Malaysia, seriously limiting its punch next to the Hyundai.
So it’s no cliche when we say that the Santa Fe is in a class of its own, but our preview drive of the third-generation DM in Morocco also revealed that it’s a great family SUV, one that has progressed on several fronts compared to its predecessor, which we know quite well as our faithful company workhorse.
Speaking of the previous-gen Santa Fe, if no one were to tell you that the two cars were related, would you have guessed?
Thought not, such is the leap that Hyundai has made in one generation. This jump has seen a modest and understated SUV morph into a bold looking thing bordering on aggressive. Certainly so when one views the Santa Fe from the front, where a large hexagonal grille with thick slats shares space with striking headlamps that incorporate square projectors and LED daytime running lights as eyebrows.
The assertive face won’t be to all tastes, but no one will be accusing Hyundai of playing it safe. Personally, I think it’s a fitting visage for a big SUV, although yours truly’s favourite view of the Santa Fe is from the the rear three quarter.
A hint of Audi perhaps, but the last we checked, the brand with the four rings is an aspirational one. The reflectors are joined by a slim strip of mesh, mirroring the lower front bumper and fog lamps, ditto the silver painted skid plates at both ends.
Speaking of 4X4 style elements commonly used to toughen up the looks of SUVs, the new Santa Fe has a relatively substantial black-clad bottom half of the car, which now includes an outline of the wheelarches. Some may say this gives off a less premium vibe, but it’s a non-issue for me, and one can always pick a darker shade of paint in any case. This big guy looks quite dapper in dark blue, don’t you think?
The Santa Fe looks much more dynamic than before, and it’s not just an illusion. At 4,690 mm, this car is just 5 mm longer than before, and the 2,700 mm wheelbase is unchanged, so what we’re seeing is an SUV that sits much closer to the ground (45 mm lower), with a less upright stance emphasised by a raked windscreen angle that’s almost sportscar-like. The daylight opening is much smaller than before, too.
I find the rising signature line that recirculates at the rear door handle before making a step up very interesting, a variation of something Hyundai tried before on the current Azera sedan. In Malaysia, the Santa Fe comes with 18-inch wheels for the Elegance and 19 inchers for the Executive Plus spec. It’s a good thing that even the pincer-spoked smaller set of rims don’t appear overwhelmed by the Santa Fe’s big body.
By the way, the car you see here is the standard wheelbase variant with a third-row option, similar to what Malaysia gets. A LWB Santa Fe exists to replace the Veracruz in certain markets.
Hyundai calls the Santa Fe’s design “Storm Edge” and apparently, the design team was inspired the strong and dynamic images created by nature during a formation of a storm. We don’t always understand designer speak, but can conclude that this SUV looks much more Sport than Utility now. Many will buy it for the looks, we reckon.
But the bold exterior styling is only one part of the Santa Fe’s greatly improved showroom appeal. The previous car was good on paper and on the move, thanks to that diesel motor, but there wasn’t much to wow the typical see-see, knock-knock showroom punter.
The interior, while spacious, had a very simple dashboard design that wasn’t much to look at. It all felt a bit truck-like too, down to the seating position and hard plastics. Functional, but that’s about it.
Well, the cabin is no longer a weak point in the new Santa Fe, having taken an even bigger leap forward than the exterior design. The simple old shallow dashboard is replaced by a riot of surfaces and curves, with a centre stack that reminds me of an elephant head (air con vents as ears) or a hooded cobra.
The shapely dash extends to the door cards, which are similarly busy looking. Perceived quality is up by a few notches, thanks to softer plastics and small improvements such as the phasing out of the old car’s shiny wiper/indicator stalks. Hyundai couldn’t have charted a bigger departure from the previous cabin environment if they wanted to.
Personally, I prefer less busy surrounds, but don’t dislike the Santa Fe’s cabin either. It helps that despite the chaos, all the elements are exactly where you would expect them to be, and the steering buttons (audio, cruise control, trip computer, Flex Steer) cover most of the frequently used functions, in any case.
Even if the amount of functions are the same, this new cabin gives off a “feature-rich” impression that’s vital in a car like this. Malaysian-spec Santa Fes amplify that feeling with more kit – a touch screen ICE system that’s locally fitted but nicely integrated, and phone controls that make it a full house on the steering.
Another noteworthy feature is the 12-way powered driver’s seat, which is standard across the range, while Executive Plus spec adds on a wide panoramic glass roof. It all looks impressive, and expensive.
If the design leap has led you to expect a similar change in the driving experience, sorry, you’ll find no such thing. The Santa Fe doesn’t need a big shift in the drive department, though. The second-gen CM was a pleasant enough drive – a comfy, easy going hauler with big torque and effortless performance with the diesel engine.
The ‘R’ series 2.2 CRDi with variable geometry turbo (e-VGT) is back for a repeat performance, bringing with it 197 hp and 436 Nm of torque from 1,800 to 2,500 rpm. The latter is sufficient for the Santa Fe driver to leave any SUV below RM200k in its wake, without breaking sweat.
This is a gem of a diesel engine that doesn’t look poor next to the best European oil burners. It’s responsive, smooth revving and quiet, perhaps a touch more so than in the previous Santa Fe, if we remember correctly.
But the CRDi’s trump card is effortless performance – after a small hint of lag, the torque catapults the big SUV past any obsctacle in your way. The flexibility and in-gear acceleration on offer makes the Santa Fe a relaxing car to drive, whether in the cut and thrust of the city or on long distance highway runs.
The R’s accomplice is Hyundai’s own six-speed automatic gearbox. The torque converter unit is a good partner to the diesel engine. It’s not the fastest and snappiest slushbox around, but that’s easily covered by the torquey nature of the engine. A sign of the effectiveness of the combo is that we never once needed to use manual mode.
I also got to try the diesel with a six-speed manual – shift quality was much better than expected (Elantra M/T is the cause of low expectations) and you can coax the wheels to spin noisily away from rest, which can be hilarious at toll booths! With all that torque in hand (literally) the CRDi felt even more potent, but even a stick shift supporter has to concede that the auto suits the Santa Fe’s easy going character better.
There’s also a 176 hp/227 Nm 2.4 Theta II petrol option for Malaysia, but we only sampled the diesel in Morocco. I’m sure it wouldn’t have been half as impressive as the oil burner, but it’s also over RM10k cheaper than the diesel, spec for spec, in Malaysia. The choice is yours, I know what mine would be!
Drivetrain aside, the new DM possesses good supression of noise and vibration at high speeds, a noticable improvement over the old car. The wide highways around the coastal city of Agadir allowed for some high speed crusing, and the speedo touched 190 km/h at one point. It is at these kind of speeds that the new Santa Fe feels more sure footed and secure than its predecessor. Less pitch and roll, and slightly more car-like, too.
Don’t mistake this for sporty, though. I haven’t had the chance to drive the Ford Kuga and new CR-V, but I won’t be shocked if the smaller duo are more nimble around the bends. The Santa Fe is a big car, and drives very decently for what it is.
You won’t be throwing it around like a hot hatch anyway, so things like good ride comfort on the 18-inch wheels are more meaningful. Not sure how it’s like with the Executive’s 19s, but I have a feeling that it won’t deteriorate by much.
Like all new Hyundai-Kia products, the Santa Fe comes with Flex Steer, which varies the level of steering assistance in three steps – Comfort, Normal and Sport. No difference in the amount of feedback through the rim (low), just the weighting. Normal did it for me, with the heaviest Sport coming into play during high speed cruising.
Honestly, I can’t imagine Normal being too cumbersome for anyone, and the mid-point setting suits the Santa Fe’s character more than Sport, so Flex Steer is something I can do without, personally. It’s good to be presented with choices, though. No such thing as one man’s weight, another woman’s complaint here.
Moving away from the driver’s seat, the second row has seats that can slide fore and aft, which is good, but an MPV-style tumble fold system would have made access to the third row easier.
Speaking of the rearmost seats – which have their own air vents with fan speed control – they are usable for children and short journeys, but you won’t want to put grown adults you care about back there. This is within expectations, as is the smallish triangular luggage space with all the seats up.
In five-seat mode, the large boot can take in 534 litres of cargo up to the window line, or four golf bags plus four Boston bags, Hyundai points out. All things considered, the third row is a great thing to have in a family SUV, or an events company hauler in our case.
Like before, it is that seven-seat capability and the strong diesel engine that sets the big Hyundai apart from smaller (and cheaper) SUVs like the CR-V, CX-5 and Kuga. The Santa Fe has always been in a class of its own in Malaysia, but armed with bold new looks inside out, it can now stride confidently around town and win some due respect.
The new Santa Fe was launched locally in June. We get two engine options and two trim levels, with prices ranging from RM163,888 to RM189,888 OTR with insurance. Click here to read our launch report.
Malaysian-spec Santa Fe – launch gallery
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I looked at overseas websites..the LWB is powered by a 3.7L v6…that would price it insanely in our market environment thanks to _________ ( insert your favoured culprit’s name here ) …..probably why we will never see it here in our country.
To all Used Car salesman, please don’t cheat people here. We all know your modus operandi for years now. Spreading rumours and buying up Korean cars cheap. Then reselling it at the real market price. I deal with used cars and I can tell you Korean cars have the SAME RV as Toyota and Honda. The old myth of bad resale value was during the Kia Sephia days. From 2010 onwards, all Korean makes have 100% same resale value as Toyota and Honda. Go to mudah and go to cuntlies and compare one for one, you will see Accord and Camry have SAME RV as Sonata. Tucson and Sorento have same RV as Honda CRV.
So please used car salesman, don’t bullshit here. People have Internet and they can see with their own eyes. Otherwise, there won’t be so many Hyundai and Kia on the road nowadays. People know, spec and safety wise, the Koreans beat the Jepun flat! Now, RV also more or less the same. Soon, the Jepun is going to feel the pinch of market share dwindling. Its already!
In Malaysia, the used car salesman is the lowest form of life. They are even lower than ameba.
Used car salesman always lie and cheat. Always change the odometer. They are lower than ameba. Now getting clever and going on internet to spread rumours.
How much torque do you want???the 2.2 crdi engine already producing 436nm of torque from 1800 to 2500 rpm…
he wants to use it as a tractor/excavator
As usual Jimmy always tok kok.
I agree 100%
Korean? Next pls
Go ahead…whos stopping u … no one ask u come here:D
yea…like he can afford anything better
Yeah… He can afford all the cars that he had mentioned before, but only in his dreams! He should stay out of all Korean cars discussions in the future if he hates them so much. Real sore loser!!!
Would encourage more people to buy this when is comes out new. I year later, it will be worth less than 50%. Love it when you see the look of their faces
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nice suv but frustated w 2 airbags
To be more precise, bloody overpriced with 2-airbags. But I guess there will be blind buyers out there for the initial batches.
how bout u suggest something better?
fortuner and pajero sport? with their tractor engine and ladder chassis?
ford kuga,crv,cx-5? where’s the diesel and 2 seats missing?
sadly pajero with 6 airbags only available in euro trim version. limited!
Suggest you have a look at the Pajero Sport Euro as a better buy. There are still units left for sale.
pajero euro? 180k for something that doesn’t even have traction control and you call that good value
I prefer ladder chassis for my SUV, not some sissy on-road car beefed up chassis.
in case you don’t know BMW fanboi,all bmw suv are all monocoque chassis
i can understand your statement if you live in rubber estate and send your kids to tuition through mud hills and creeks
but most of us live in some place call “city”,we drive on road without mud and huge rocks call “highway”,wobbly ladder chassis made our children sat behind vomit
I don’t quite agree
Granted 2 airbags is sad, but I think the pricing is write competitive. It’s within touching distance to the japs’ compact SUV offerings
Worth a second look I reckon
Korean haters can stay away (myself included) but that doesn’t mean we should shut ourselves out from looking and comparing objectively
Kimchis can have 7 airbags, but whats the point when non works?
Love a first sight on this SUV. The pricing is a bit high though. Need to get down to test drive it before any decision. Another on my lists is Kia Sorento.
i m one of the test drivers for this car . Smooth and powerful.
Trust me and test it out yourself before you bash .
Those Korean haters …… Mind your bloody mouth and test it out .
You will luv it I assure you . those ignorant haters don’t bash it if you cannot afford it .
Cheers.
The used car fella will be smoother and more powerful telling you that you are Hailat when trading in this kimchi
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hey click summore…make it 18400 dislikes. Your pathetic boss is paying ur salary for clicking dislike button…lolx…
Try to convince us to test drive this JUNK, NO WAY!!
I was hoping that more sorhais will buy new, so that when it comes to selling time, I get to show them the Hailat
i can afford it but why wasting money? this should be priced MYR70,000 only
the inside ipad is look like a ford one
preve yg x abis2 test tu kena test kat situ jgk laa…
2 airbags aside, I think it is a good buy.
I’m curious why many of us is preoccupied with how many airbags? The real safety star in all cars is really the ESC (Electronic Stability Control). ESC greatly reduces your chances in getting into an accident in the first place. This is something unfortunately some Japanese Manufacturers omit (most notably Toyota).
Every time i see a car crashed to the side into a pole / tree (without any other cars involved) usually after a bend I see that these cars are without ESC.
I’m not saying airbags are useless they are still important. But Imagine this if every car has ESC the chances of someone else loosing control of their car and hitting you will be lower… now that is food for thought.
I dont think it is a preoccupation as much…by today safety standard a mininum 6 airbags would better than 2…and coupled with ESC it will put you in a safer seat – don’t you think so?
I agree, if you have a car with 6 airbags AND ESC definitely this will be a top safety pick.
However if there are 2 models one with 2 Airbags and ESC another with 6 Airbags without ESC. I’d take the one with only 2 airbags.
pls pls pls take a test drive for subaru forester first….
below 200k also….
u will know the suv different!
pls…..
i truely love car…..but i hardly found this car below 200k…i cant believe..
ford kuga, crv, sante fe, tucson, cx5…..hard to fight this subaru. pls trust me…before u wan to dislike me… pls go test first…u will know.!aa
Agree with u. 1 like for your comment. Handlingwise, forester win. If one just too lazy to have a test drive, juat find the AWD comparison videos in the youtube.
Regards.
Rather than compare the Santa Fe to CRV, CX5 or Kuga, isn’t it more appropriate to compare it to other seven seater SUVs, eg Pajero Sport, Chevy Captiva, Fortuner or even volvo XC90, mazda CX9..? Having said that, how does Santa Fe compare to the Captiva?
The Santa Fe’s (diesel) engine alone is miles ahead of the VCDi in terms of grunt and refinement. The Captiva is an old product, and it wasn’t a class leader when it came out.
Despite the good looks, the name itself is not so elegance to pronounce.
“what car you drive?”
“i drive hyundai santa fe”
“santa what?? santa fail?”
I guess you like them to name their cars Hyundai Kenari/Kancil/Rusa/Kelisa and Ketam…
Names that flair…
dah xde apa nk komen nama pun boleh hentam jgk….what abt those who drive maybach? Veyron? Bavaria motor work? Do these names signify luxury n prestige when they first came out?
Santa Fe is the name of place in United State. Sorry you dont know that?? U must lived in the cave
Its simple. Kimchi means no class and no RV
perhaps Chinese educated. That’s why difficult to pronounce English names.
Korean always have no identity in design. It used to be a BMW alike Sorento and now this is Audi alike.
What’s next? Mercedes alike?
Koreans are originally so short and not good looking (pre-plastic surgery), then u see this beautiful car, out comes a short ugly dude/dudette. Should of built this uglier so it would look korean.
I wait for another 3 years to buy this car. By then it cost me only rm40 k
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Excuse me, the trade in value at the 18th month mark will be around RM40k, if lucky
Oh come on la. Stop all this obsession with airbags. Airbags are meant to complement the usage of seatbelts, and we all know for a fact that plenty of Malaysians don’t even bother to wear seatbelts. You can buy a car with 10 airbags but it doesn’t make it any safer than cars with only two, not necessarily. The better option would be to improve our driving attitude first. So stop looking at airbags only and start looking at the whole package.
yup i agree wth u bro….this 2 airbags issue is just an excuse to bash hyundai brand…well actually it’s sime darby’s fault. Anything korean is a weaker lot….what a sick mentality
Nope more airbag is must…go and see ondscene.my and you’ll know most of the death accidents involving cars documented in that blog will bear difference result if more airbags installed..
The hyundai is all well and good, but were getting a 2 airbagged inokom , with a crappy useless ‘leader card’ in the mix
This car is a big leap from the previous generation, the Korean is improving fast this is what any car manufacturer should be, sadly not our own P1 and P2. Give them few years more I think they can be at par with the European.
I agree with you. Despite many Korean car manufacturers haters here – I believe they excelled themselves by heaps and bounds compared to us. We are better at hantaming only…talkers not doers…
yea,thinking few years back when p1 was born,they are considerable better than hyundai kia (think the early crappy ascent and rio),now korean car manufacturer seems to move in light speed but p1 and p2 like going backwards.
proton is not going backward, at least now has turbo engine, 5 star ancap star rating car etc. unlike some overpriced japs cars which still with 2 airbags, 4 gears, no vsc. and proton is younger than hyundai/kia, no wonder.
Like CX-5, the glove compartment looks like a ‘baldi’ plastic. Shame really.
Koreans has improved alot in the automotive unlike our beloved Proton, nevertheless …. pricing should be lower ….. take for example. Would you be keen to buy Hankook tyres ? Korean tires same pricing with your Falken (Japan brand not the best) which one would consumers buy ? Japan tyres or Korean ?
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Another loser bringing up the topic about resale value… Jeez! Don’t you Korean car haters get tired of your silly assumptions? Go do a thorough second hand value comparison of Japanese, Korean(modern models) and Conti cars. You will notice that Korean cars have neither the highest nor the lowest resale value compared with other makes. So stop demonizing Korean makes just because you don’t have the foresight of a smart consumer. Getting really sick and tired of all the noises these empty vessels(anti Korean cars group) are creating withou solid facts and figures to back up their claims. Sounds cliche but, if you guys have nothing good to say about a genuinely good product, then just SHUDDUP!!!
still all the rubber still come from boleh/siam/indo
There is nothing kimchi owners can do on RV. Its will never be more than 50% within 1 year
lol…control your blood pressure. Dont want to see you down with a stroke without first enjoying your 2013 Santa Fe.
To me it is a nice looking SUV. Having read Paul Tan’s review will definitely book myself a test drive and find out for myself how good this car is…instead of getting my knickers in a twist over others’ comments. After all, it is our money that we’re going to spend and not theirs.
Lolz.
No worries as my blood pressure is well under control. Thanks for your concern anywayz…haaa..haa. Just am sick and tired by all the cheap talk condemning modern Korean vehicles that are now considered a major player in the world auto industry. Enjoy your test drve though!
With a price tag of 180k+ but comes only with 2 airbags, definitely this is not something that potential buyer expect to have.
But to simply write this new Santa Fe off if you don’t look at the whole picture, it would be foolish as well.
436nm…436nm…436nm…nuff said….
compared those CX5/CRV puny 200nm/190nm for the 2.0 or abt 230nm for the 2.4…this thing is a monster
In two years time the engine will breakdown, you will find yourself visiting workshopp too often. Korean engine is good, hitech and powerful but it cannot stomach our dirty fuel n not durable and realiable compare to others.
Are you talking from facts or you had a premonition???
Where did get your facts from?
436nm for 2.2? Id say its overtuned.
Overtune engine + bad fuel quality + our country weather enviroment
Yeah. Wait till you have the tow truck operator as speedial 1 on your phone
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Alex, you are wrong. Its 50% RV within 1 year
Well if you have one in stock and want to sell it for 90k in one year I will buy it from you. I bet you don’t.
aiya……. I hope to receive positive feed back or something constructive….. Any Korean owners care to share the maintenance cost of owning a santa fe.. say the 08 model?
I am talking about availability(parts), reliability(seldom break down) and cost (spare parts) of maintaining a Korean car (know how).
Thank you.
I am driving Santa Fe 08 model now. My first Korean car! Is a very very good suv..Very powerful and fuel efficiency!!! One full tank can drive me ard 650 km – 700 km city drive and ard 800 km for highway drive!!! Unexpectedly!…well performing suv!!! The maintenance and parts are not expensive if compared to Toyota Innova and Mitsubishi Triton which i owned before! Worth to buy! I strongly recommend this suv to u guys tat are looking for suv rite now! I am considering this latest model…but the problem is i am still loving my current model coz after driving for 5 years, it is still performing good and touch wood, didn’t bring me any big headache things…:)
Have you asked how much is your kimchi worth now?
just saw this in the showroom….exterior and interior quite nice…
The Sante fei sold in Singapore has 7 airbags!
The original model comes with a Seat Easy Access I.e. the driver’s seat slides backwards when the car is unlocked to allow the driver an easy access into the seat. Is this feature retained in our local model?
Don’t know whether these cars can ‘cope’ with our low quality diesel?
Any problem you guy with diesel-powered car facing right now?
I wonder does it effect our models here in malaysia.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2013/07/09/2013-hyundai-santa-fe-nhtsa-investigation-axle-failure/2503623/
Just wait for a few months and when sales are dismal due to 2 airbags etc, there will be a new face lift model launched with all the missing specs added back but the sales price remains the same. I am just sitting tight and holding on to my M$190,000 until then !
Poor quality of Malaysia diesel can affect the engine? Anyone experienced this issue? How about the third row in Santa fee, is it ok for long distance travel? Diesel or petrol, which one is more fuel efficient and worth buying? How about the suspension, comfortable when driving? Please any experienced advices!
Guys,
Just to share my basic experience owning the 2.2diesel(full spec variant) for almost 2 months plus now. Purpose for buying this is: to work and occasionally travel to up north (Krabi/Phuket/Kohsamui)
Comfort : 4.5/5 For a 19inch rim it felt pretty comfortable and even on uneven road.
Performance : 5/5 The 436Nm works wonder on highway
Fuel consumption : 4/5 not bad for a almost two ton SUV. on highway I can get almost 700km in one single tank ( RM2 per litre : RM115 full tank)
Handling : 4/5 surprisingly handle pretty well on winding roads.
Interior : 4/5 very spacious and airy, especially when open up the moon roof. but third row is only for kids, and is hard to go in and out.
About the Malaysia Diesel, so far not much complain except we get black smoke more often compare to Thai diesel ( Euro4).
hope that help. cheers
Hi Richard, I bought the same top end model and have been driving it since September of last year. I fully agree with all your comments and have the same experience and I really like the car. My only problem is that when there is no one in the second row, the seats make a lot of noise as they vibrate and the lather chafes against one another. This is the only very annoying thing. Do you have the same problem. I have complained numerous times but the service centres do not know how to fix it.
Try using oil used for cleaning leather sofas.
Our diesel quality will eventually affect the car’s fuel pump. My friend had to change his fuel pump after about 2 years
mmm…my hilux and captiva almost 4 to 5 years, no issue on fuel pump. wonder why..
I was told by my mechanic that with only a 2.2 ltr engine which is very highly tuned, the problem for our Sante Fe is inevitable. Your hilux & Captiva, despite having a bigger cc engine, you note that the hp and torque are much lower I.e. The engine has been detuned to accommodate our poorer fuel quality.
My mechanic said that your Hilux and Captiva despite having very much bigger cc engines, they have been specially detuned to accommodate our poorer fuel quality. You will note that despite the Sante Fe’s small 2.2 ltr engine, it has been so highly tuned to give a maximium Hp & torque, very much higher than the 2 cars you own. If you are a heavy footed driver who regularly revved your engine, your fuel pump will definitely be adversely affected. Most high performance new cars sold abroad now run on diesel. Have you ever wonder why our local franchise holders are not bringing in these cars for sale in Malaysia ?
captiva is only 2.0L la. but is that the concern, think is better off you stay away from Santa Fe, cos you be worry sick every second you floor it. One of the reason I bought it also cos one my friend is driving the older gen, ..and he has been going out station every week and I think is about 2 years plus and clock about more then 100k kmh without a single complain. you should consider CRV2.4. for sure no problem and better resale value.
My friend purchased a brand new Sante Fe (previous model) just to take us on an overland trip covering Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. Most of the other cars in the convoy were mostly toyota land cruisers, a few twin cabs and one Land Rover Defender. The route covered both tarred roads as well as off roads including a few river crossings. Despite not being modified with heavy duty suspension and absorbers, front and back bull bars etc our car performed admirably except for a few off road sectors from Laos into north Vietnam. Our soft suspension is not meant for rough off roads with boulders. When going at high speed, the body kept hitting the chassic. In some rural areas in Cambodia and Laos, we were forced to gas up at road side stalls where diesel is sold from tanks with a glass cylinder tube attached to the top. You use a hand pump to fill up this glass tube then release the diesel through a hose into your car. The quality of the diesel is suspect. Probably, this may be the cause of our fuel pump breaking down later on. Interesting to note, none of the other cars encountered any problems with their fuel pumps? Notwithstanding, I will still purchase a Sante Fe, but not until they put back some of the missing assessories found in the models sold overseas!
Richard, my wife is already using a Honda CRV (previous model). The 2nd hand value is not all that great. For a nearly 3 year car, I was only offered 90k for a trade in. Yes it is trouble free but the main problem is that it is grossly under powered. Try driving it up Genting Highlands and you will know what I mean. I had to use 2nd gear most of the way. BTW, I find that it’s quite heavy on fuel especially for city drives. I get only about 8 km per lit! This is why I am going for a Sante Fe instead!
Elchino,
I agree wholeheartedly with u. I hv a CRV too. Reliable but terribly underpowered and fuel-hungry.
But it is a joy to drive, though.
Diesel filter needs to be changed every 30k to prevent the fuel pump issue. My Santa Fe is 6 years now, no issue with fuel pump.
“Most high performance new cars sold abroad now run on diesel. Have you ever wonder why our local franchise holders are not bringing in these cars for sale in Malaysia ?”
TRUE. too late for me but I guess got to take your advice to be more gentle on the throttle.
cheers
Elchino, I test drove the 2.0CRV, not to even mention about the underpower, but the quality of the cabin it felt worst then the 3rd gen. The eco mode is a joke btw..
Dear Danny,
Reading your statement: ” The latter is sufficient for the Santa Fe driver to leave any SUV below RM200k in its wake, without breaking sweat. ”
I think it is a bit in acurate.
Less than 200k suv.
Honda CR-V 2.4 can go 0-60mph in 7.2s
http://autos.aol.com/cars-Honda-CR_V-2013-EX_L__4dr_All_wheel_Drive/overview/
CR-V 2.4 was launched 18 days earlier than this article is written.
http://paultan.org/2013/07/02/honda-cr-v-2-4l-introduced/
Hyundai Santa Fe 2.2 Crdi only managed to get 0-60mph of 9.8s
http://www.carpages.co.uk/guide/hyundai/hyundai-santa-fe-2.2-crdi-style-5-seat.asp
Mind me telling, how do you get the statement above, me interested in santa fe 2.2 crdi.
Coming to Malaysia CX 5 2.5 skyaktiv can go 0-60mph in 7.2s
http://www.autoblog.com/2013/02/05/2014-mazda-cx-5-with-2-5-liter-skyactiv-engine/
I am shocked to hear that the Sante Fe’s acceleration is even slowly than the Honda CRV & CX5, despite it’s very high BHP & Tourge. Is this possible????! I presently own a CRV & it accelerates like a tank!
0-100 km/h times don’t describe the strong real world performance of modern diesel cars. Compared to NA petrols, which usually have to be worked hard, the superior flexibility and in-gear acceleration of diesels contribute to an ‘effortless’ drive, thanks to the torque. Do try the CRV 2.4 and Santa Fe 2.2 CRDI back to back and tell me what you think.
In any case, the CR-V 2.4 wasn’t available yet when I wrote that review, ditto the CX-5 2.5. Cheers and happy shopping!
Thanks Danny, my brother own the new 2.4 CR-V. Drove to KL-Ipoh recently. Was okay to drive, very spacious. Ok also at acceleration. But don’t know the real numbers. Don’t know also if Malaysian 2.4 CR-V gets the 7.2 sec. Don’t feel like a 7.2 sec suv.
Test drove Santa Fe, the enormous diesel turbo can be felt. Acceleration sensation also is present. But also don’t have real numbers. Test drive meaning 5km range so not much can be quantify. Bigger space, electronic parking brake, auto folding door mirror are plus point. The only bad thing is 9.8sec 0-100 on paper.
9.8sec suv meaning can anytime be bullied by mat2 rempit or ah beng2 rice racer.
Hyunday Santa Fe 2013 Rear seats very noisy.
I bought the top of the range 2.2 CRDI Sante Fe in August of 2013 and find that the rear (2nd row) seats vibrate a lot and the leather chafes with the adjacent seats making it very noisy in the car when there are no rear passengers.
I have been complaining about it on every service but as usual with Malaysian businessmen, the service centres just give me the run around silly excuses like this is normal and every other car has this problem and it is not a big deal, etc., etc.,
As far as I am concerned, these are all ridiculous excuses and for a car that is really good to drive, this is the only problem and should be fixed but being a Malaysian consumer, we have very little rights in this country.
Any suggestions on how I can take this issue further to get the proper attention it needs?
Please advise.
p.s – The Santa Fe top of the range I drove in Abu Dhabi has no such seat noise problems.
Many thanks.
I bought it almost the same time as yrs, the full spec diesel.
Thk god got no sound or any vibration on the rear seat.
A very recent review from Auto guide.com from America.
It might not share the same engine and the length of the vehicle but a lot in common.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiDU3c5z1qQ?w=300
Richard, a very useful video. Strengthen my resolve to buy a Santa Fe! However, the 2 airbags is still a big let down for a car which costs about $191,000. With this pricing, the CBU Madza 2.5 AWD is starting to look very attractive indeed. At $175,000 on the road plus all the bells & whistles, this Japanese built car will be hard to beat!
Elchino, if you’re not bother with the 3rd row seat. guess is better of with Mazda. cos I need the third row and the only option is this. btw, I did when and check out the CX9 but expensive, recon and not to mention about the road tax and fuel consumption.
Just went to the Hyundai showroom and found that their latest 2014 model Santa Fe still has 2 airbags. However the sales people mentioned that later on in the year, there could possibly be some minor facelift but the 2 airbags will remain. I will continue to hold back my purchase of a Santa Fe until they put back all the airbags failing which by the end of the year, I may have to consider switching to a Camry hybrid which I hear will cost almost the same.
santa fe shit la, only 25k km absober gone and waiting 1month still no.stock, after chage brake oil master pump gone(force change by hyundai). 4wd cant fucntion cant work propely(if no believe can ask hyundai plentong johor bahru have make a video for them or not). gear box also cant work properly sometime dun wan change gear. only can use buy a SHIT car to express my mood now.
Very worrying if what you say is true as I am waiting for my 2.2ltr diesel unit. Wonder whether other owners out there has similar problems with their cars. My friend has not encountered any problem and he has a Tuson and a demo petrol Sanra Fe unit which he recently bought during a promotion.
i think better wait my problem solve just buy, because the 4wd really not function well and 1month already still cant solve and appointment with them also no reply,maybe u can ask the sales person check wih HQ how to solve. and when u test drive try using downhill control check wheather will have loud sound from gearbox, i ask Hyundai they say is normal. but if when u heard it i think u wont use it. If really like the car maybe push them to solve, if no after buy reall rugi, last month my fren buy a diesel unit year 2013 dealer discount almost 20k
Yes, my friend bought a 2013 demo petrol but not the executive model at a discount of $20,000 too. It had a meter reading of only 2,000+ klm. He is happy with it as the car is trouble free to date
maybe can try using those function or ask the salesman ask HQ how about the solution for mine complain. Head of spare parts department amd head of customer service and the technical department all knpw this problem. absober broke more than 1month allno stock, and need appoinment for test.all problem all blame each other. If normal driving u wont know.all problem. and one time i go genting the.gearbox.dun wan change gear ask those PRO technician all say dont know and just ask me put down car for testing only. then everytime ask then jz say no solution. how can have confident with the SHIT Hyundai service
Sahan, which Santa Fe model are you driving. As I go up Genting frequently, I am concerned that the hill decend control function of the car causes the gear box to be noisy is a concern especially when you are told that this is normal. I wonder whether Richard who bought a Santa Fe recently has encountered similar problems. Richard please assisit as Sahan’s negative comments is causing me to worry whether I should consider buying something else?????
Santa fe latest model DM 2.2 CRDI, i buy when it launching last year July, now already 36k km millage. if u are heavy using better dun buy. they cant use fully oil then each 5k km need service each time RM410+-, same engine oil in my mazda BT50 Mazda ask 10k km service.so i cant understand why Mazda and BMW can use.10k km but Hyundai ask service 5k km. and this engine oil when hot the car will loss power so waste time and waste money, then 20k km change brake oil and disel filter 40k km gear oil(2gearbox) mine another Q5 10k km jz need RM500+-, really wan buy maybe ask salesman let u test drive Genting, and using downhill control. and compare to other SUV, because Santa fe normal drive is.front wheel handing i think my BT50 better it, and can compare other SUV servicing manual. My family using Hiluxx,triton,ford ranger, Dmax, BT50, so using this kind vechile and diesel engine have more experince. if dont mind warrenty maybe can consider this BEST SUV santa fe.
I bought mine in August 2013. clock almost 30k km. up and down Phuket 3 time. touch wood…not a single problem.
Danny Tan, do u know that yr search option/engine is not user friendly. It’s virtually impossible to search for any article as the result is always”not found”. Try searching for Sante Fe, even if u misspell d word “Fe ” as “Fei” even though yr spelling for Hyundai Santa is correctly spelled, u still end up with a “not Found “.
Richard, can u or anyone out there tell me how often do u service yr Sante Fe? Is it true it’s everyone 5,000 km or every 3 mths whichever is earlier. Also how often do u hv to change diesel filter. Also how much is each servicing. Heard that d serving charges for 30,000 km. & 40,000 r very high as certain parts hv to b changed. Tks
Thanks for your feedback
Every 5k service which ever come first… cost me around slightly over RM400.
20k service is about RM700.
cheers
i just claim my absober yesterday, but still hv the knock knock sound, the SA also no solution. today continue checking. my car now become white mouse. so sad
According to their specs, the fuel rating is 7.5litre per 100 Klm. However, when I drove my Sante Fe 2.4 Elegance to Penang, I only got 10.7 per 100 Klm despot using the econ mode and mostly cruise control
According to their specs, the fuel rating is 7.5litre per 100 Klm. However, when I drove my Sante Fe 2.4 Elegance to Penang, I only got 10.7 per 100 Klm despot using the econ mode and mostly cruise control
2 straight and simple questions… pls advise..
im intested in getting 1. my question is.. whats the best discount now? (on petrol models) and dont mind getting a 2013 brand new.
do find it messy to read up on santa fe related info here, pls recom if there is owners’ problem and feedback forum or something for me to have a better pic if to own 1.
Thank you.
I am in the market for a new 2.2 ltr Executive Santa Fe. I would also like to know the best offer anyone can get out there. I am only interested in a 2015 model, i.e. year of manufacture 2015
For a Santa Fe, the most I was offered was a discount of only $4,000. However, should you be interested in a Tucson 2.0 executive 2014 model, it is being offered at a discount of about $10,000. This Tucson, I am told is the one with a Nu engine and has 6 airbags and a reverse camera whereas the Santa Fe still has only 2.