Topic: 2010 Santa Fe Sport V6

[Robeye]

At the end of September I bit the bullet and traded my milled-up Escape in for a new Santa Fe Sport.  The deals were very good on the 2010's.  I considered and tested ..Chevy Equinox , Ford Escape , Toyota Rav 4 and even the Tucson... which is what I was going to the Hyundai dealer for.  But when I tried the Santa Fe ... it was Soooo good. Roomy powerful and very quiet to drive..  Now I commute 500 kms every four days , and will probably put over 33,000 on the clock every year.  My commute takes me over THREE mountain passes.  Very steep 8.5% grades. And winter condition's can be up to six months a year.  So I'm a pretty good  test of what a car is made of.. I found that all the four cylinder vehicles that I've used are strained on the hills, and that takes it's toll after a year or two. But the gas mileage is good. So it's a trade off with a V6.. But I'd rather pay a bit more and drive without worry.  Turns out that the "Fe" is getting better than the Escape got.  And It's not that bad.  After a month of commutes I'm impressed.  I've now got my Winter Nokian Haka's on and I got a set of alloys for them.. Winter tires are the law here in BC for the mountains.  I love the stereo.. I use a USB stick for what seams like endless music.  To bad Hyundai partnered with XM.. it sucks here in the mountains.. cuts in and out.. I've got Sirius built into my Avalanche and it never drops a signal.  I do wish there was a fix for that..
Anyway I'm planning on posting here for the benefit of other Santa Fe owners or anyone considering one..     

[Angry Chicken]

Nice testimony!  We have a 2007 GLS AWD V6 and it's been a real trooper.  Lease ends next August, so guess what's on the short list?!

[Guy]

Welcome Robeye, my brother in law bought the same thing you did and he loves it too. I love your other ride, I started my carreer taking care of a fleet of 40 some of these in Mt-Wright, close to Labrador City.

[Robeye]

I love your other ride, I started my carreer taking care of a fleet of 40 some of these in Mt-Wright, close to Labrador City.

If you mean Avalanches... oh yea. This is my second one. I had an 03 before. It's mostly for towing the 27ft Award trailer we have.. The Avy is the most versatile truck I've owned, and I've had quite a few. 
BTW before buying the SantaFe I considered a 03 V70 XC that was on the local used car lot.. Nice wagon ! I drove it back from Kelowna 220 kms and loved it.  But the possible trany problems for that year scarred me away. 

[Careener]

Did you look at the Sorento as well?

[Guy]

I love your other ride, I started my carreer taking care of a fleet of 40 some of these in Mt-Wright, close to Labrador City.

If you mean Avalanches... oh yea. This is my second one. I had an 03 before. It's mostly for towing the 27ft Award trailer we have.. The Avy is the most versatile truck I've owned, and I've had quite a few. 
BTW before buying the SantaFe I considered a 03 V70 XC that was on the local used car lot.. Nice wagon ! I drove it back from Kelowna 220 kms and loved it.  But the possible trany problems for that year scarred me away. 

No, I meant the hauler in your Avatar.

[5 Wheel Drive]

I love your other ride, I started my carreer taking care of a fleet of 40 some of these in Mt-Wright, close to Labrador City.

If you mean Avalanches... oh yea. This is my second one. I had an 03 before. It's mostly for towing the 27ft Award trailer we have.. The Avy is the most versatile truck I've owned, and I've had quite a few. 
BTW before buying the SantaFe I considered a 03 V70 XC that was on the local used car lot.. Nice wagon ! I drove it back from Kelowna 220 kms and loved it.  But the possible trany problems for that year scarred me away. 

No, I meant the hauler in your Avatar.

I was thinking the exact same thing!  I'd love to try driving one of those things just once...

[Serniter]

Thank you for the write-up,  it sure is useful.  Are there any negatives with the Santa Fe?

[Guy]

I love your other ride, I started my carreer taking care of a fleet of 40 some of these in Mt-Wright, close to Labrador City.

If you mean Avalanches... oh yea. This is my second one. I had an 03 before. It's mostly for towing the 27ft Award trailer we have.. The Avy is the most versatile truck I've owned, and I've had quite a few. 
BTW before buying the SantaFe I considered a 03 V70 XC that was on the local used car lot.. Nice wagon ! I drove it back from Kelowna 220 kms and loved it.  But the possible trany problems for that year scarred me away. 

No, I meant the hauler in your Avatar.

I was thinking the exact same thing!  I'd love to try driving one of those things just once...

I did. I almost run over a grader coming the other way. I kind of forgot this thing was 20Ft wide...

Diesel-Electric prowertrains in those days. Hybrids before their time.....

[Robeye]

Oh yes the SantaFe... I've only three complaints so far..All of them I can live with.  Probably the biggest is the same one you'll hear about from testers like Driving TV and others.  Not enough head room for tall drivers.  I'm 5-10 so this is not a problem for me. unless I liked to wear cowboy hats !  But since that's not my thing I'm ok.  Now IF the SantaFe did not have the sunroof... maybe there's more room?  I did not dive a plain GL so I can't say. The seat just doesn't go low enough for tall folks. 
 The second thing is the XM thing !  XM sucks here in the mountains of BC.. plain and simply it cuts in and out.. Very annoying !  The fixed satilites are too low on the southern horizon.  Sirius satilites are moving and cover the north better..  even the salesman admitted to XM's worthlessness.  So unless it's free for more months .. I won't be paying.
 The third little thing that is a tad annoying is the Bluetooth.  It works great but it has to load your phone book every time you get in !  Which can take some time ..depending on the size of you phone book. So I trimmed mine of the people I don't call much.  You can forget about calling with the bluetooth if your running short errands.  Ford's Sync and the Pioneer in my Avy retain your contacts and connect very fast.  Hyundai kinda cheaped out here. But the stereo sounds great.. I use a USB stick.   

[Minou]

Off topic,

Guy, look at these blurry pictures...



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Right from Mt-Wright at the QCM mine circa 1982!  I was there for a season working for a lab contracting for QCM.

Yours truly leaning on the truck's tires.  I remember being able to slide completely between those 2 tires.

The pick-up was the standard grade 3/4 ton 4 X 4 GM of the time, smaller than today's half tons but nonetheless gives a good perspective of the size of those things.  I also included a picture of a sunk Cat D8 or D9 in a tailings pond.

Back on topic.

My 'Fe hit 8000 clics today.  Fuel economy is now in the low to mid 9l/100 Km with the V6 FWD.  My commute to work is about 20 Km each way. 

No issue so far and I will perform the first oil change shortly and get my winter wheels installed (tires B.O.).

Complaints are few:
-I wish it had an on-board computer standard like in the US but I use my ScanGauge so no deal breaker here.
-Display between the dials shows only one odometer number.  I would like it to show the total odometer value all the time plus Trip A or B and the outside temperature which I don't have.
-Flashers in the mirrors like the new Sorento would be nice to have too.
-I had to raise the seat because the steering wheel wouldn't adjust low enough for me

[Robeye]

]

Did you look at the Sorento as well?

Sorry Careener.. Yes I did and a comparable Sorento was a lot more money.. because of Hyundai's $5000 in discounts. I've had two other new Kia's in the past. I bought a Sportage in 2001 , and later a Loaded 2003 Sedona Van.  Both were very thirsty at the pumps. But I still like them for what they were.

Now that I'm STUCK with something vehicular for the next five years..Wife says YAY... Well I've got a cool little side job for the times I'm home on my for days off. I go and pick up vehicles for the local used car lot here... why not these guys are my friends now after the 8th vehicle !  Anyway this is seeming to satisfy my desire to drive lots of cool stuff. Now they buy lightly used vehicals with under 100k  and a lot of 2005 to 2009 models.  And I get to try them all.. and for a good trip too !  at the minimum 200km hwy drive here in the Okanagan.  So I know what I like and don't like.  And I did not like the Jeep TJ Rubacon I drove today.. 2006 with 76,000 kms and it drove like crappy jello. Yes it is a Jeep but hey sometimes you got to use the hwy.  I guess after the Lincon MKZ everything is so so..      

[Guy]

Off topic,

Guy, look at these blurry pictures...



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Right from Mt-Wright at the QCM mine circa 1982!  I was there for a season working for a lab contracting for QCM.

Yours truly leaning on the truck's tires.  I remember being able to slide completely between those 2 tires.

The pick-up was the standard grade 3/4 ton 4 X 4 GM of the time, smaller than today's half tons but nonetheless gives a good perspective of the size of those things.  I also included a picture of a sunk Cat D8 or D9 in a tailings pond.

Back on topic.

My 'Fe hit 8000 clics today.  Fuel economy is now in the low to mid 9l/100 Km with the V6 FWD.  My commute to work is about 20 Km each way. 

No issue so far and I will perform the first oil change shortly and get my winter wheels installed (tires B.O.).

Complaints are few:
-I wish it had an on-board computer standard like in the US but I use my ScanGauge so no deal breaker here.
-Display between the dials shows only one odometer number.  I would like it to show the total odometer value all the time plus Trip A or B and the outside temperature which I don't have.
-Flashers in the mirrors like the new Sorento would be nice to have too.
-I had to raise the seat because the steering wheel wouldn't adjust low enough for me

Hello Minou,

We must have crossed paths over there then. I worked up there in the summer of 1981 and then started full time in Jan 1982. Stayed 5 years there. The truck you are leaning on, 708 is a Unit-Rig. The sunk Cat is a D8, we got the D9 a couple years later. I was working in technical services, truck maintenance.

What kind of lab work were you doing?

[airbalancer]

I found XM suck everywhere
In our Prius it would cut out under trees, and small towns with 3 story building
When we had the XM reciever on the east coast it would cut in the fog
I much rather use my IPOD on radom with 11,000 songs

[Minou]

Guy,  PM sent.

XM reception is OK in my part of the universe because it's mostly flat ground but was more spotty along tree lines and mountains on the way to FL along I81.

[Robeye]

I found XM suck everywhere
In our Prius it would cut out under trees, and small towns with 3 story building
When we had the XM reciever on the east coast it would cut in the fog
I much rather use my IPOD on radom with 11,000 songs

If you do a google search you will find lots of folks looking for a way to convert they're XM equipped vehicles to Siruis. But there is no easy way. For starters the antenna is different.  And the tuner built in to the head unit is for that antenna, and looks for those fixed XM satilites.  I'm like you and use my I-pod or just a memory stick.   

[tpl]

I found that XM in my BMW in Toronto worked better than Sirius.  XM at home in Guelph worked better than Sirius at my house.
XM has terrestrial repeaters in TO and other major cities... but not in small towns
Sometimes Sirius satellites are in an inconvenient piece of sky  for my home antenna ( outside on the south side of the house but only 5 ft off the ground.) whereas XM was always in view of that location.
Sirius in the GTI cuts out under bridges and when passing trucks sometimes more often than XM.

Whatever... they both work(ed) well enough for me. I would have stayed with XM if the VW had not had built in SIrius.

[Robeye]

  Quote From Minou.....
Complaints are few:
-I wish it had an on-board computer standard like in the US but I use my ScanGauge so no deal breaker here.
-Display between the dials shows only one odometer number.  I would like it to show the total odometer value all the time plus Trip A or B and the outside temperature which I don't have.
-Flashers in the mirrors like the new Sorento would be nice to have too.
-I had to raise the seat because the steering wheel wouldn't adjust low enough for me
Yes you got a GL..  The Sport was $2300 more here in BC. And you get a lot of stuff...like the outside temp. and the trip computer...which is just ok. You can have 2 things at a time on the display. I leave the outside temp on.  I originally wanted just a GL, but the dealer had a lot full of Sport's & Limited's. To bring me a GL from another lot they wanted $1000.  HUH !  Or a better way of putting it was the dealer discount dropped to $4000 from $5000 because the  GL Santafe was not in their inventory ?  Sooo that meant that the Sport was now only $1300 more..  I didn't think about this until I went home with my "proposed" deal . The sales guy (who was good at throwing numbers around) did not think this through either..  That kinda pissed me off.  So I went back and said " hold on here, if I go for the Sport ...even though I don't care for the sun roof.. I can have my choice of color from the lot.. and some features I like..?" Aaa yes.  So I choose the Blue.  No regrets. 

[Shnak]

I found XM suck everywhere
In our Prius it would cut out under trees, and small towns with 3 story building
When we had the XM reciever on the east coast it would cut in the fog
I much rather use my IPOD on radom with 11,000 songs

That's funny... my XM very rarely cuts out, and only when I'm stuck under an overpass while waiting for a light to turn. And even then, most of the time in that situation, it doesn't even cut out. I'm often in Ottawa around tall buildings without problems. That's odd that our experiences are that different.

Also, I rarely listen to music on XM, I just find the quality lacking compared to good MP3s on my iPod or USB stick. I do listen to sports talk a little bit on XM, but rarely music.

[Minou]

Quote From Minou.....
Complaints are few:
-I wish it had an on-board computer standard like in the US but I use my ScanGauge so no deal breaker here.
-Display between the dials shows only one odometer number.  I would like it to show the total odometer value all the time plus Trip A or B and the outside temperature which I don't have.
-Flashers in the mirrors like the new Sorento would be nice to have too.
-I had to raise the seat because the steering wheel wouldn't adjust low enough for me
Yes you got a GL..  The Sport was $2300 more here in BC. And you get a lot of stuff...like the outside temp. and the trip computer...which is just ok. You can have 2 things at a time on the display. I leave the outside temp on.  I originally wanted just a GL, but the dealer had a lot full of Sport's & Limited's. To bring me a GL from another lot they wanted $1000.  HUH !  Or a better way of putting it was the dealer discount dropped to $4000 from $5000 because the  GL Santafe was not in their inventory ?  Sooo that meant that the Sport was now only $1300 more..  I didn't think about this until I went home with my "proposed" deal . The sales guy (who was good at throwing numbers around) did not think this through either..  That kinda pissed me off.  So I went back and said " hold on here, if I go for the Sport ...even though I don't care for the sun roof.. I can have my choice of color from the lot.. and some features I like..?" Aaa yes.  So I choose the Blue.  No regrets. 

When I bought mine, the cash discount was $4500. on all models.  They didn't have a Granit Blue GL V6 on the lot but tracked one at Hyundai's depot in Montreal and delivered the car in one week.  They didn't try to push what was on their lot.