USED Hyundai Santa Fe 4x4 (06 - 12)

My car

The car on test seemed very good indeed - however the dealr network seems appaling and on that basis I won't be buying one. No-one and i mean no-one was interested in selling a car! Arrogant and uninterested and this is not a cheap car. 1) For the money they want this is not a cheap car (good value but not cheap) and I expect to be treated as though I am buying a premium price vehicle 2) I didn't get the impression they would deal with after sales very well, apart from the fact they didn't want to sell me the car in the first place Car: 4 points / Dealers: Nil point

My car

Brought a new diesel manual limited six months ago. Have covered about 4000 miles mixed driving. After looking at all the 4x4 competitors narrowed it down to this and the Outlander which I drove back to back. Outlander felt more sporty but a lot noisier and felt distinctly low rent against Santa fe. Have not regretted my choice.

For. Its very quite and refined, very well built and comfortable. Computer says I average 39mpg but not checked this yet. Loads of room. Still love its looks inside and out. No problems of any sort.

Against. Performance seems only adequate (but may partly be due to how quite and refined it is) and 1st gear seems a bit short legged requiring to soon a change up, off the line. Also no electric folding mirrors. Side steps look nice but hinder getting in and out.

The only cloud has been dealers. First one I went to, staff and showroom more like a back street second hand car lot, rather than the sort of place to hand over 23k. Second dealer much smarter, however once collected car, dealer fitted items ordered showed they had a jaw dropping level of incompetence from the so called Hyundai master mechanic to the after sales staff. It took months and many calls to Hyundai customer service (who were very good) to sort out several simple errors. I genuinely would not trust this garage to service a wheel barrow .

Verdict. If your local dealer is good, I cant think of a better choice in this sector.

My car

Overall this is a very good car for the money and we have been happy with it, it drives as well as many far more expensive SUVs. The car has been reliable generally but one or two minor niggles have been disappointing, the drivers seat electronics failed with the seat in reclined position which almost left us stranded on a family holiday, and the air con needed a regas after less than two years. Other well documented gripes include the lack of RDS radio and MP3 sockets on the stereo. The standard roof rails are also flawed in that they cannot be moved forward far enough to fit a long roof box and still be able to open the tailgate fully which caused a great deal of inconvenience on a recent family holiday. Overall though these are minor quibbles and the overall ownership experience has been very good, this car is certainly worth considering if you are looking for a large SUV for a reasonable price.

My car

have owned this car for 18 months covered 15,000 miles had air conditoning unit replaced under warranty by exellent dealer ted jonson in barnsley, they collect and re deliver to our home or work some 18 miles away, we tow a large caravan and get 27 mpg 34 without use the 7 seats often for the kids, annoying rattle on drivers window and a light front end when accelarating hard are my only niggles i also have a new l200 diamond which is top spec but pants compared to the santa fe