New Hyundai Santa Fe

[king_panther]

What does everyone think of this ?

http://www.carpoint.com.au/news/2009/medium-4x4/hyundai/santa-fe/big-torquing-santa-fe-lands-17226

* 2.2L Turbo Diesel - 145kw at 3800rpm, 438nm torque at 1800-2500rpm!
(Manual is less torque)
* 6-speed automatic !
* 7.5L/100km Automatic fuel economy.

I'm impressed by it. Adding it to the possible new car list!

Come on Mazda, Subaru, VW & all the rest out there who can't seem to match a diesel engine to an automatic gearbox !!!!! Pull your fingers out ! :001_mad:

 

[Scottie]

The figures might be ok and the vehilce itself might appeal to a lot of people, however, until Hyundai produce a car that actually looks quality and doesn't fall apart, i will never consider one.

I really think now that they are using all their own gear they should make a nice quality car that makes people go "wow, they are serious" not some korean rubbish that falls apart. Something like a Coupe S but good.

 

[Madhav]

Funny enough the older model actually shared our 5 speed auto gearbox.

 

[king_panther]

The figures might be ok and the vehilce itself might appeal to a lot of people, however, until Hyundai produce a car that actually looks quality and doesn't fall apart, i will never consider one.

I really think now that they are using all their own gear they should make a nice quality car that makes people go "wow, they are serious" not some korean rubbish that falls apart. Something like a Coupe S but good.

Back in the day yes ...... but Hyundai have made leaps & bounds lately.

My wife's mother had an Elantra which they couldn't wait to get rid of.

The i30 though has won numerous awards & won Car Of The Year didn't it?

I've had 3 Mitsubishi's, 1 Mazda & 3 Toyotas, & I'd have to say the Mitsubishis are at the bottom of the list in terms of build quality & falling apart....

 

[Kristian]

Wow I thought the new diesel CX-7 would at least come in auto, but it's 6 speed manual only! That's a bit silly!

 

[Guest]

My second car is a 96 Hyundai Coupe and it's been really cheap to maintain and very reliable. Only after 200,000kms has it required any thing major done to it, but it's been just the usual bushes, bearing, rotors etc. The engine has never needed any work.

A couple of things I really like -

1. Even for the newest vehicles, the full Hyundai workshop & troubleshooting manuals, plus dealer bulletins etc are available online for anyone to access free at hmaservice.com

2. You can get your genuine parts mega cheap direct from Korea via FourGreen.com and even with shipping they come in at around half of dealer price here.

 

[cyber_scriber]

Believe it or not but in a recent US quality and reliability survey, Hyundai was rated higher than BMW, Audi, Merc etc.

The Korean manufacturers have come a long way from the old cheap and nasty days.

 

[bradc]

Every single point here scares me a LOT:

The new automatic transmission is also Hyundai's own and is claimed to be lighter and more compact than any other transverse six-speed auto available today. It is shorter and 12kg lighter than the five-speed auto transmission it replaces. The gearbox is also maintenance-free, says the company. It is filled with an automatic transmission fluid that is "good for the life of the vehicle", the company says.

 

[dr-25-lt]

nothing wrong with a hyundai...

put it in perspective, the excel wasnt the best of cars, but u cant sell 50,000 of these A YEAR (average figures for the last 2 or 3 years that it sold), without good reason... if it was sooo crap they wouldnt have sold as many considering at the time they were minutly cheaper than the toyota starlet, and toyotas are unbreakable...

but back on topic, it looks the goods... worth adding to the list if its the type of car you after definately...

 

[bdscott]

I have an 08 Sonata which is fantastically built and feels well put together. Compared to it's competition it is up there in every aspect and as a bonus has a 5 year warranty. It's not personally my type of car but it is fantastic for my wife. Her old car was a 00 Lantra and in the 9 years we had it we replaced tyres once, battery once and muffler once. I don't care what sort of brand snobbery you have, that is extreme reliability. When RACV inspected it when we sold it they said it was in fantastic condition. Felt cheap and nasty though. They have come a long way

 

[Mortz]

Hyundai has lifted it's game a fair damn bit in recent years, most of the cars they are making now are miles away from the Excels and the crap they used to make...although on that note my Mum's 95 V6 sonata with like 250 thousand k's is running fine despite a severe lack of maitenance ("it's just a car"). It's a manual and the box is still A-OK even though my Mum drives the car pretty hard and the engine shows no signs of dying anytime soon.
I'd go and have a test drive for sure to check it out, the huge price difference between other brands and 5yr warranty are good incentives too.

 

[godzilla]

"The gearbox is also maintenance-free, says the company. It is filled with an automatic transmission fluid that is "good for the life of the vehicle", the company says."

I want this tranny fluid!

 

[bradc]

Trev - Hyundai transmissions are just Mitsi transmissions, so it will use SP3. That is in turn why I am extremely worried about the entire paragraph I quoted above.

Note that Hyundai will consider that the 'life' of the car is how long the first owner has it, ie 2 to 3 years and maybe a max of 80,000km, which if SP3 isn't in a VR-4 (ie angry hot twin turbo V6), it will actually last for 80,000km.

The problem is that the oil WILL degrade, just like on a VR-4 but perhaps over a longer period of time and the gearbox WILL explode if the oil is not changed. Again, the key point here is how long they think the 'life' of the car is.

What further troubles me about that sentence is that the old 5 speed auto is the W5M51 gearbox that we are so familiar with. The new 6 speed has to cope with 440nm of torque, yet somehow does this with an extra ratio and weighs 12kg less. Which means that each and every single item in that gearbox will have been made smaller, and lighter, and capable of holding less torque.

That auto gearbox will fail, and I strongly suggest to anyone considering one to either buy the manual, or harden the hell up and buy a real car, not some psuedo 4wd with terrible handling made by a car manufacturer that has no intention at all of providing a drivers car in anyway shape or form.

If you really really really want a psuedo 4wd, buy a Highlander or an Outlander V6.

 

[mookers]

Haven 't Porsche stated that their new PDK (doppelkerflugenspreichenboxengerflinkengearen) double clutch box is factory filled for the life of the car?

Maybe there's another überfluid out there that works wonders?

 

[king_panther]

"doppelkerflugenspreichenboxengerflinkengearen"

What is it with those Germans & ultra long words ???

"Das Doppel-Clutchen-Systemen" is good enough lol :lol:

Back to the gearbox though, it states that the auto trans is Hyundai's own this time too. Maybe the components are made of tougher yet lighter material now? I don't know........ but I'm definately interested in it as I'm mainly freeway cruising.

 

[mookers]

"doppelkerflugenspreichenboxengerflinkengearen"

What is it with those Germans & ultra long words ???

"Das Doppel-Clutchen-Systemen" is good enough lol :lol:

Actually I think the correct term is "Doppelkupplungsgetriebe".
And VW's version is called "Direkt-Schalt-Getriebe", or Direct-Shift Gearbox.

I just love making up fake German words lol

 

[bradc]

Just like BMW say that their auto's were sealed for life.....but then every 50,000km the dealerships change the oil.

 

[bogan bob]

I want this tranny

wow, wrong forum dude


Although this sante fe sounds far better than previous versions, i still cant take these korean brands seriously

 

[Kristian]

^^^Hahahahahaha - who would've thought a thread about Hyundais could be so funny??!!

 

[trounced]

it looks allot like the new subaru thou doesnt it, i dont mind it and for a new car the price is good for what you get