u/Aeronnen

Hi everyone, I just wanted to share some impressions from the Santa Fe after about two months of ownership and about 5000 km.

Just a short background - I'm coming from a VW Tiguan which I bought new in 2018 and I'd been driving without much problems for nearly 8 years and 210k km.

I didn't like the new Tiguan and Tayron, and I was waiting for the new RAV4. Immediately after I did a test drive with the Toyota, I went to Hyundai and made the down payment for the Santa Fe, which I had tested two years ago with a slightly less powerful engine (this year's model was upgraded from 215 hp to 239 hp). I got a relatively good deal for my country, although the price paid for the car would seem high to an American. The Luxury trim with extra four tyres and rims, was cheaper than the price I was given for the RAV4, and the Santa Fe feels like it's at least one class above the Toyota. Caligraphy does not give any meaningful advantage in my country.

EXTERIOR:

I know it's a matter of taste, but I quite like the boxy look of the Santa Fe and from a rational point of view it makes even more sense. I like the car from the front and from the sides, I also don't mind the back, I think the car has a distinct character and is different than the generic SUV. I wanted blue colour but they didn't have it with the pecan brown interior, so I got the white matte with pecan brown - the combination works great and is a plus for hot sunny climates. The matte white is quite subtle and is neither bland, nor flashy.

INTERIOR:

This is where the car shines. It's miles better than most competitors from this class, and I like it much more than a new Audi e-Tron and Lexus which I tested recently, and which are full of shiny black plastic and sensory buttons.

Materials

- The materials in the Santa Fe give it a retro modern look, the seats are very comfortable, the leather is nice and the pecan brown is universally praised by everyone who has been in the car. The wood is an imitation but it looks real, the aluminum colour elements are also plastic, and sometimes you can tell, but it's not a deal breaker.

Space

- This is what I like most, there is a lot of room in the car, it is especially obvious in the second row, where there is plenty of leg space. The front seats are also spacious and the seating position is good. If the mid section between the seats was a little smaller, that would make the car feel even more spacious but it's not something to complain about. I already made a 3 hour trip with 7 people (4 adults and three kids aged 10-12), with three cabin size suitcases and a few backpacks and it was a comfortable ride for everyone. The electronic mirror comes in handy for situations like this, and this is where the boxy shape is super useful.

Wireless chargers

- It's good that there are two wireless chargers but they are not very quick and the phones get very hot quickly, especially on sunny days. Ventilation for the phones would be a welcome addition in future models.

Screens and infotainment

- The screens are perfect size and very clear, responsive and sharp, the bezels are well executed and look modern. I'm not a fan of the huge tablets in new cars, but I also don't like the very small and dated screens on the recent Honda CRV model for example. I mostly use Android auto and it works great (they couldn't even connect it at Toyota). The FM radio is absolute shit, probably the worst radio I've seen in a car, the reception is terrible, it doesn't automatically find the same stations when I'm in another town, I tried all the settings but I can't make it to work normally. The three customizable buttons are very useful.

Climate controls

- The climate controls for the front seats are great, the Driver only function is a welcome addition. Plenty of adjustments. I'm not hugely fond of the touch screen for the climate control but it's always there, gives you easy access to all settings, and you get used to it. You don't have to go to menus on the big screen to change things, which is very annoying on some cars. A major downside of this car is that you don't have a separate climate control for the second row and people on the back need to tell the driver to adjust the temperature or fan speeds, which are the same as the front ones. One of the few steps down from my old Tiguan. The ventilated seats are great but don't sit for hours on maximum setting, you'll get a stiff lower back and waist.

Storage

- There is a ton of room for water bottles and glasses, as well as gloveboxes. The door bottle containers are not huge, fitting a 1.5 l bottle is difficult. You also have some space in the center console under the chargers but I don't use it a lot. The trunk is huge when you are in a 5 seat configuration. When you do the 7 seat configuration, unfortunately for the hybrid the trunk cover doesn't fit in the storage under the floor. I found that it can be kept on the floor on the second floor if you didn't plan for the 7-seat configuration, and it's not too uncomfortable for the people in the back seats, because there is a lot of leg space and it can be stored behind their feet.

Sunroof

- It's actually two smaller roofs, on the front one you can open and close the lid manually, the back one is with a button. In general, this is both a disadvantage and an advantage. It's not as big and panoramic as most other models, but you can close the front and open only the back or vice versa which gives you some versatility if you don't like the sun and someone on the back seat does. :)

Lights

- I was afraid that the lack of matrix headlights would be a step down and noticeable, but I've had no problems with the lights. I actually think that the fancy lights on the Tiguan were not perfect, because they were too bright despite of multiple calibrations, I often got flashed by upcoming traffic at night quiet often, no such issues so far with the Santa Fe.

Driving impressions

- I'm generally quite happy with how it drives. I've always been a calm driver but it's relatively quiet and quick enough for my needs. I get a mixed fuel consumption of around 7.2 for a mix of highway driving (140 km/h), smaller roads and city driving. No issues with this, the consumption is similar to the much smaller Tiguan. I use mainly the Eco mode. The autopilot controls are very good and intuitive.

Main advantages - the whole family loves the car, no regrets! :)

- Very spacious, with it's own character and retro modern.

- Comfortable driving.

- Wonderful spacious and well designed interior.

Room for improvement:

- Separate climate controls for the second row

- Ventilation for the wireless phone chargers

- Fix the FM radio!

- Change the climate controls to physical buttons

Questions:

- How soon would you advise me to change the oil, the official service is at 15k.

- Any magic tricks or settings for the FM radio to work normally?