The SUV-hater's SUV
Written: Apr 29 '04
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Pros: Smooth, quiet ride, decent fuel economy, terrific seats
Cons: Handles like an SUV
The Bottom Line: Not a sporty bone (strut) in its body, but a very nice vehicle nonetheless.
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| lawman67's Full Review: 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe 2WD |
Well, here it is, my first ever review of an SUV. The reason? Simple, as a class, I just don’t like them, and given the option, I would pay real money to uninvent both the SUV and the minivan.
So if I am so biased, why and I reviewing one? Two reasons, my car was rear-ended last week and my semi-long-term rental is a Hyundai Santa Fe, and my wife is an artist and simply needs a cavernous cargo compartment in her next car, such as would be afforded in a, ghasp, SUV or minivan.
At Enterprise the insurance would pay for up to a full-sized car (SUVs cost more), but they were all out of full-size, so it was either a compact (Chevy Cavalier), an Astro van or the Santa Fe, so I figured I would take the least offensive of the three. TIP: If you are going to a rental agency near a bunch of bodyshops, get there early.
Okay, so here I am in the Santa Fe, what’s it really like to drive? How does it handle in day to day commuting compared to my compact (2003 Mazda Protégé) and my wife’s mid-size (2001 Saturn L200) sedans? I’ll be honest and say that there are aspects of this vehicle that really impress me, and others that would bother me in the long-term. So, lets start with how it looks, move on to how it works, and finally to how it drives.
The Santa Fe I have is the V6 2-wheel-drive model with automatic transmission, all of the power goodies, but no luxury items such as sunroof or leather. Despite the mid-grade trim, the interior is a nice place to be, with very firm, well-padded and extremely adjustable seats (even has lumbar adjustment for the driver!!!). The back seat is also very firm, spacious and comfortable, with an armrest in the center that is actually high enough to rest arms on, imagine that! Moving further back we come to this vehicle’s reason for existence, the cargo area. Yes folks, this thing is huge behind the rear seat, and when the seat is folded down, huge turns to cavernous. A sofa would probably fit.
Instrumentation is complete and well organized, with everything clearly visible at a glance. The speedometer and tachometer are a bit small for such a large instrument cluster, but I never had any problem reading at a glance. The dashboard itself, unlike the very conventional round gages it houses, is simply weird. I’ll get to the exterior styling of the Santa Fe in the next paragraph, but suffice it to say that Hyundai designers tried to carry over the exaggerated curves of the front fenders to the interior of the vehicle, and did most of their work on the dash. It has a large hump in the middle like most SUVs do, and while everything is well made or decent quality plastics, it just strikes me as a bit overstyled.
The exterior, as hinted above, is a bit unusual. The Santa Fe has been on the road for a few years now, and so it isn’t quite as odd-looking as it used to be. Actually, from many angles it is quite attractive, and only the front fenders are a bit overdone. I remember when this vehicle first hit the streets, I thought it was the ugliest thing going. Today, I have warmed to the styling and actually prefer it over less-interesting SUVs like the Ford Explorer, Mazda tribute or Chevy Trailblazer. While it doesn’t share any design themes, it actually looks to me like a budget Lexus RX300. No, it isn’t as tastefull and is overstyled, but the proportions are similar and has the same sort of stance that says that while its an SUV, its not a big, obnoxious SUV.
Okay, so looks are a mixed bag, nothing to overly offend, nothing to get excited about. I’ll sum it up by saying that I am not at all embarrassed to be driving the Santa Fe, and it has not attracted one wit of attention, positive or negative in the week I’ve had it. Enough said.
I am still solidly of the opinion that even a family of four is far better served by a mid sized sedan or wagon than an SUV, and that unless you need the carrying capacity, an SUV is a wasteful indulgence. Of course, SUVs like the Santa Fe blur the line between SUV and station wagon. Like the Lexus RX300 and Toyota Highlander, the Santa Fe is built on a car, rather than a truck chasis, and also like those vehicles, it uses a car engine and suspension.
Using car components solves two of the three problems inherent with driving SUVs, which are noise, handling and poor fuel economy. The Santa Fe is quiet going down the road, with only a bit of tire roar giving away that this is not a normal mid-size sedan. It gave me 20MPG on my first tank of gas, and that was with my wringing the V6’s neck every chance I got (it makes a really nice snarl and terrific pick up). Clearly, this makes a decent family car that is not a gas guzzler like traditional SUVs, and won’t punish occupants like some truck-based models will.
Where it fails is in the handling. It is simply impossible to make something high handle as well as it would if it were low. Considering the high center of gravity, the Santa Fe isn’t bad, but when I hit a twisty road, I really miss my Mazda Protégé. Still, for the type of driving most people do (non-enthusiasts) and more importantly, for what my wife wants HER car to do, the Santa Fe is quite nice. The handling is safe and secure, just not sporty.
The engine, as eluded to above, is terrific. At cruising speed I can’t even hear it, but when I mash the throttle I am rewarded by a beautiful V6 symphony that I just to play over and over again. Combined with the excellent seats and the towering view that tall vehicles give, the Santa Fe is perhaps the ultimate vehicle for sitting in traffic or taking on interstate trips. Plenty of room, combined with a quiet ride and good fuel economy make this, in effect, the modern station wagon.
Would I buy the Santa Fe? For me, no, but I am starting to think that this may just be my wife’s next car. At roughly $23,000 it is a great value (I’ll try the four-cylinder before buying), and with the 10-year Hyundai warranty and their amazing increase in quality in recent years, combined with build-quality that I can both see and feel, I would be very confident giving one of these to my wife, and wouldn’t complain at all about driving it on family vacations.
I’m afraid that the Hyundai Santa Fe has damaged my SUV-hating persona. Oh well, if nothing else, I’ve discovered a pretty nice vehicle in the process.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 23,000
Condition: New
Model Year: 2004
Model and Options: 2WD V6 Automatic
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Epinions.com ID:
lawman67
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 in Computer Hardware |
 - Top 200 |
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Member: Andrew F
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Reviews written: 208
Trusted by: 63 members
About Me:
Her Majesty's a pretty nice girl but she doesn't have a lot to say.
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