2007 Hyundai Santa Fe SE w/XM Front-wheel Drive Review Summaries

What reviewers liked most about the Hyundai Santa Fe:

The driving position is upright and offers a commanding view of the road, while the rear seat has been packaged to maximize leg room.

-- Automobile

...an SUV-shaped package with all-weather mobility, yet it's soft around the edges like the Sonata sedan from which its hardware is derived... follows the pattern set so successfully by the Lexus RX 300.

-- Automobile

...suspension represents a good compromise between ride and handling, with the edge given to ride.

-- AutoWeek

Inside are storage nooks everywhere, including under the seats.

-- AutoWeek

...V6 engine is a powerful, smooth, free-revving engine that's close to being the best V6 engine in its class.

-- Canadian Driver

...4-speed automatic 'Shiftronic' transmission that can be shifted manually (the only one in a compact SUV).

-- Canadian Driver

...excellent 10-year/100,000 limited powertrain and 5-year/60,000-mile limited bumper-to-bumper warranties.

-- Edmunds.com

...we liked how the Santa Fe drove, both on and off paved roads.

-- New Car Test Drive

Santa Fe is a full featured, car-derived sport/ute with a starting price of just $16,499.

-- The Car Connection

...full-time, all-wheel drive was surefooted in conditions that befuddle more-expensive systems.

-- USA Today

What reviewers liked least about the Hyundai Santa Fe:

[Full-time all-wheel drive] comes at the price of an additional 331 pounds, and the added weight makes the Santa Fe lethargic in the way it steers, corners, and accelerates.

-- Automobile

...the four-speed automatic seems random in its decisions to shift.

-- Car and Driver

...a scant 7.4 inches of maximum ground clearance...

-- Edmunds.com

Hyundai Santa Fe Comparisons:

the Escape drives as if it's in a class far above the Santa Fe.

-- Automobile

The rear liftgate avoids the mistake made by the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4, whose right-side hinged tailgates force U.S. buyers to walk around the tailgate to load and unload from the curbside.

-- New Car Test Drive

Cargo-wise, the Ford Escape is the only competitor significantly bettering the Santa Fe.

-- New Car Test Drive

comes close to rivaling the haulage capacity of seven-seaters like Acura's MDX and the Mercury Mountaineer.

-- The Car Connection

...larger and roomier than Asian competitors as the Honda CRV, Toyota RAV4 and Subaru Forester...

-- Woman Motorist

Best one-liner about the Hyundai Santa Fe:

At $20,234 as tested, this is the screaming bargain of the [compact sport utility] bunch.

-- Car and Driver

It's a crowded poker game, but Santa Fe is holding a decent hand.

-- The Car Connection

...the best thing to come from any Korean automaker since forever.

-- USA Today