So I bought this!! It's a brand new 2010 Santa Fe Limited FWD in Harbor Gray Metallic with the Cocoa Black leather interior. For starters the paint is ten times better than the old one and has very little orange peel. I can't wait to slather on a coat of sealant and look at her in the sun. This rain sucks. Having seriously considered the CR-V I can say that it can't come close to touching this bad boy for material quality and value for money. It also comes with a (clears throat) 6-speed automatic and a 3.5 liter V6 putting out 276 ponies. I opted for FWD because I don't ski anymore and we very rarely get big snow storms around here so I figured I'd risk getting stranded once a year for better mileage on the remaining 364 days. Also FWD cars are cheaper to insure because they cost less to repair if they get rear-ended.

So far, I love almost everything about the car. It's quiet enough to make a librarian happy but the sound system is awesome and the heated seats are VERY quick to warm up. I'll look forward to using those on frosty mornings. The stereo has XM and Bluetooth, the latter of which has some of the best voice recognition and call quality I've experienced...even better than the RL! Three people I called on the drive back didn't even know they were on Bluetooth...they thought I was holding the phone. My only complaint about the system is that it insists on barking 'Transfer Complete' every time the phone book syncs to the car. I'm sure I'll get used to it but I just wish it would go about its business silently. The dash lighting is intrusively bright on dark roads, even on the dimmest setting but the Hyundai-Forums people already have a mod for that so I'll be fixing it very soon.

The only downside to the day was that the car had to be picked up in Seattle due to a severe shortage of Santa Fes. It already had 154 miles on it when we picked it up and by the time we got home, it was over 300. But considering it was exactly what I wanted and was the only one left in the whole district, I'll take a couple hundred miles on the clock over settling for something I don't really want and having to live with it for years.

I'll post better pics when the weather clears up later this week and I can give her a good cleaning.



As you can tell, there is virtually NOTHING the new one shares in common with the old one other than the name.




It's really not as brown as these pictures make it look. For the most part it looks black with just a splash of brown and is so much better than the beige leather they offer.







A household style plug in the cargo area!! Not sure what I'll use this for.




Call me old-fashioned but I insisted on no navigation. I have no use for it and I prefer a simple screen and physical buttons. It's just easier....




I am really going to keep the mileage down on this girl; aiming for 10,000 to 12,000 a year.


They did a really good job with the fake wood if you ask me...


I just love this screen. When I revert to manual control the system likes to switch to recirculate for some reason so I just leave it on auto now and it works just fine.

 

Good stuff, congrats! Current Santa Fe looks really nice.

 

nice, they've gotten much better looking.

 

Nice! Hyundai's really brought their A game with this latest generation of vehicles. I have to agree with you on the dash lighting though. A friend of mine has an 09 Sonata and its obtrusively bright on dark roads too. But other than that and having several problems with tires and suspension during its first 5k miles (3 full sets of tires replaced due to serious balance and feathering problems and one of the front shocks) its been an excellent car. Amazing value for money.

 

Nice pick up...

 

Congrats, I feel the same way about Nav. Also like the center stackup, clean and functional layout displays and controls.

 

Sweet upgraded transfer case!

 

Congrats!!

 

Congrats on the new ride!

Did you keep the old Santa Fe? Or do you have another one in the family? I'm looking at the old model next to the new one in one of the pics.

My dad was debating between the Santa Fe and the Veracruz. Seeing as how the Santa Fe Limited AWD was in extremely limited (they aren't kidding!) supply, he ended up buying a Veracruz Limited AWD just this past Friday.

All bad jokes aside, the Santa Fe is in extremely limited supply. Alabama built them out a couple of weeks ago and Georgia is starting to crank them out. So it's hard to find in certain parts of the country right now. I hope you got the exact model you wanted and didn't have to settle.

 

Congrats! Looks good!


The household plugin you refer to in the cargo area may indicate the vehicle has a power inverter or offer provisions to have one installed. Basically takes 12v DC and converts it 115/120v AC. One you get used to it you'll find lots of uses for it. Laptops, small appliances, etc. Depending on amperage draw, you can probably even run one of your orbital buffers from it.



Terry

 

Nice upgrade!

 

Congrats! I've read great things about the new Santa Fe. Hope it treats you well.

 

Andrew, congrats on the new ride!

Looks very nice, and I am sure you will love it.

Plug a blender in the back and bring lot's of fresh fruits with you. Then it's "all smoothies, all the time!"

Enjoy it in good health...

 

The weather cooperated today so here are the shined up pics.

 

Wow, now that's a good looking SUV. Congrats man!

You'll find uses for that 3-prong outlet in the cargo area. Maybe a mini fridge if you tailgate, or a charger for a laptop if you travel....

 

Congrats on the new ride!

 

 

nice ride

 

Thanks everybody. I'm really having to fight the urge to go put a ton of miles on it, especially considering the sun is out and I have a sunroof for the first time ever.

 

Congrats!!

So why not go drive it?? Enjoy it! What's the point in keeping miles down? Never understood that. Cars are meant to be driven and enjoyed, especially if you plan on keeping it for a long time and don't care about resale. Go for a spin. Head to McDonalds...count how many red lights you hit on the way there.

Congrats again!

 

I thought about it but I'm glad I didn't. It just started raining.

It dumped buckets here last night and the car just soaked because of it. It's supposed to dry out tomorrow through Wednesday. We'll see if that prediction holds.

 

congrats on the new car!

 

Sweet.

 

I couldnt deal with no nav myself but it looks nice. Congrats...

 

sweet ride man.

 

Conrats dude!

 

Thanks, everybody!!!

If I traveled more I might but I simply couldn't justify spending another $2,200 for something I don't need or want. I have lived in Portland all my life and know this area very well but I've got a portable GPS in the center console for those times when I just can't get my bearings.

 

Smart way to go. Why spend $2200 when you can spend $200 or less for an aftermarket GPS that's probably better?

 

Conrgats! Nice upgrade and looks great. Hyundai has come a long way- one of my sister's friends just got a loaded Tuscon and its so nice. Selling the old Santa Fe yourself?

 

Conrats Andrew!

 

That's what I was thinking as well. You could start going mobile!

It does look good, and I love the centre console. But I have to ask: Why an SUV?

 

Once again, I am impressed by a Hyundai. Much better styling than the last gen. Sharp looking little SUV you got yourself there!

 

Looks great, glad you're happy, can't wait to see it in person

 

Wow. Hyundai is definitely the new Honda and has stolen Honda's mojo lately.

Nice pickup.

 

Yep. It's going for $3,500 so if you know anybody who's interested let me know. Make sure they know it will need a $2,700 part and about $750 in labor to get the transfer case replaced. It runs and drives fine now but at this point, it's a ticking time bomb and theoretically, it could fail at any moment.

Thanks, dude.

I've always had big cars; my first was a '93 Toyota Previa (mom's old car) and then the '04 Santa Fe so I've become spoiled by big, open cargo areas that I can just throw stuff in. At this point I can't see having a sedan for a DD although I did seriously consider the Ford Fusion.

The old one could never be considered a good-looking car. Unique? Sure. Charming? Maybe. You'd never lose it in a parking lot or mistake it for something else but it was never good-looking; especially when you park it side-by-side with a new one. It just looks goofy.

It's in the garage and staying out of the rain.

Thanks, man. I drove the CR-V and was almost sold on it until I drove the SF. Absolutely no comparison between the two; the decision was almost too easy. More power, more warranty, better seats, better material quality, and better looking for less money. What's not to love?

 

Nice pickup bro! Thanks for the picks and allow me to see how great Hyundai is lately!

 

Nice review and pics. It looks like the new Santa Fe is a viable lower cost (but not lower quality) alternative to the Nissan Murano and clearly a step above the Honda CR-V.

 

Congrats PortlandRL! Quite a looker! I really like the lighting they used in the dashboard, looks soothing or something.

I once drove a drunk friend's 08 (same body) home one night and was pretty surprised about how smooth the car felt overall.

 

Congrats on the new ride! Looks great!

 

Awesome ride,man. Wonderfully sterilized garage, you have there...