Hyundai Santa Fe
Verified141 reviews
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.
MY11 What a great car this has been – Bought my 2011 Santa fe in 2013 still had three years warranty left, I know there are many mixed reviews for this car, all I can say is my car has been absolutely fantastic! Has never missed a beat, transmission and engine rock solid, no leaks at all, after the five year warranty all I've ever done is changed the oil, oil filter and air filter,… Read more
regularly at 7 1/2 thousand k's. I've now done 340,000 kilometers, I've just done a two thousand kilometer around trip to Bathurst absolutely no trouble at all, I only do things when needed, only gone though 2 sets of Hyundai supplied brake pads, which sounds ridiculous even to me! Would buy another of this year again without a doubt.
Whilst this was the 2025 car of the year, as an owner and driver of the Santa Fe calligraphy I must admit I’m very disappointed. From the sales team advising incorrect information to the handling of the car. Sales person advised Both sunroofs were electronic It was an 8 speed, wrong it’s a 7 speed The fuel tank was 45ltrs, not its above 60 If you… Read more
stand next to the boot for 3 seconds it will open for you, same for doors Trying to sell a luxury products without the service to match
Now the car Trying to sell it as a luxury car when it is not It feels very plastic even when you choose a leather interior I hate the gear changes being like an indicator. The gears do not change through the gears well at all. At times you have to change it several times. A few weeks of owning the car we noticed a very small crack in the interior of the boot. We called to advise and got the no worries we’ll get that fixed touring your first service. That didn’t happen I was told it’s not their problem and the think it’s from my wheelchair hitting it. My wheelchair is hoist lifted into the car, then secured with anchor straps so it can’t move at all. Also where it was suppose to hit, it couldn’t be as my wheelchair tyres don’t even reach that spot. I also had the same setup in my previous car for 7.5 years with no issues with it marking let alone hitting the door. The car gets stuck on car play and won’t easily turn to radio There is no handle bar on the drivers side When reversing it’s so sensitive. You have plenty of room to keep reversing both the car physically won’t let you. It can put you in a very dangerous situation, because if you can’t reverse of drone forward safely enough you can experience very angry other drivers on the road. The alerts and alarms do your head in. I was also told by the sales team that there would be an update to switch them all off if all the time instead of having to turn them on every time.
Reviews with attachments
- +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.
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.
- +5
2017 3.3 V6 "Active X" - Excellent Road Trip Vehicle – Our Hyundai as at May 2023 has been driven 246,000km as it was my father in law's country vehicle before we bought it in January 2022. After a decent clean, paint correction, and chassis was it came up like new. Full Dealer service history from new. One set of brake pads, one battery and just the usual fluid changes with oil changes every 3… Read more
months because of the amount of kilometres it was doing.
I take it to the mechanic once a year, but the oil gets changed twice by myself. There are no leaks and no loss of fluids between services.
It's been driven all around Victoria, Sydney a couple of times. We've driven it to and around Adelaide twice. Often sees country runs as well
Absolutely flawless. Plenty of power to overtake, quiet ride, and decent fuel economy on highway runs. Around 8/100km. Around town a little more.
The automatic transmission feels great. Plenty of pick up and no issues with it at all.
Braking is strong and study.
With correct maintenance there's little reason these won't give many, meant years of excellent service.
Space inside is enormous compared to my old faithful Falcon. Especially noticed with longer road trips.
Seats are comfortable and do have heading.. Showing some wear now. Miss the cooling feature compared to my wife's new Tuscon!
It's the DM II and 2017 get the added safety features of Autonomous braking and adaptive Cruise which I love! Hyundai also introduced Apple Car play / Android Auto for this year as well.
The Active X got the leather seats, gear knob, steering wheel, puddle lights and with the series 2 the information screen in front of the driver gets a larger 4.2 inch display.
I work from the city and catch the trainso these days I don't expect to travel no more than about 5,000km a year now, but will still be or main road trip car.
Flaw wise. Not a lot. Being a country car it has paint chips. Had the front bar replaced a few times thanks to kangaroo strikes. Over really, really rouht roads the suspension isn't as soft as a Falcons, but adding town and on general country roads feels fine.
The alloy wheels have paint flaking of. Still had one year of warranty when we bought our so should have had that fixed.
Rear seat was rattling it's had of for a while. Moved it and it had thankfully gone away.
Other than that, it's proving to be a great car! We've had 3 hyundai cars and all have been wonderful.
- +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
Positive reviews
WHY WAIT FOR A KIA SORENTO – I Am a retiree having worked in the motor trade all my life i liked the looks of the kia Sportage and bought a new one in 2015ish a 2ltr petrol and i really liked it I moved on to the next Sportage when i bought a larger boat and wanted the tow power of the 8 speed 2ltr diesel in about 2018-9 a Gt line with all the options and i could find very… Read more
little to complain about there It was another great kia So more grand kids had me looking at the Sorrento Gt line for its 7 seats , pretty much the same running gear except 2.2 diesel and again an 8 speed BUT...I would have to wait a year, so , knowing how closely knitted Hyundai and kia are i went down to the Hyundai dealer to find that the Hyundai Santa fe highlander which is the fully optioned car that is the opposite to the Sorento Gt line I don't think there is anything between the two cars apart from styling to separate them on the street , I drove away in a brand new Santa Fe Highlander a week later I love this car and have had it a year , diesel 8speed again . i think both of these companies offer exceptional vehicle and honestly i cannot understand why anyone would wait a year for one over the other. i can only think people do not realise how similar they are , i think Kia won here with an advertising saturation campaign where Hyundai didn't bother I smile when i think that because people don't really research options they are waiting a year to drive basically the same car if your considering a Kia make sure you look at Hyundai as well.
Beautiful Sante Fe Elite – Beautiful car, the best we’ve ever owned. Lovely to drive. Very comfortable and loads of room. Decided on Sante Fe over a kluger as seemed less bulky to drive but roomier inside. Fits both our kids massive car seats comfortably and loads boot space. Heaps of cool features and new car warranty. Great fuel economy. Powerful and comfortable for long trips. Overall super happy with our purchase. Show details
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.
Negative reviews
What was I thinking – Purchasing this Hyundai Santa Fe, was definitely one of the biggest mistakes of my life. I owned a 2011 Suzuki 2.4ltr, 5 door Grand Vitara, 5sp manual, 4X4 with window tint & towbar. It cost $36,291 but was able to get it for $32,000 even at Suzuki Motorama Springwood, now located at Mt Gravatt. We needed an automatic, so I went to Zupps at… Read more
Browns Plains & clean swapped my 2011 Suzuki for a 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe V6 Automatic. We had this Hyundai approximately 1month & it literally blew up, it was like the car had hit something, however their was nothing there. I felt a thump under the driver's seat & rear wheels completely locked up. As more than 7 days had past to take it back Zupps, although i did talk to them about it. I took it next-door to Hyundai Browns Plains to get a quote for repairs. Hyundai wouldn't give me a quote without paying them $150 for the quote. I argued the point that the car would either be fixed, or I would buy another car with them in mind. The 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe was deregistered & advising that the Hyundai not be reregistered & sent to the wrecking yard.
NEVER AGAIN – Worst mistake of my life! bought this car second hand, had been a fleet car in the past with all its servicing done with Hyundai. owned it for all of 12 months, started consuming oil like there was no tomorrow and then the next thing i knew it was making a knocking sound and im going to need to replace the engine. did some digging and found… Read more
that its an issue with the way the engines where made and that there is a class action being taken against Hyundai for this very issue. I have tried to contact the customer support countless times to see if they will fix the engine for me but apparently no one works there or they dont know how to reply to emails.
all i want it for my car to be fixed but instead im left out of pocket for my car loan and no car to show for it. I will never buy a Hyundai again and i will tell anyone i know who is thinking of it to steer clear
Hyundai Paint Failure – We have bought a second hand, white, MY 19 Hyundai Santa Fe from a car dealer in 2021. All in all we were quite happy with the car. Until the paint started flaking off. I was shocked when I recognised large pieces just pealing off. After doing some research, I found that our car is not an isolated case. In fact there are thousands of cases all… Read more
over the world. There has been a class action in Canada. Also one in Australia regarding dodgy paint, but only for Hyundai i20's. We did start the process with the local Hyundai dealer. Booked in the car to get assessed and a claim put together to send to Hyundai. We are not very hopeful, after reading other people's struggles to get this issue rectified.
Update: The local Hundai dealer did assess the damage to the paint and put in a case. After a week… Read more
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Recent reviews
If you like a car that won’t stop beeping - Buy this.
A MIX OF GOOD & BAD – We have owned this 2016 Series 2 SANTA FE 2.2L Turbo Diesel 4x4 7 Seat Élite last 3 years. I’m am a licenced motor vehicle repairer & tradesman, with 40 years experience in the auto industry. I also run a used car dealership since 2012. I am methodical in maintaining & servicing our cars every 5-6000kms. My experience in the auto repair/service… Read more
trade & with ownership & driving of various brands & models forms my opinion & thoughts below. I drive @ least 800kms minimum every week, sometimes 1500kms, so this is a very thorough assessment of driveability, performance & having to live with these vehicles.
Is the Santa Fe a good SUV ? Hmmmm ? YES & NO. It’s mostly solidly built. Some parts of it are very disappointing.
Servicing & Parts Costs- I found genuine Hyundai parts to be very expensive compare to Honda, Toyota or say Mitsubishi interestingly. Buying the same part number from Kia is actually cheaper. I’ve been quoted up to $60 retail for a engine oil filter! Diesel fuel filter $120 part only. I choose to buy aftermarket quality parts which are a fraction of the price keeping the servicing cost down.
The Diesel Engine- It’s fuel efficient (2.2 Diesel engine) Given its (almost 1.9 Tonnes)weight & Shape. Engine has strong lowdown Torque but is quite noisy (@ idle & under acceleration) The engine is unrefined, noisy & sounds clattery, (almost like a timing chain type noise) but hasn’t gotten worst. It transmits noise & vibration consistently when running. I’ve checked other Santa Fe vehicles, but Seems normal for this model (it is very noisy compared to our Honda CRV turbo diesel) which is so much more refined & smoother. You wouldn’t know the crv was diesel till you filled it up. The Hyundai Diesel does emit a fair amount of noticeable black smoke under acceleration (The 3 Honda CR-V Diesels we owned, never emitted any smoke in 6+ years of ownership) Though the Santa Fe engine has been reliable & economical. Now @ 270,000kms 01/11/24, it uses very little to a small amount of engine oil. No coolant useage. No oil leaks present currently.
The Automatic transmission- It has been intermittently been thumping and shifting rough, behaves strangely at times, but has not failed as yet @ 237,000 kms. It will play up then disappear for weeks at a time then reappear for a day or 2. Seems like an electrical or software issue perhaps, not mechanical or hardware. It has been serviced properly with the it being flushed out and replaced twice since owning from 170,000 kms. It hasn’t had a hard life, not driven harshly. There are reports of issues with both the automatic transmission & transfer cases on this model. The transfer case splines strip the differential centre carrier splines which then reverts your Santa Fe back to Front Wheel Drive! And this is @ least a 7k plus repair. You wouldn’t even realise it’s a problem till you floor the Santa Fe from standstill or attempt off-road driving noticing lack & loss of traction, no 4WD whatsoever! We don’t tow or carry anymore than 3 people in the car, don’t go off-road (it’s too low) as it has very poor ground clearance. Particularly if factory sidesteps are fitted like on my car.
The Rear Differential & 4WD Actuator- Another weak point & are known to catastrophic failures. Ours failed driving down the freeway towards Albury-Wodonga, doing 110km/h on cruise control on a flat open freeway just cruising along, on route to our holiday destination. It totally Wrecked our holiday plans, but I managed to disengage it the rear differential, band-aiding the failed & oil leaking differential to get us home thank God! Very disappointing & expensive. Hyundai Quoted $8000 for a new differential only, which is absolutely ridiculous! Keep in mind that the rear differential does not get power sent to the differential unless you are breaking traction, meaning going off road or in a slippery situation, so it further makes me wonder how the rear differential fails when it’s not actually operating often to very little compared to a rear wheel drive RWD car EG. (Ford Falcon or Holden Commodore) (In my personal experience & opinion, I use @ least 80W90 Diff Oil or what I’m now using 85W140 HD Diff oil) in the rear differential, changing it every 20,000kms. I have found the heavier oil lubricates & protects the internals much better, as the main failure point in my opinion is the differential is the pinion bearings. Often forgotten by many ppl, the issue is exacerbated by no to long oil replacement intervals. Cheaper to replace oils than differentials. IMHO & experience, the differential pinion shaft bearings are undersized & inadequate for their purpose & longevity. Imagine how many more failures would occur off-roading this vehicle? (With all the CR-Vs I’ve worked on over the last 25 years, I have never seen a single one fail)
The 4WD actuator- This 4WD coupling has also failed, (very common) which I’ve discovered since fitting the new differential. It is not serviceable other than replacing it. When this part fails your Santa Fe revert back to front wheel drive. This part is well over $1200 to buy plus fitting and programming!
The Braking System- I’ve had no problems apart from a recall notice from Hyundai Australia, stating a fire may occur from the ABS unit, which was addressed by Hyundai @ no cost. The brakes work very well, I’m about to replace all 4 Disc rotors @ 240,000kms, even though they still are serviceable & look okay. Now @ 270,000Kms, The brake Disc Rotors still look pretty good. Brake pad wear is not excessive given the weight of the Santa Fe. The handbrake switch has broken, still works electronically but needs the Switch needs replacement. No Doubt it’s not a cheap component, quoted over $700 for the switch which is very similar to the electric window switches on the drivers door! Going by reports from the Internet and also inquiring at several wreckers & dismantlers, it is a very common problem that these switches commonly break.
The Suspension- I find that the rear suspension settings & ride height for this car are totally wrong. It has a horrible ride quality, it sways & oscillates becoming unstable & uncomposed on a bumpy country road. IMHO it’s unroadworthy, dangerous & unsafe. I can’t understand how they made such a huge oversight to do with the control of the rear suspension in particular. It bounces up & down uncontrolled, whilst totally bottoming out, bouncing off the bump stops with only three people onboard & no load in the car whatsoever. Imagine having 7 ppl onboard plus a boot full of luggage? I’ve noticed whilst following behind many other same model Santa Fe’s & 2016 & on model Carnivals doing the exact same thing. Same behaviour & ride issue is very obvious. The factory rear shock absorbers are under dampened & have totally inadequate rebound settings for a heavy 7 seat SUV. The rear springs rates are also way too soft & need to have at least an additional 40-50mm more ride height & 30-40% more stiffness to address the ride shortcomings. The rear bump stops are constantly being bottomed out due to the inadequate rear suspension travel which perpetuate the unstable & horrible ride quality. So, I did my research, fitting new & stronger HD rear shock absorbers, modified the bump stops to give more suspension travel which has improved the ride quality & stability immensely. It’s actually so much better now, that it’s almost a joy to drive, but still needs the upgraded & stronger rear coil springs.
I have purchased Hyundai’s “Load Assist” heavy duty rear springs ($250) which I haven’t fitted yet to further improve the ride quality & ground clearance to the rear of the vehicle, as I still feel it is bottoming out on bigger undulating country roads or poor surfaces on certain road surfaces. I will update this post once I’ve gotten around to installing them.
Body & Chassis Design- The stereo/infotainment System has been a major problem, it’s had four stereos systems replaced under warranty but still doesn’t work properly where it drops out the sound & the Bluetooth is lost mid call & is intermittent. I found this problem with many other Hyundai’s models. Well documented on YouTube. Volume control does not work from the left switch of the steering wheel, seems the clock spring has failed, another expensive repair! The front doors are very short in length which makes entry & exiting for larger taller people rather difficult. Just try the same entry or exit in a Honda CRV from 2007 onwards and you’ll understand what I’m saying. The rear doors do not open at 90°, which should as other cars do, Hyundai lacks this simple feature which again makes entry & exit for parents particular difficult with infants or children.
Air Conditioner & Ventilation Controls- The air conditioning works well, has not need any service or re gassing. Only the cabin filter requires replacement every 40kms The climate control buttons on the main stack are a little complicated & are not simple to use fast, without actually looking at them closely which is not easy whilst driving. The heated seat switches are mounted on a stupid spot which are easily bumped accidentally, unwantedly frying your backside on a hot day! Paintwork is okay, however the rear tailgate is starting to fade just off the lower edge of the rear window, rear upper tailgate spoiler. Hyundai is known for paint fading (clear coat) on the bumper bars and sections of their body that I’ve come across over the years. The leather seats are pretty good, fairly comfortable and a hard wearing given the milage my car has done.
Lighting- The headlights are very poor on low beam. These are the halogen type not HID, I find that the headlights are very inadequate, even driving around in the suburbs, where you often need to use the high beams on to see where your actually going. Good lighting is very important. The interior lights are also very ordinary & don’t light up the slabs of the black coloured interior.
Overall with the modifications and improvements I’ve made to my Santa Fe, it is much more enjoyable to own & drive. Is the car worth $60,000 new? No I don’t think so. I wouldn’t part with my $$$. As a secondhand buy, with a thorough inspection by a intelligent mechanic, I would say probably it be okay, as you get a lot of car for your money. The best thing about this car is the space & fuel economy, thanks to the turbo Diesel engine.
I hope this gives you valuable information to do with the engineering & function of the vehicle & not just how it looks. Thank you for reading.
UPDATE- Now currently at 263,000kms, I’m about to replace the rear 4WD actuator for the rear… Read more
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
Good car but a few issues – Bought 2nd hand with 100k on the clock and then electronic brake failed then after 150k the harmonic balancer failed. The head lights are not bright at all. Great fuel economy and love the 7 seats. Show details · 1
Airbag warning light - Clock Spring - $856 – Airbag warning light on intermittently. Service Scan and Clock Spring replacement cost $856(Arncliffe nsw). Santa Fe 2014 model, on 101,000 kms, cost not covered under extended warranty.21/7/2023. 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
Fantastic Engine and transmission, loads of torque low end and a comfortable 7-seater – I purchased this Santa fe in 2015, so still had 2 years left on the warranty (which is transferable), just clocked over 300,000klms now and still going strong, just keep changing that oil and filter every 7500klms and she be good for god knows how long! Just lovely to drive and very comfortable, great for towing my caravan (more torque than a VW… Read more
Touareg) , ideal family car if your on a budget.
Things that have gone wrong: Front electric window switches need cleaning now and again - DIY Front drive seal leak - replaced under warranty Intercooler cracked - replaced under warranty Rear and front window washer bottle motors failed - replaced under warranty Rear offside door lock motor noisy and sometimes does not unlock - DIY fix with keyless remote and persuasion.
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.
Great Car – Great car for the price. We bought second hand with 114,000 kms, looked and drives as brand new. 2014 Santa Fe does not have EGF for diesel - because its higher overall emission standard doesn't require it! Show details
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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.
Best driving. All the comforts you want – long drive, work. It is AWD so feel safe, steering is smooth and very powerful. Parking and driving is so good. It is very luxury at this price. Everything I wanted is there. Show details
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
Great family car – Very nice car. It is a very heavy car so fuel consumption is a little higher than expected but I think that it is the only negative I have at this stage. Car is going on 2 years old, has not skipped a beat. Very comfortable and perfect for my young family. 2 push bikes fit in the back with room to spare. The infotainment is great. I am glad I chose this car over the CX8, I have absolutely no regrets with my purchase. 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.
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.
perfect and love it – great car very versatile and spacious. you can fit 7 adults in the car comfortably or a 1.8m tall piece of furniture when the seats are down. it’s easy to drive on road and on unsurfaced road Show details
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.
Extremely Reliable Vehicle – 12/2012 DM Model Santa Fe AWD Auto Diesel Extremely Reliable Vehicle, Very Roomy, Comfortable ride ,Fuel efficient, Quick vehicle for a diesel, Handling is solid an firm, brakes are also solid positive feel Only One issue That they do have is they do smash rear diffs around 150-170Thous kms Which is the only fault, its Expensive which will set… Read more
you back $3900-$4200 for the Diff ONLY The cause is due to a poorly built Diff Housing, Just ask the question if buying second hand if it has been changed
Overall it still a perfect, reliable Vehicle
I never buy Hyundai ever Again – Hi, for 70thousand dollars you expect something, this is a piece of garbage, very noise on take off, body parts very loose and vibrating, after one month from purchase day, I had a problem with adaptive lights steering, has been at Phil Gilbert service for 2 weeks no one now this problem and no one now this car as this function, never been fixed,… Read more
Parramatta Hyundai, never fixed, so this car is still faulty contacted Customer Care Australia, very rude, and not interested to fix the problem. So I'm saying people be very carefully when you buy a car especially $70.000 dollars.
never buy Hyundai again, Australian Consumer not trusted, ACCC, not trusted. been tru all of them no help
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.
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Barton’s Capalaba not Wynnum