[C40]

Hello!

Thanks for reading my first post! I just purchased a 2017 Sante Fe Sport 2.4 FWD with 25k miles this past weekend. I also own an 04 sonata with 165k and it still has a solid powertrain. We decided to go back to Hyundai this weekend because the trauma of dealing with Ford's 1.6 Eco-boost just became unbearable.

Initially, I went looking at the 2019 Santa Fe, which is an incredible car. However factoring the price, the deal the dealer was offering on my trade, (13 Escape ) and the amount of options in the 2017 ultimate compared to the base model 2019 was something I couldn't pass up. Overall, I'm glad to be in in the 2017 Santa Fe and out of the Ford.

I'm seeking any advice or feedback on anyone else's experience with the 2017 2.4 FWD, specifically with reliability. Is the 2.4 competent on this platform? i.e not "working too hard" for the weight of the vehicle. I know it is the same engine Hyundai uses in the Sonata. Otherwise, are there any particular maintenance issues on this platform I should be aware of in order to prevent further headaches down the road? I really hope I made the best decision possible and got into a solid, reliable vehicle considering the endless headaches I had with Ford Eco-boost engines.

Cheers,
Corey

 

[wallyjay]

Congrats on a great ride and welcome to the forum. My 2.4 FWD has about 45K. It has plenty of zip and does very well for a four cylinder engine. The transmission is geared very nicely to the engine allowing plenty of get up and go. I originally had a 2007 SantaFe with the 3.5 V-6. The 2017 actually does better from 0-50 than the 6 banger did. Lots to like about the car. No issues so far. Happy motoring to you.

 

[Andrew17]

Decided to join the forum so I could brag on my own car. I also have a '17 Sport with the 2.4 engine. I've put about 25k miles on it since I bought it (43k total) and haven't been left wanting anything more from the powertrain. Like wallyjay said the transmission is geared very well for the application. I frequently have 150 or so extra pounds of music gear in the back and I don't really notice much difference. I've been thrilled with it thus far.

 

[wallyjay]

Welcome to the forum Andrew17. Thanks for posting your experience with your SantaFe.

 

[Shaggy77]

The 2017 has the Theta II engine platform. Supposedly issues were corrected but they also adjusted the number of affected models from time to time. Depending on which stance you look at some people feel the Theta II issues are resolved. Others don't and wonder why Hyundai/Kia Motors have not expanded the current campaign further. My co-worker has a 2.4 in a Kia. He claims it has the same problems as the recalled units. When he asked the dealer about it they said his vehicle was not effected but they could do the monitoring to determine if that is the problem. However, he claims he was spooked by it and wants to get rid of the car since it does consume oil from what he sees and doesn't want the engine replacement to affect his resale/ trade in value as he wants to get an SUV. Quite frankly, I just SMH about the issue. I would have the dealer do the testing and replace the engine as needed. The car pretty has no resale value anyway.

As for the Escape, I get your feelings about it especially since it is a 2013 ( New MY) They had a number of problems with that year and I have seen a few lots try to give those models away. We tested a 2.0 Ecoboost 15 a couple of years ago. I liked it but it was overall too small for our needs. However the Escape, the people I talk to either loved it or hated it. There was little in between.

Congrats the new vehicle. Speaking of which, did you notice any road noise in your model when you tested? I looked at a couple of 17s back at the end of 17. The road noise on the one was pretty noticable. The sales rep noticed it too and tried to talk over it. However even he conceded and requested i try driving another one when we got back to the dealer. These were 2.4 engine models with the higher trim packages but not the Ultimate. Recently, I have seen several off lease 2017 2.0T Ultimate with tech package trims on the market. I have to find time for a quick test drive to determine if I want to pursue further as I am in no rush to purchase.

 

[mjonis]

The 2017 has the Theta II engine platform. Supposedly issues were corrected but they also adjusted the number of affected models from time to time. Depending on which stance you look at some people feel the Theta II issues are resolved. Others don't and wonder why Hyundai/Kia Motors have not expanded the current campaign further. My co-worker has a 2.4 in a Kia. He claims it has the same problems as the recalled units. When he asked the dealer about it they said his vehicle was not effected but they could do the monitoring to determine if that is the problem. However, he claims he was spooked by it and wants to get rid of the car since it does consume oil from what he sees and doesn't want the engine replacement to affect his resale/ trade in value as he wants to get an SUV. Quite frankly, I just SMH about the issue. I would have the dealer do the testing and replace the engine as needed. The car pretty has no resale value anyway.

As for the Escape, I get your feelings about it especially since it is a 2013 ( New MY) They had a number of problems with that year and I have seen a few lots try to give those models away. We tested a 2.0 Ecoboost 15 a couple of years ago. I liked it but it was overall too small for our needs. However the Escape, the people I talk to either loved it or hated it. There was little in between.

Congrats the new vehicle. Speaking of which, did you notice any road noise in your model when you tested? I looked at a couple of 17s back at the end of 17. The road noise on the one was pretty noticable. The sales rep noticed it too and tried to talk over it. However even he conceded and requested i try driving another one when we got back to the dealer. These were 2.4 engine models with the higher trim packages but not the Ultimate. Recently, I have seen several off lease 2017 2.0T Ultimate with tech package trims on the market. I have to find time for a quick test drive to determine if I want to pursue further as I am in no rush to purchase.

Yes, if I read the recent class action lawsuit/proposed settlement, the 2017 SFS also can be suspect for engine issues (although I'm not sure if anyone has reported it here, and the settlement seemed to be both the engine fire issue as well as the engine dying issue).

Road noise - yes, when I test drove the 2017 SFS, Ford Edge (2016 as the 2017 wasn't out yet) and the 2016/2017 Sorento SXL, the Hyundai had more noise than the other two, by about 2 db. Which, ironically is about the amount of noise reduction that the acoustic glass provides that's on the Edge and Sorento. (at least the trims I was looking at).

I did extensive research/test drives, so I knew what I was in for.
Overall my two "issues" (again, I knew this) compared to the Edge/Sorento:
1) slightly more noise (again I suspect due to the lack of acoustic glass in the Hyundai)
2) "smoothness" of ride compared to the others.

For #2, I'm fairly certain that the 19" wheels are the culprit. Even test driving the Edge with 18" wheels vs. the Edge with 19" wheels I thought I was driving a completely different car. The 18" wheels provided a smoother ride. Same with the Hyundai as I had originally test drove the base model which has 17" wheels.

Had I bought the Edge, I would've had to pay $42,500 before tax, title, registration (that was with my trade-in) because none of the Ford dealers in a 50 mile radius would deal - it was full MSRP or else - because I wanted the Titanium with all the bells and whistles which is a special order as nobody in the area carries it in stock.

My Hyundai 2017 SFS 2.0 T Ultimate was $34,500 before tax/title/registration.

According to KBB, the private party resale in my area for the 2016 Edge Titanium with the options is actually worth about $2,000 less than my 2017 SFS. haha
And i paid significantly less than the Edge.

But everyone has a diff. set of priorities.

I'd strongly suggest to do lots of test drives (use the SAME route you drive every day if possible as it'll give a more accurate comparison). There's phone apps for noise levels (unless you have a sound meter as well), and some will give a "rough" estimate of ride smoothness. We have lots of potholes here and frost heaves, etc.

I'm not a Hyundai "fan club" person, meaning if someone chooses a diff. car, no big deal. Every person has a unique budget, and a list of wants/must-haves, etc.

I think I have a good car with a good value for the money. Yes, the Ford drove better/smoother, but it, IMO, was not $12,000+ "better" than the Hyundai. So I wasn't going to pay that much (now, if Ford would've dealed a little closer to the TrueCar pricing back then of around $39, then maybe a diff. story).

 

[cessna152flyboy]

Are the 2017 Ultimates that noisy? I have a 2015 Ultimate and it is whisper quiet on the highway even at 85 MPH----I would say about a hair more noisy than my 2008 Highlander. I believe it mostly depends on the tires. My Highlander was noisy until I switched to Michelin comfort tires---what a difference!

 

[mjonis]

Are the 2017 Ultimates that noisy? I have a 2015 Ultimate and it is whisper quiet on the highway even at 85 MPH----I would say about a hair more noisy than my 2008 Highlander. I believe it mostly depends on the tires. My Highlander was noisy until I switched to Michelin comfort tires---what a difference!

Big diff in model years, and tire sizes/types.
I do know that on the 2017 SFS 2.0 T there's not much insulation around the wheel wells, so you get a lot of road noise transferred from there, plus the lack of the accoustic glass (drivers/passenger front and front windshield) add up.

According to my old spreadsheet when I test drove the final 3:

The average db for the Ford Edge was 83.5
The average db for the Sorento was 84.4
and the average db for the Hyundai was 89

I drove the same route (to work and back home) twice for each vehicle (4 one-way trips) and averaged the db (to exclude high/lows, like one time a big old semi with it's jake break was blowing by me when I was in the Sorento).

And this was with a calibrated sound meter.

 

[wallyjay]

My 2017 is very quiet. It has Continental Pure Contact tires and that makes a lot of difference.

 

[mjonis]

My 2017 is very quiet. It has Continental Pure Contact tires and that makes a lot of difference.

I'll have to see what's on mine.
When I had my Chevy 2005 POS Equinox I replaced the tires with something other than the original Bridgestone (that only lasted 24,000 miles instead of the 36k they were supposed to), and there was a significant difference in road noise, and not for the better. LOL!