2006 Hyundai Santa Fe SX from Australia and New Zealand - Comments

Nothing as yet. I bought the car brand new and have only done 1200k.

I can't understand why I haven't seen more Santa Fe's on the road. Toyota Rav's seem to rule, but I have put these two cars head to head (back to back test drives of 1 hour each) and I can't believe how much more value appears to be in the Hyundai.

My Santa Fe is a 2.2 turbo diesel and blows the petrol only Rav off the road. Torque from the diesel engine kicks in from about 1500 rpm and screams through to 4000 rpm, pulling hard all the way. You must alter your normal driving instincts from putting your foot flat to the floor as the diesel seems to respond better with half to three quarter throttle. Anything else is a waste.

In contrast the RAV requires your foot flat to the floor and then responds well as the revs increase up to near redline.

The interior styling in the Santa Fe is what really caught my eye. It has superior space and styling to the RAV and easily accommodates my 6ft 3inch son and 5ft 10inch daughter in the back seats.

It was disappointing not to be able to option up the base manual version that I bought (SX). I would dearly loved to have had the SLX version with its curtain and thorax airbags, electronic stability control, and traction control, however I did not want an automatic and I did not want 7 seats, being the only option in the SLX.

The 5 seater Santa Fe has a great wet storage box where the extra 2 seats are located in the SLX. I can live without the stability controls etc, but would have been happy to pay a couple of grand more to obtain the extra airbags, but nothing is an option in either the SX, SLX or Elite.

The claimed fuel economy (7.3l/100km) of the diesel looks close to the mark and it’s been great to go for a couple of weeks without having to refuel or watch the fuel prices!

I intend going to Fraser Island to test its 4WD credentials in late March so I will add a further review after a bit more driving, on and off road.

So far so good, but it's early days yet.

Some of the comments you make are straight out of my mind. I'm about to buy a Santa Fe CRDI Elite. I was originally a Kluger fan until I saw the Santa Fe CRDI. Better value for money with all the extra features and especially with 5 Years warranty. I cannot seem to find Santa Fe's on the road and this is concerning me. The Kluger's, Territory's etc are in plenty. WHY is my question? What about the spares and servicing expertise when there are so few cars on the road?

There are only a handful available with all the dealers. Need to order and then they start manufacturing or something???

I think the lack of new model Santa Fe's on the road in OZ is more about brand loyalty and product recognition, although I did have to wait 2 months to have my manual SX model imported. Hyundai came from a very low rating and it takes time for perceptions to change. The fact that Hyundai knocked off Lexus for #1 customer satisfaction in the USA (2006) should start the ball rolling. Other brands such as Subaru had a similiar beginning and now look at their quality of offering.

My Santa Fe build quality appears outstanding. Although I have only done 7000k I cannot fault any aspect. I know this has not been the case with previous Ford and GM vehicles that I have owned and used. Just read the magazine reviews on this vehicle and you will see that those in the industry agree (i.e. "Overlander 4WD" magazine Feb.07 Australia)

I have just had my 30 000k service and still can't fault this car. Not so much as a squeak or rattle. I've never driven a car, Japanese or Australian/American that I can say the same about. As a first time Hyundai buyer, I have to say they've impressed me no end.

I have had an opportunity to run the car on the beach and over rough terrain, and it was very impressive for a soft roader. Obviously it lacks a low ratio transfer case, and for take offs in very soft sand or for crawling over ruts and gullies, perhaps the auto gear box would be the way to go. My car is manual.

The manual gear box is however very easy to live with in every day driving conditions, and is amazingly good in fuel economy. I can get low 5 litres per 100k when cruising, and never go over 8 litres per 100k, even in heavy traffic driving.

I'll still be driving this at 200 000 kms, with its 8 year dealer extended warranty. So watch this space if problems arise.