Team-BHP - Hyundai Santa Fe : Official Review

I heard and read on the net that there were tweaks to the Steering system and suspension along with redisigned bumpers in the offing for the 2015 Santa Fe.

I wonder how much of this is true. Ofcourse the dealer feigned ignorance when i asked him about this.

Any inputs guys? I don't want to get the Santa Fe in January just to see a refreshed version out by March!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Manuuj (Post 3594388)

Thanks Manuuj. Here is what I found (one point in a sea of changes listed on the web-page...link below):

"The team was also able to take advantage of a newly revised MDPS (motor driven power steering) system. The upgraded Santa Fe incorporates both a new steering ‘gearbox’ and a switch to quicker 32-bit computer processing – rather than the predecessor model’s 16-bit system. The steering changes have made the Santa Fe’s innovative Flex Steer system even more impressive, with greater weight and feel differences between the three modes."

http://www.hyundai.com.au/about-hyun...fe-even-better

I hope this makes it into our India variant vehicles.

I test drove the Santa Fe yesterday. It was the top end 4x4 Automatic version. I was quite underwhelmed by the car.

My initial impressions:Steering lacked feel and initial pickup was lethargic. The tiny music system screen and lack of even a normal sunroof for a vehicle which costs 33 Lacs on road in Delhi did not go down to well either.

There are 4 colours on offer, White, Silver grey, Maroon and Black, none of which excited me.

The car did not give me that upmarket feel when i was inside. It just did not feel special to drive nor did it justify its lofty price tag.When i was in the rear the high waistline made me feel slightly claustrophobic also. The whole experience was, for lack of a better word boring and "ho-hum"

I had test driven a used S 320cdi 2009 model (which i can get my hands on for about 27 lacs) and that was an exhilarating experience. I think the Santa Fe may have lost this particular race.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Manuuj (Post 3599336)

I test drove the Santa Fe yesterday. It was the top end 4x4 Automatic version. I was quite underwhelmed by the car.
The car did not give me that upmarket feel when i was inside. It just did not feel special to drive nor did it justify its lofty price tag.
I had test driven a used S 320cdi 2009 model (which i can get my hands on for about 27 lacs) and that was an exhilarating experience. I think the Santa Fe may have lost this particular race.

It is a tad bit unfair to the Santa Fe to be reviewed under the same list which includes a S320cdi ( even if it is used). The 4x4 variant is surely overpriced by atleast a couple of lakhs if not more but it still the only 4x4 AT in that segment which also boasts about a range of other features like 6 airbags,ABS & EBD, ESP & TCS, hill start assist, xenon headlamps, selectable steering modes, dual-zone climate control and more ( taken from the official review). In comaprsion it does make the other SUVs in the segment look bare bone. Also add to that the ride quality which is far superior to the Fortuner.

Quote:

Originally Posted by drmohitg (Post 3599378)

I agree with you on the point that the Santa Fe is loaded to the gills when compared to other Suv's like the Pajero AT and Fortuner AT which are only 4x2 wheel drive.

But the point was that the Santa Fe felt overpriced at 33 lacs. It did not feel like it was WORTH 33 big ones. If it was say 28 lacs on road i'd be happier to buy it as then it would feel like value for my money.

Also im not comparing the S320 cdi to the Santa Fe. That would be unfair.

I'm just looking at what my money would get me in todays market.

A Brand New
Santa Fe
at 33 Lacs
V/S
A used (but in excellent condition) fully loaded 2009/2010
Mercedes Benz S Class
for (lets say) 30 lacs.

What would you do? :)

Sorry for going off topic mods.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Manuuj (Post 3599555)

But the point was that the Santa Fe felt overpriced at 33 lacs. It did not feel like it was WORTH 33 big ones. If it was say 28 lacs on road i'd be happier to buy it as then it would feel like value for my money.

The Fortuner 4x4 is close to 28L OTR Delhi, the last time I checked which was a year back. So how can we expect the Santa Fe to be offered at 28L too with all that extra equipment and the comfort of an AT box + 4x4. Yes I agree it is overpriced but I would say by aprroximately 2-3L if you compare it with other cars in the segment.

Quote:

What would you do? :)

Sorry for going off topic mods.

But then that is the beauty of lateral upgrades, provided you are comfortable with the idea. You can replace the Santa FE with any other vehicle in the above equation and the answer will still be the S class if you are comfortable with the idea of a pre owned vehicle. That is why I am saying that the 2 vehicles are not even apples and oranges here to be compared.
Anyways lets stick to the thread. Cheers!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Manuuj (Post 3599555)

I'm just looking at what my money would get me in todays market.
A Brand New

Santa Fe
at 33 Lacs
V/S
A used (but in excellent condition) fully loaded 2009/2010
Mercedes Benz S Class
for (lets say) 30 lacs.

Have seen the experience of a close friend who owned a used C class merc (purchased directly from the company under some corporate scheme), as also another friend who has a C class. Based on this I can only alert you to the fact that maintenance of the S class will cost a bomb.

If you are going to be travelling to remote places the assurance of a new Hyundai will be essential. For office commutes either can do. And a AWD to sedan is not a proper comparison. So go with your requirements & heart.

The Caska music system is very good. Here are the pictures. But I installed the Caska tyre pressure monitoring system but I believe it is not giving accurate readings. Anyway the idea is safety such that if he tyre is loosing air suddenly it can be dangerous and this system will give alert.

Photo is not getting uploaded saying I don't have permission. I am using the app on iPhone.

Hope you can see the Caska Music system now. It is really good and it solves the issue off a small screen. I have driven over 10,000 Kms on my SantaFE Manual 2014 and still feel i made the right choice. I had considered all the cars in its range as well as above its range and this was and is for sure value for money car.

Hello to all.

I had a question regarding the maintenance costs of Santa FE as compared to the Toyota Fortuner. Toyota is definitely known to be highly reliable but comparing these two in particular, which one would be cheaper and more reliable over the long run. This comparison would be in respect to automatic variants.

Thanks in advance.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aston Singh (Post 3608397)

For sure the engine life of Fortuner will be better than SantaFE. Service cost i paid Zero for first service at 1000Kms and Rs.3500 for second service at 10,000Kms. i have driven the car for 5 months.

On another note i read the steering issue thread properly and felt the same issue was their in my car as well. The car drifts slowly to the left even if the steering is kept straight. I am not sure if this can be sorted by wheel alignment. I will try that again.
That said the issue is not so bad that you can't buy the car or find a better car in its range of 10Lakh plus or minus.

Buying the big brand would mean high on insurance cost as well as on maintenance.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sandeepsankhla (Post 3604655)

Definitely looks good. Looking to upgrade my system also. Had a few questions regarding the Caska music system.

1. Does it use the originally fitted camera, Aux-USB connection and Steering mounted controls? If not, did you have to re-install new ones?
2. Did it help improve the sound quality with the stock speakers?
3. All audio info is also available on the MID in the instrument cluster. Does that still work?
4. Where in Bangalore did you get this fitted?

Yes it uses the original fitted camera.
All the steering controls seemingly work with the music system. I ordered from Caska website. They came home and fitted it in 2 days. They were also cheaper when compared to the price quoted by the hyundai showroom. I spent 54,000.

I am not sure if the sound quality improved. It sounds the same which was good. You can add adaptive sub woofers if you wish. Caska also provides TPMS which I have fitted and they are great. It monitors the temperature and pressure of each tyre. I will share the picture of that shortly.

I went to the Prabhadevi dealer and they neither had a TD car nor even a display car. The latter I find quite shocking. No visibility either on when they may have one.

When a mainstream consumer friendly manufacturer like Hyundai does not have even a display vehicle at their showroom for a particular model, I wonder whether the product has bombed. And this a tony south Mumbai dealership at that.

I really think this is a pretty compelling product but it seems to have bombed given the lukewarm dealer approach on the product.

Happy to stand corrected of course.