Facelifted Santa Fe 2013

nope. if you are worry, get a turbo timer.

First time buying into a Korean, Santa Fe 2.2 High Spec.
After 3 months of driving, this is surprisingly a very good car for the money, especially for long distance drive.

2nd row seats are so spacious.
Soft suspension smooth out the ride.
Comfortable
Strong engine
Fuel efficiency
Easy to drive for its size
Cargo ability great
Good sound system
Looks great

Other cars: Old Accord 2.4, CX5 2.0, F30 328i

hi eter,
How would you rate this Santa Fe with the CX5. Seeing how you have both.
Specifically in terms of drive comfort and handling. Corners well, drive feel solid, not floaty, etc.

Agree with what eter23 mentioned.

As for comparison to CX5 that I briefly tested, it drives good and corners well. I believe better than Santa Fe since the Santa Fe's suspension is a little soft. I find that the rear suspension tends to bottom out quite quickly when going over a bump. Steering is nicely weighted on the CX5 when compared to the Santa Fe which has a steering that feels a little detached even after playing with the Flexsteer option. Sound insulation is not bad during idle which is slightly better than the Santa Fe (as expected being diesel). But insulation from tire and road noise when the vehicle is moving is much better on the Santa Fe even though the Santa Fe is riding on 19" wheels and running diesel. I personally love the panaromic sunroof on the Santa Fe which the CX5 has none for the CKD model. So if you have smaller kids, this can be a plus point. Not to be opened during the day but rather at night.

I've not driven the CX5 on the highway but the impression from the brief test drive I had is I find the power from the 2.0L lacking as compared to the Santa Fe diesel which has loads of it (especially torque). The Santa Fe is very stable on highway and can easily hit speeds of 180 km/hr. The car tracks nicely and does not have a floaty feeling at all when going fast. You don't feel like you're going at that speed. Once you're on the move, the acceleration is fantastic. It does not do well on sharp corners and you'd probably need to slow down a lot more to take the corners. The CX5 will take a corner faster I reckon.

But the deal breaker for me is that the CX5 is only a 5 seater. Yes, some may argue that the Santa Fe's 3rd row seat is nothing to shout about but for me, I have a 7 seater available when I need it occasionally. The other thing is while most people will think that the 2.0L engine is sufficient for normal driving, for me I rather have a little more grunt under the bonnet that a turbo diesel from the Santa Fe can offer. At that time, 2.5L engine option was not available which I think would be perfect for the CX5's size and weight. So in the end the Santa Fe won.

Just for the fun of it, I'd probably try and look for a 2.5L CX5 test drive on the highway one of these days.

InitialD got them quite spot on.

I got the CX5 CBU with 19 inch wheels for about 1.5 years now. It corners well, drive feel solid and not floaty these are definitely it's strong points. The suspension is taut and it's also why it feels compact and agile around town. It also come with 3 years free servicing so nice to drive in for service every 10,000km and drive out no need to pay a cent almost feel bad for the centre.

Santa Fe has strong engine, cabin well insulated at highway speed at this point you don't hear the engine anymore. Comfort especially for passengers is very good due to good NVH control and spacious cabin which is the biggest surprise of all.

Fuel consumption for both are almost equal for SF diesel 2.2 and CX5 petrol 2.0 averaging around 8.6l/100km combined urban & highway. This is probably the only closest point they share.

These two cars are very different for comparison. For a starter, Santa Fe is a large SUV and CX5 is a compact/medium SUV. If you really want to compare these two different SUV let me put it this way simply, if I drive around Penang I would pick the CX5 key and if I drive KL - Penang highway I would pick the Santa Fe key.

Different horses for different courses.

thanks for the valuable reviews. i just started selling hyundai and your honest feedback really means a lot more than whatever they say on paper.

A very recent review from Auto guide.com from America.
It might not share the same engine and the length of the vehicle but a lot in common.

I dont own a 2013 Santa Fe, but a 2011 Santa Fe. Originally Posted at "Santa Fe 2011 Model"

Just want to share my horrible experience with kaki santa fe here.

I am a regular customer at Hyundai OKR. Recently, I did my 75k service and service advisor (SA) told me that is time service the air cond since I dont have any record of servicing it. I Was explained that this service is a "full package", including changing the filter, topping up the gas cleaning the A/C systems with some anti bacteria fluid. This HYUNDAI service centre offered the full package service at RM 290+. Quite pricey but since Im leaving my car there and only collect it after work, and not wanting to leave my car at another place just for A/C service, I agreed to it.

After service, I noticed the blower filter (inside the front passenger side compartment) , was replaced with a filter that has no brand . Furthermore, the dimension of the filter is larger than the slot for the filter, and they just forced it in to the slot.

Interesting happen when I contacted OKR Hyundai Service centre about this. I asked why is this happening, and they explained that this is part of the "FULL PACKAGE" and filter they used is a local product approved by the management. I told them it is not acceptable. They are a Hyundai Service centre, but replacing an original parts (without informing / disclosing to the owner of the car) to a non branded parts. The SA told me to go back to the service center and meet the manager.

I went to the OKR Hyundai Service Center on the next day. The SA did all the explanation, the manager has no guts to meet me or tell me in person. I told him, if I would walk across the road, and did my A/C service at Ali, Ah Beng and Mutu Air Cond service center and it is acceptable to me if they replaced the original parts to a non original part . However what is happening now is not acceptable. I am standing inside the Hyundai Service Center, and original parts was replaced with non branded parts without disclosing to the customer. The manager was standing at the side and just keep quiet. I suggested to the SA, they can either refund, or replace with an original hyundai parts. What they responded is out of mind. I was 1 meter away from the manager, The Manager told the SA, If the customer want the original part, he will get it after he paid additional RM100.

I am totally out of word and stunned. I realized I am dealing with cheaters and a person that has no pride in his job. I told them thank you and this will be mine and may more other customers last service here.

Hope this unfortunate story will help others .!

I do not know what your OKR means. I suggest you write a lovely letter attentioned to the MD of Hyundai Sime Darby, Mr Lau Yit Mun (his office is a few blocks away from Hyundai Service Centre Glenmarie). Then see what happens. I do not think you should let these con people get away with this.

I almost got con by Kah Bintang near Jln 222 on the same air cond job. They tried the same thing on me and luckily I didn't fall for it.

OKR . Old Klang Road