Hey guys, we just did a review and photo shoot on the 2008 Santa Fe Limited AWD and I was looking for some feedback, since you know the Santa Fe pretty well. I only had the Santa Fe for a week, but I think I did a pretty fair review:
http://www.automoblog.net/2008/07/03/2008-...anta-fe-review/

Here's the photo shoot: http://www.automoblog.net/photos/album/721...-Fe-Review.html

Hope you guys like it :)

Good job... :thumbsup:

I'm unaware of transmission problems... and I also think the 2.7L has more than adequate power.

Yep, I'm having the 2.7L model...so far so good. :)

"Also take note that the front seats sit higher than normal, and do not have a vertical adjustment."

My drivers seat has a power vertical adjustment with lots of range.

Maybe not enough emphasis on what a bargain this vehicle is compared to other manufacturers, at least here in Canada.

Otherwise a good take on the Fe.

Thanks all for the feedback. That's strange yours has a vertical adjustment, I really wished this one did. Why they wouldn't include that is beyond me.

You're right in that I probably should have emphasized the overall value of the Santa Fe.

Very good review! I agree with you on the door handles being cheap, the fact that it needs the AUX input somewhere and not having auto up on atleast the driver's window. I had an 05 and 06 Santa Fe and I loved them both, especially the bodystyle. I was skeptical about getting the newer one thinking I wouldn't like it as much, but I love my Santa Fe. I wish I could have kept my older ones as well.

This post has been edited by HyundaiLvr87: Jul 5 2008, 08:07 PM

Mine also has vertical adjustment on the power seat. I wonder why yours did not.

A good friend of mine had a Santa Fe with the 2.7L engine. He was not happy with it because when doing the trip from Tucson to San Diego the thing continually kept down shifting through the mountains just east of San Diego. He upgraded to a 3.3 version and it made all the difference in the world. Good call on your part regarding the 2.7.

Excellent review. :460:

David <><

Even our SE has the manual vertical adjustment on the drivers seat...you can crank yourself up or down.

Heck even my '04 has vertical adjustment on the driver seat. It's manual and controlled by 2 knobs. Good thing it is adjustable because I'm very tall in the torso. Even with the seat all the way down, my head is still way up there but I have much more head room than in most other cars.

Nice photos. I really like the last one. How well does the nav system work?

This post has been edited by lovemysantafe: Jul 8 2008, 08:40 AM

Hmmm... Where were the power seat controls located on your test vehicle? They're on the outboard side of the driver's seat on my Limited, but I don't see them in the photos you have posted in your article.

Power driver's seat is standard on the US Limited model. It's a "10-way" unit that includes: cushion front up/down, cushion rear up/down, seat forward/backward, seat-back recline up/down, power lumbar support increase/decrease.

Take a look at this photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/automoblog/26...57605947978830/

The controls are right below the bottom edge of that picture. On the black plastic. Same as yours then?

That's strange mine didn't have it, unless it did and I'm going crazy or something.

Thanks again for all your feedback, I'm glad you liked the review, overall. Hopefully we'll be doing some more Hyundais soon, I should be getting the 2009 Sonata in mid-August, and hopefully the Genesis shortly after that.

Yeah, it's just cut off by the picture. I'm not used to that color scheme for the interior (beige on black) - that was new for 2008.

Maybe yours wasn't working correctly? Power seat failure is not a common problem for Santa Fe's as far as I know but I suppose stranger things have happened. Never had any problems with mine.

Yes, I suppose it's possible it just didn't work, but the likelihood is rare. This was a press fleet vehicle directly from Hyundai, so I'm sure they would have made sure everything was working.

I agree on the black/tan combo, it was a bit strange looking.

Not as rare as the likelihood that you tested the only US-market Santa Fe Limited on the planet without a vertical power-seat adjustment.

The only other two plausible explanations are:

1) you weren't operating the controls correctly
2) the seat was already at its travel limit in the direction you were trying to move it and you didn't try it in the opposite direction

Well since I don't have the car anymore it's tough to tell, but I swear I played with that thing for a while with no success, and I promise I'm not stupid. Plus I'm not the only one who couldn't get it to work.

Anyway, glad most of you liked the review. I'll probably be getting some more Hyundais coming in the next couple months, so I'll let you folks know what's up.

I'm sure that's true. My point was that even though power-seat failure seems highly unlikely, it's probably the most likely of all the possible explanations.