Topic: AWD Toyota Sienna v AWD Hyundai Santa Fe

[dkmkgauthier]

Howdy all,

My wife and I just welcomed our latest addition to the family last week, another baby boy, to add to our 3 year old son, and we are looking at our options for vehicles.

We presently own a 2002 Ford Escape XLT 4wd as our main vehicle, but my wife hates it's fuel economy, or lack thereof, and she is extremely mistrustful of domestic vehicles. She wants us to go back to a minivan, as they are so versatile and can seat 7 people, while I am looking to stay with a mid-size to compact SUV. I enjoy the ride, the 4wd drive system for the snow and slush we see here in Ottawa, and find it very comfortable for long road trips, although I agree that the fuel economy is poor.

My wife and I had reopened discussions and were looking at either a 2006 Toyota Sienna AWD or a 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe AWD. My wife wants desperately back into her Sienna, citing the larger size for all of the boys toys and things to come with us on our road trips, the Toyota reliability, and the versatility of it's seating arrangements, as we are awaiting the arrival of a live-in-caregiver for our youngest. I have heard horror stories about the AWD model's coming with the run-flat tires and the poor fuel economy of this model, and was wondering if anyone out there had any experiences or views on the AWD models of the Sienna.

I am a strong believer in the 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe AWD, with eithenr engine option, as I believe they get better gas mileage, are easier to handle in parking lots and other suburban environments, are more affordable than the Sienna, and are more cost effective while being just as, if not more, reliable. Any feedback anyone can provide is most welcome.

[airbalancer]

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/findacar.htm

The Santa Fe combined is about 1 L/100km the Sienna

Are you putting snow tires on?

Next with loading 3 adults and 2 children with car seat , will 3 ( 2 car seats) fit across the rear seat in a Sante Fe ?

[Careener]

Trading the current SUV for another won't net you any real savings even if the gas is cheaper. By the time you've factored in freight/pdi and other bogus charges + the depreciation of a new vehicle. (I'm assuming new).
If you need space + proper seating for 3 adults I'm afraid it's minivan time :-(

[Trainman]

I will give you my thoughts:  We have a 2004 Sienna (FWD, not AWD), so same body as the 2006 you are looking at, along with a 2009 Subaru Forester (the new body style).  So the set up is very similar to the options you are looking at.

Hands down, the family asks, when given a choice, to travel in the Sienna.  More room, better ride, less noise.  And with good winter tires, it has gotten everywhere it needed to go, so AWD is not really needed for us.  And we have a stretch of highway that has some of the deepest snow accumulations, and wet snow at that, in BC.

I use my Forester for my forestry work (oh the irony  ), and for getting to remote sites for camping/canoeing.  The Sienna just can't go to those places.  That is the Forester's biggest advantage.

But you can not beat a mini-van for over-all versatility.

As far as actual fuel usage goes, we have seen 34-36 mpg on the highway with the Sienna and Forester, but the Forester gets a bit better in town.

We have had no significant issues with either, both bought new.  However, the AWD Sienna will have some problem areas, like the power doors, and having to use run-flat tires.

Bottom line, if I had to pick one over the other, it would be the Sienna for its superior versatility.

And as noted, check whatever you get to make sure that you can get the car seats in.  And with 3 adults, and twp kids, you will need to check on seating versatility as well.  You will probably find the Sienna is the winner, then decide if AWD is really needed for you.

Also, got to keep the wife happy   

[johngenx]

Happy wife = Happy Life.

Married for 28 years, I know.

Don't expect good fuel economy from the Sienna.  Not sure about your driving environment, but I know quite a few people with Siennas and they don't see less than 15L/100km in congested urban driving.  Keep the speed down on the highway and with a light foot, you can do pretty well there, but the weight of the vehicle kills economy if you're jammed up in stop-go.

That said, for having to haul three adults and kids, the above thoughts are pretty much bang on.  The room of the Sienna wins, hands down.

[Trainman]

John got it right, the Forester gets about 12 l/100km in town, 8-9 on the highway.  Never worked out the town on for the Sienna, but it is worse than the Forester.

That being said, this is the fuel economy for the Santa Fe from a review: 

for fuel economy, I could not achieve a better average than 13.1 L/100 km.

  http://www.auto123.com/en/hyundai/santa-fe-awd/2008/review?carid=1082500607&artid=96815

[Ice]

Just tossing it out there but if fuel economy is an issue then why not a FWD of either of those two models. Saves weight and powertrain losses for better fuel economy. It depends on lifestyle but if you spend your time driving cities and highways then AWD is probably, at least in my opinion, not really needed. If you do light off road or have a lot of icey slippery hills that you absolutely have to deal with on a regular basis then I definitely see the need. I'm not anti-AWD but I feel that some people feel like they need it but maybe they really don't.

I've heard good things about the older Sienna and I test drove a Santa Fe back a couple of years ago and quite liked it for a midsized CUV package.