2008 Hyundai Santa Fe

2008 Hyundai Santa Fe 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