Hi all. Let me apologize now if this is too off-topic, but this forum seems to have some very knowledgeable people so I thought I'd pose this question here.

My wife and I currently have 2 CL's... Mine is an '01 CLS and hers is a '97 3.0. Well, she has decided that she needs a mini SUV. Test drove a couple (cr-v and rav4) but then today she comes home and tells me that a friend of hers has a new 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe that she drove today and loves it. I know that Hyundai used to have a horrible reputation for quality (and owning Acuras has made us expect very high quality), but I'm wondering if anyone here has experience with the newer models... specifically the 2002 Santa Fe. Any feedback you could provide would be greatly appreciated.

TIA!
Kirk

 

it'll probably take hyundai 3000 years to improve their craftsmanship....dude, don't think about it.......as for SUV,
if u can wait, i'd suggest u the new Audi Steppenwolf.

 

My wife also thought about an SUV in place of her CL-S. We checked out the Escape, Santa Fe and Ford's Mazda twin, the Tribute. Hyundai was much more solid, rode better, had a much better warranty, and the engine felt much less buzzy. Also very reasonably priced. Downside is the V-6 only packs 181hp and the Santa Fe is fairly heavy. Owners love them and you don't see many used ones for sale. That's good because the resale is soft--plan to keep it and get your warranty's worth. My buddy has the XG 300 and the Elantra for his daughter in college. Since he really likes them both after his 1988 Excel Experience, they must have improved greatly!

 

My good friend's Mom just went through the small SUV search also. After weeks of test drives she ended up with a Subaru Forester... very decent car in my opinion. I know little about Hyundia's except they are inexpensive and have great warranties. I admit I do look at hyundai's (and their drivers) as cheap, and I would not like that if I were driving one... not proud of it.

 

I agree with BlueCLS6, the Forester is probably a better choice

 

my g/f has a 97 hyundai, the plus side is that it has the warrenty cause otherwise it would cost her a heckuva lot of money to keep fixin the darn thing. It is the worst riding/handling/accelerating car I have ever driven. When she and I get married I am buying her an accord and I am going to burn the hyundai. Just my $.02

 

A friend of mine just bought the Xterra and loves it. Since most people don't really need a SUV, I keep hearing the Honda Odyssey is great. Hyundai is just basic transportation thats all; I haven't heard too many complaints.

 

Well, his question was on those who had thoughts on hyundai's.
Well, as much as my family hates Korean cars, my mom is dying to get a Santa Fe.
also despite the reputation they may have, a 100,000 mile warranty means they're pretty confident in what they build.... IMAGINE if ACURA had that! you'd think of it in a totallly different world wouldn't you??....

 

Well---
I am not sure if you drove the 2001 CRV or the 2002 or later...My girlfriend just got a 2002 CRV and she/I love it. It is fast and stylish...I cant imagine the santa fe being better. The CRV is the number one SUV for resale value according to edmunds...the Santa fe ? Probably the worst because its a Hyundai. The 2002 CRV is worlds ahead of the old CRV's which I thought were basically travelling toaster ovens. Check out the 2002 if you haven't yet...get an EX if u like...its worth it...Hyundai just seems like a very bad investment...after all...would YOU buy a used Hyundai?

 

Ugh. What has the world come to? Someone asks about a car company and cars and all the comments are about SUVs.

What about the Tiburon? The new body style is much better than the old one. That's about all I know about Hyundai.

 

he asked about the 02' santa fe, which is an SUV. He is shopping for an SUV. I don't think the Tiburon fits the criteria.

 

Buy the Santa Fe and be happy. If the misses likes that SUV, then get it, but if she plans on getting rid of it within a few years, you might as well get a minivan

 

my thoughts...POS :thumbsdn:

 

I'll be the first to say that Hyundais will continue to improve and will become a contender in the years to come. Once they get their messed up design department under control and get a good designer w/ common theme going through their cars, they will no longer be looked as sub-par.

 

Well..i too thought for a long time that the Hyundai's were piles of junk..but i have to say that i am impressed with the improvements that they have made..offereing great warranties and low prices...

As for the Santa Fe..I havent heard many great things about it, but havent heard any BAD things either..i know the engine is alittle short of power for an SUV.

A good friend of mine just get a new Sonata..top of the line...and i have to tell you..i was REALLY impressed with everything about it!...they even had a tiptronic transmission that gave the driver control over EVERY gear..1-2 even..unlike out 30k CLS'.

Personally, i dont know if i would go with the Santa Fe...i would prolly go with the New Rav4 AWD ...great styling, good power, lots of room in what appears to be a small sport ute..My Fiance' has one and i love it..great on gas too (4cyl).

Whatever you choose..good luck with it.

 

Hyundai's quality has vastly improved over the last few years. The cars aren't that bad anymore cause they're trying to outgrow their past reputation of making bad quality vehicles. And their warranty helps to show that. But I know with some car companies that offer those long warranties they only apply to the first owner, I'm not sure if that's the case with Hyundai, but it's something to check cause it will affect the resale value.

 

It will take some time (probably 10 years or so) to catch up with Honda and Toyota in terms of brand respectability and technical prowess but I see them beating out Mitsubishi's and other Japanese imports (excl. Nissan) out there. I wouldn't be surprised if Hyundai cracks into the top 4 of Asian import brand in the US. Heck, I'd take a Hyundai over almost ANY domestic out there. Hyundai wants to be a formidable company and is willing to put the money down to prove it. What do you have to lose?

As for the Santa Fe, you can't go wrong. The CR-V doesn't have a V6, which kind of sucks for torque, but they're pretty close. I'm a Honda guy so I'd pick the CR-V, but the Santa Fe is a nice car. Many, many good reviews are for both the Santa Fe and CR-V. And if Honda doesn't continue to make snafu with the trannies or some other vital part of a car, Honda would almost always be at the top of my shopping list. Well, for what Honda is best for anyways.

By the way, I had the privilege/horror of driving a 89 Sonata. My goodness, that was a piece of junk. But it had a nice Mitsubishi Eclipse engine and was pretty torquey. But that was when Hyundai was a baby company in the US. It's much more respectable and I love most of their new models: V6 6-spd Tiburon is so sexy! The Sonata and XG300 are pretty luxo as well for the price. So yes, I do like current Hyundais and you shouldn't have a problem by getting the Santa Fe. Plus the CR-V is a little boring, though. Keep your wife happy by getting the Santa Fe. That'll keep you out of the dog house for awhile, right? Hehe.

 

Thanks to everyone for all the responses, I love this forum. She ended up getting a Lexus RX300. Found a used one at our local Acura dealer (went to look at a couple of used MDX's). Found a 2000 RX300 with 27k miles & a 7 yr/100k warranty for $24k. She drove it and fell in love. Hope that it holds up as well as our Acuras. Thanks again for all the comments!

Kirk

 

woohooo..much nicer..congrats! and it will hold up as well as our acuras, if not better. lexus is always at the top when it comes to reliability

-Patrick