Hyundai Santa Fe TM (2018-2023)
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Hyundai's warranty is not worth the paper it is written on. As Hyundai will only reimburse the dealers for repairing actual faults, if they can't find a fault, the dealership will charge you a diagnostic fee. In my case $210. For example, at least 5 or 6 people, over a 6 month period, have complained about a fuel smell in the car. Obvious warranty… Read more
issue. But there are no obvious leaks to fix, so if you raise the issue with a dealer and they cannot find anything to cause the smell, they charge you $210 for looking. Transmission plays up from time to time. Known issue for dual clutch Hyundais. As it is only intermittent, they can't find the fault, so you get a diagnosis fee. So you pay for the dealers incompetence in not being able to find the issue. Therefore, raising any warranty issues with Hyundai is the same as going to the Casino. If you are lucky they will find the issue and fix it. If they can;t, they charge you $210. It is all designed to stop you raising warranty issues. The dealer makes more out of the diagnostic fee than what Hyundai would pay them to fix the problem.
- +8
Punches up against European rivals with its superior features and practicality – Exterior build quality is well executed in the Santa Fe, with relatively accurate panel fitment and high-grade alloy wheels being stand outs here. Those coming from a European SUV will notice that the doors on the Santa Fe feel slightly lighter than what they might be used to, however this is far from being a deal breaker. On the inside, the… Read more
upgraded interior of the Highlander is a highlight. Nappa leather, quilted stitching, soft touch buttons and crisp digital displays all stand out on this family car.
The Santa Fe range starts from $49,046, and can cost as much as this model you see here at $70,574 drive away.
Honestly, for the price you pay, I’d say go as high up the range as you can afford, as you’ll be rewarded with features along the way.
The feature-packed Highlander is my favourite of the range, as at this price point, you’re still undercutting more expensive 7-seaters - unless your alternative is a Kia Sorento (the sister car to the Santa Fe).
Additionally, with Hyundai’s respectable history of reliability, your choice of diesel or petrol engines, all-wheel drive, terrain modes, digital driver’s display and one of the best radar cruise control systems in any car - the Santa Fe feels like it does it all for a reasonable price.
Hyundai offers their standard 5 year/unlimited kilometre warranty with the Santa Fe. Servicing can either be paid at intervals as a capped price service program, or you can prepay your service program up to as high as 5 years or 75,000km of driving for $2,295.
The upgraded Harman/Kardon audio system is the real winner here, with plenty of power, clarity and depth emanating from these speakers. It’s obviously not close to reference quality by any means, but it certainly improves the driving experience for those who love listening along to a podcast or their favourite playlist.
The only real intrusion is the 2.2L diesel motor whirring away on the other side of the firewall. Aside from that, wind and road noise are drowned out by the sound deadening in this cabin.
I’m a fan of how Hyundai has tuned the brakes on the Santa Fe; it certainly complements all the premium looking visual updates of this car.
The brake pedal is accurate with plenty of opportunity to bring this family SUV to a smooth stop, without feeling like you’re shifting a whole lot of weight forward.
This isn’t the Santa Fe’s strong suit, but that doesn’t mean it’s underpowered.
The familiar 2.2L turbo diesel four cylinder motor puts out a respectable 148kW and 440Nm of torque. It’s not a performance motor in any sense, however with 440Nms to play with, it certainly does feel effortless to get up to the speed limit.
Additionally, the all-wheel drive system lives up to the challenge and offers plenty of grip. Sadly, due to a local lockdown, I couldn’t push this AWD system to its limits off-road. I did spend time with the Kia Sorento off-road, and a similar AWD system did a great job of maintaining grip.
On the road, the AWD system provides all the grip you need. You don’t want to opt for the petrol motor if you want AWD, as that only comes in front wheel drive.
What I really enjoyed was just how seamless the 8-speed DCT gearbox was at transferring power through to the tarmac.
Operated by a series of buttons, like you’d find in the Palisade and Sonata, this gearbox offered a smooth and effortless experience that will certainly help busy parents relax when driving this SUV.
Despite being fitted with upgraded wheels, the suspension offered a relaxed ride.
What I loved about the Santa Fe is that it’s not trying to be a sporty SUV (bar the paddle shifters). Priority is given to this car being comfortable, rather than compromised.
Driving around town and out on the highway, it’s easy to relax and have the car iron out a lot of imperfections on the road ahead.
The main issue that arises with a ride this comfortable is that through corners, the weight does shift a little more than I’d like.
Claimed combined fuel consumption figures for the diesel are quoted at 6.1L/100km, with more realistic figures approaching 10L/100km in the city.
Next to the Hyundai Palisade, this is my favourite Hyundai interior. That’s simply because it’s logically laid out but is designed in such a way that only the centre console beras all the visual clutter.
That means you have a Porsche-like centre console that meets the dashboard, there’s a large instrument binnacle for the digital driver’s display, but there’s an appreciable absence of visual clutter away from these areas.
I love the plethora of physical buttons, as you will miss these if they ever get replaced with capacitive ones. As most of the time, physical buttons are easier to navigate without looking down and away from the road.
There’s a significant absence of the fingerprint magnet known as gloss black plastic - in place is a matte silver plastic that looks excellent here. It does a great job at complimenting the dual tone interior and ambient lighting splashed throughout the cabin.
There’s 782L of boot space available with the third row folded. It’s a massive space, as it’s a boxy and flat load area that makes loading large items of cargo a lot easier.
Second row comfort is sublime. I love how Hyundai includes the ability for the rear left passenger to move the front left passenger seat, with controls located on the seat to do so.
You have a fantastic amount of adjustability for the second row, making it possibly the strongest selling point for the Santa Fe against its competitors if you’re shopping for a family that usually only uses the front two seating rows.
You’re likely to be interested in buying a Santa Fe because you have to haul around people and luggage all in the form and comfort of an SUV.
If you’re a die hard for a premium brand, I urge you to shift your perspective and take a Santa Fe for a drive. You need to see all these features working in person if you’re not already convinced on paper - it’s going to make it a lot harder to convince yourself that buying a more expensive car in this category is worth it.
*Disclaimer - I work for ProductReview as their independent car and motorbike expert. I borrow new cars and motorbikes from manufacturers and owners to review. I am not paid or incentivised by these brands to post reviews. I write and create content to provide insight and information about any new or used vehicle I can get my hands on.
Great car – We have had 3 previous Santa Fe’s and never had a single issue. Upgraded from my diesel to a 2020 (December - plated Jan 2021) and have had no problems at all. The speed zone and your driving speed is reflected to the lower portion of the windscreen, which took a little getting use to, but I really enjoy that now. I drive a total of 3 hours a… Read more
day for school run and have so far found it to be very efficient. It is spacious, and feels luxurious inside, with leather seating, heating to the seats and steering wheel, a wireless charging pad. I’m really loving the upgrade. Highly recommended.
Hyundai santa fe 2018 – I have had my santa fe hyundai on the road only owner from 23/ February 2019.Cars been serviced and cared for .car started making knocking sound an Was using alot of oil.My santa fe now needs a new engine at my cost .I will never buy a Hyundai car again.Its had plenty of problems and was not worth the money paid for .customer service was not good only want to sell cars not maintain them. Show details
Paint peels off!!! class action lawsuits in other countries. Do Not Buy a hyundai!! – Effects all hyundai's as far back as 2006!!. Bought a 2018 hyundai santa fe 2 weeks ago. Has been driven by my wife 3 times, hasent even been washed yet and the paint has started to peel off the roof!!! The car is only 5 years old and has 110,000ks on it. There are multiple class action law suits against hyundai for this in other countries but… Read more
none in Aus atm. I have booked it to go back to the dealer and have filed a complaint with hyundai so we shall see what happens but from what I've read it is unlikely they will fix it.. furious is an understatement.
- +1
Fit and Finish of this car is terrible and Hyundai Australia don't seem bothered – I purchased this vehicle at the beginning of this year. Upon picking up the car I found the front door trims misaligned with the dash. It is glaringly obvious the door trim needs to be moved about 5 to 7 mm to create a neat finish. When I asked the dealership they didn't seem to bother. They requested I report that to Hyundai which I did, only to be told this is normal. In my opinion, this is very ordinary for a vehicle costing almost $60k. Show details
So great family car. Definitely recommending – Love Santafe. It's my first Hyundai 7seat car. So comfortable seat and handling is also amazing. Tirelessly driving so long time. Really enjoy driving (I hate driving around) also, many time save me from small accident so feel safe with this car. GREAT CAR Show details
The car 2020 santa fe is falling apart at 25,000km – So far the car has had to have numerous faulty issues repaired. 1. The seals around the front windscreen have disintegrated and turn to jelly 2. The drivers door speaker has failed and comes on and off 3. The right hand side indicator light has filled up with water. 4. The most major issue, the battery is leaking and not only that has melted the… Read more
plastic box around the battery which could cause a fire. I have to drive 3 hours to the closest dealership to get the car repaired . It will go next week again to have the issues addressed. I have only done 25,000km since purchase in 2020.
Worried about recent issues – I bought my sante Fe Active March 2022. All has been fine except for the wi fi charger not working. However, last Friday I was driving and it would not go over 80klms ab hour. No other vehicle in front of me. I dropped into a hyundai dealership who checked with the computer and said all was fine. He was also able to get the wi fi charger working.… Read more
The wi fi charger charged the phone to 78% and then stopped. The charging port and my Samsung phone were both very hot, which was a very big worry. The following day car got stuck at 75klms an hour. Driving back on Monday, car got stuck at 75klms an hour. I had to pull over and restart the car to get it to drive properly. Anyone else having this issue or know how to fix it? Kylie g
Engine and drive train are proving solid so far but all the bells and whistles really let me down – I bought the Santa Fe Highlander as an ex demo vehicle in August 2019 when it had about 9000km on the clock. The car has been built in late 2018 so it's one of the first of the TM line. Not long after purchase I noticed the panorama roof becoming quite noisy which I raised with the dealership. Dried out rubber seals causing noise was only one part… Read more
of the issue, the real one was that the roof assembly kept working itself loose off the frame it is mounted to the point where I could push the glass lid up from inside the cabin, creating a creaking and knocking sound which was quite bad while driving. It was a back and forth run to the dealership for months, each time they apparently fixed it but when I picked up the car the noise was back very soon. After having the car at Hyundai for the 4th time the roof doesn't come loose anymore. The last reports states that the panorama roof assembly and frame have been tightened and secured and dampening material has been inserted, though the creaking due to seals drying out persists up until this day. Every few months I lubricate the seals and it reliefs the problem to a minimum. The next repair was a failing cv joint, then the fuel line assembly from tank to engine had to be replaced. Not long after that I noticed that the active cornering headlight kept shaking along erratically when steering. This was especially visible on a smooth surface like highway driving. I raised the concern with my dealership in Southport where I purchased the car and after them repeatedly having my car for inspection of the issue, (the last time they had it for over a week, providing me with a loan car)one of the mechanic even taking it home over night, they kept getting back to me stating the "the issue can't be replicated" and it was done up like that. At this stage I felt that they really can't be bothered and don't want to deal with me at all. I felt pretty helpless and went to an independent mechanic who with common sense could replicate the issue while the car was on his hoist and wrote up a fault report which I then took to Hyundai but this time another dealership. Finally the dealer in Robina replaced both headlights under warranty (over $ 6000.00 repair cost for parts and labour). I was very happy that this was now fixed. Then....Moisture in the right hand daytime running light which got replaced and at the moment I am struggling with a faulty power tailgate which intermittently won't open, lift or shut. This recent problem is going on for about half a year now and Hyundai had my car 4 times already, replacing both tailgate actuator struts as well as the latch assemby. None of that fixed the problem, tailgate still doesn't work. My next appointment is in a months time and they have my car booked in for several days, providing a loan car. All up this car so far has cost Hyundai tens of thousands of dollars in repair under warranty and it has cost me way too much time and patience, not to mention the money spent on fuel for the trips to the dealership every time they need it for inspection and repair. I'm very disappointed in Hyundai that they aren't able to diagnose and rectify issues in a more efficient manner. If the car would measure up to the quality promise made by Hyundai then it would actually be good value for money. Unfortunately at least in my case it feels like purchased a lemon.
Great car – Fantastic car which all the safety features you could ever want. I average about 8L/100 around town and 6.5L/100 on the highways. Extremely comfortable seats and plenty of room in the boot. Parking is easy with the 360 camera and parking sensors front and rear. Also tows like a dream and never ran out of power going through the mountains with a caravan on the back. Show details
Best car we've ever owned and we have been Toyota buyers for 30 years! – We bought this car as a demo with about 5k on the clock. The Highlander is the top of the range version. It has more bells and wistles than I can think of. The safety features even saved me from two accidents by automatically applying the brakes. We just use the car for normal everyday driving. The third row of seats are loved by our grandkids. Of course they love it, they picked this car from the Kluger Show details
Great family crossover vehicle - the SUV for when you don't need an SUV – We use this car mainly for shunting the kids around and shopping - it's super comfortable, easy to clean, has a well appointed features package with electric everything. Sound system is decent although I would have expected something a little better given it's supposed to be a premium sound package. It misses out on a star because the towing… Read more
capacity is underwhelming at only 2500kg, even though the engine could potentially handle far more given the power is on par with the likes of an Amarok. Fuel efficiency never seems to meet factory spec either, although in fairness we do a lot of short trips and not much highway and live in a hilly area so allowances need to be made! Decent amount of passenger cabin room and storage space. Leather seems to be real and hard wearing - better than a Sahara VX in that respect. Overall for the price, a well built machine that has been reliable and a pleasure to drive.
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Brilliant car with a few minor issues – Bought it new in 2019 and is mostly used as a daily commuter and for longer trips during school holidays. I haven't tried towing with it yet, but it barely notices even when fully loaded. Pros: Great engine especially the midrange Fantastic economy, around town I easily get 9l/110km and 6.5l/100km on longer trips Being diesel, not having to… Read more
worry about the fuel price cycle is nice Outstanding equipment levels with lots of great features. Full size spare
Cons: Some rattles/squeaks particularly in the sunroof Onboard maps not great.
A brilliant car with a few little quality control issues, but I feel totally confident it would never leave me stranded and Hyundai customer service has been pretty good sorting them out.
Love this car – Let me start by saying I am not a car person. I don’t know the mechanical stuff. But I can tell you this is an amazing car to drive! Smooth, comfortable and feels safe. I like the setting where it yells at you if you are close to bumping something, and the reverse camera makes parking a breeze. And it has air con all the way to the back, which is… Read more
a must for me with young kids and old dogs who fuss too much if the car is too hot. My favourite car yet!
The only downsize is that the boot size is small when you have the 7 seats (which most cars would be). When it is set up as the 5 seats to boot size is massive and can store so much of our junk.
Best car I’ve ever had! – I have the 2020 V6 Elite and use my car every day in heavy traffic and highway driving and everything in between. The V6 engine is wonderful and the transmission is smooth and very responsive. No turbo or diesel lag here. 206kW of power and most of it accessible at lower rev ranges. Very quiet, smooth over bumps. Agree the lane keeping assist is… Read more
annoying especially having to turn it off each time. It does work beautifully on highways though. In short - it does everything well and can’t recommend it highly enough.
Average quality, good gadgets – I switched from Nissan Murano 2010 to MK 2020 Santa Fe Highlander 2.2D diesel, which is the full option variant. Being impressed by the luxurious options when I test drove it, I purchased this demo car. It has far more options and gadgets compared to any other car in this price range. Since first day, I realized despite many sensors and options,… Read more
the car felt like a cheap one, had noise coming from engine compartment which then found out was the fuel tubes oscillating on the engine fire shield. Then the noise from the driver door drove me crazy, which found to be from the door control switches. Sun roof makes noise. Road noise and vibration is all transferred to the driver and passengers. Leather seats are made of rigid foam, you feel exhausted after 2 hours of driving thanks to transfer of every single small vibration to you body. While the dealership does their best tio fix some issues, a lot of them are inherent to the car itself due to its below average material quality. Compared to my Nissan Murano, this Santa Fe hardly deserves 3 stars. It's a regret purchase.
Good mix of space, power, comfort, features, tech, versatility and safety – Good comfy spacious 2nd car. Versatile 7 seats, full size spare tyre, heated and ventilated seats, quilted contour electric memory leather seats with memory, lumbar support, reasonable economy for highway driving. Good turning circle and smooth ride and easy handling for size. Show details
Hyundai Santa Fe - Rusty Parts – I bought a 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe in 2020, so it's 2 years old, and the boot door gas strut brackets are already rusting badly. I used to be in the manufacturing industry buying services like powder coating & e-coatings for brackets so i know this is cheap shoddy work. Brackets like this should not be rusting at all for a long time, maybe if it was parked by the beach non stop for 2 years I could understand, but even then it should not happen.
Worst car – The contenders were Kia Sorento Si, Skoda Kodiaq sportline, Nissan trail ST-L, Toyota Kluger GXL, Hyundai Santa Fe active, and Honda CR-V Vti-l. No we werent considering the Mazda CX-9 as it just didnt appeal to us, neither did the pathfinder and especially after reports we had heard on the CVT transmission. On first impression, the Skoda Kodiaq… Read more
was the one that appealed most to us. With good looks, spacious interior, simply clever features and a Refined drive chain. To be honest, I wish that I had gone with the Kodiaq, the only thing holding us back was the 6 month waiting list. We test drove all the other cars. The Kia has a good powertrain but just felt a bit basic, Toyota was nice, Nissan and Honda were a bit to small and compromised on boot space. So the only car left was the Santa Fe, it had a naturally aspirated 2.4l petrol making 138kw and 241nm. Test drive was nice but only got to drive it for a short time. We had read so many reviews on the Santa Fe which were somewhat positive but these were all short time loan reviews from car reviewers so hard to tell what the car would be like in the long run.
Finally the day of pick up, we were pumped to finally get rid of our 2013 Toyota RAV4 for something new. Driving it home, we realised how overpriced it was for what you get. Our 36k RAV4 GXL was better equipped than our 50k Santa Fe. Things we lost were keyless entry, push start, dual aircon to name a few. We did gain some things like blindspot and lane departure warning which gave the Santa Fe a few points back. The ride was pretty good but the engine wasnt the best, It was noisier than the Kodiaq, slower and felt much less powerful which was a surprise as the Santa Fe had 6 more kw. Its not much but thought it would make a difference. The Kodiaq was also way better equipped with things like front parking sensors, led headlamps, power tailgate, keyless entry, push start and start stop technology which improves fuel economy, this would have been good in the Santa Fe as we struggled to get near the already 9.3l/100km high claim for a 4 cyl petrol SUV. Our average was more like 13.5l/100km, sometimes it even got up to around 16l/100km. This engine was way underpowered and nowhere near as pleasant as the Kodiaqs turbo 4.
2 months of ownership and we have had multiple faults with the electrical system including power windows, mirrors, sensors not working, camera display and apple carplay/android auto to name a the key faults.
6 months its been now with this disaster sitting in our driveway, 9k km on the clock, not getting used. We ended up going out and buying a demo Kodiaq sportline fully optioned for around 4K more than we paid for the Santa Fe. This car has absolutely everything that you could possibly want. It is much more fuel efficient than the Santa Fe with averse sitting around 9l/100km, more pleasurable and easier to drive. on specs, it would compare more to the $13,000 more expensive Santa Fe highlander. Yet, it still gains some things that the Santa Fe doesnt have which induce umbrellas in the door, door protectors, side door airbags and curtain airbags that extend to the third row.
We have now had the Kodiaq 4 months, Santa Fe 10 months and still having problems with the Santa Fe. Not a single problem with the Kodiaq. I would recommend the Kodiaq over the Santa Fe any day of the week. Never again will I buy a Hyundai and I cant wait to get rid of this waste of money.
Adequate
Amazing features – We upgraded our five year old Hyundai Santa Fe to the new 2019 Highlander 2.2 Diesel three weeks ago and we love it, even more than we fell in love with our first Santa Fe. It has all the safety features and more than you think you will need but I often use them, including the lane assist and I love the convenience. I admit we were spoilt when… Read more
upgrading our car as not many of the SUV,s boast all the mod cons that our original SantaFe had nor for the price. My hubby and I have owned several car makes prior including Nissan, Toyota, Jeep, Holden and Ford but none of them compare to the safety and luxury features that give you the best fuel economy around town. I love the feeling of driving this amazing car and the satisfaction of making a great decision with such a big purchase.
Best value for money quality car ever! – Took ownership of my new 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe Highlander 2.2D in March 2019 and I do not have all the words to describe how impressed I am with this vehicle! This is my 14th vehicle I have owned over 35 years and I can without hesitation say that it is the best value for money top quality vehicle I have owned. My previous vehicles included BMW,… Read more
Audi, Lexus, VW, Mazda, Nissan and Kia and my Hyundai Santa Fe can compete with any European luxury vehicle I've had, in terms of quality, features, safety and cost of ownership, but at a fraction of the price. Quality is up there with and better than the best of all the vehicles I've owned and the Santa Fe ticks just about every box for "best" vs the other vehicles I've owned. Running cost is definitely best in class and the days that Hyundai was a "plastic, low cost / low quality option" are forever gone. The European vehicle manufacturers will have to up their game to compete on price and quality, as paying "for the badge" will not do it for much longer. Done 10,000km in my Hyundai Santa Fe Highlander 2.2D and not a thing to complain about, experiencing features once only found in expensive European vehicles, knowing I me and my family are protected by top-of-the-range safety technology and enjoying driving this vehicle more each day. Simply a case of getting a heck of a lot of car at a great price!
Lemon cars – Bought a faulty elite, turbo hoses blowing off multiple times having to be towed each time, confused gear automatic gear changes, paint defects, losing power or no response from acceleration, no joy from dealer or Hyundai themselves, dealer said it was my fault that caused these issues Show details
Hyundai Santa FE 2019 Highlander – Top model of Hyundai Santa FE is far better than the lower models. Better than all the other cars of its class like BWM and AUDI. Amazing features like safety cameras, collision sensors and blind spots detector is very useful for new users. Love to recommend if you want a 7 seater SUV with premium features same as available in mercedes, BMW and AUDI. Perfect for a big family and has lots of boot space for extra luggage storage. Show details
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