Description Of The Car: 2006 Hyundai Santa Fe Review

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

2006 Hyundai Santa Fe Review

Well, this suv outclassed, outvalued and outperformed all others alike including the noisy CRV. All around is a great truck with no chronic troubles, good interior and exterior fit and finish, easy to use controls, peppy and nice quiet ride, sexy dash board, and lots of nick nack storage compartments for kids gadgets or your own.

The finishings are well put together, the dealership was still friendly when we went back, servicing is priced reasonably. Under hood easy to find fluid levels for self checking.

The only con about this vehicle is as I mentioned before, gas consumption is not what they claim (as all other manufacturers). Highway mileage is good.Dont fall victim to the Honda nameplate and badging, this vehicle falls short of NOTHING. (Wish they had a hybrid).

Santa Fe in Korea runs on diesel and has no acceleration. Santa Fe in US is great since it runs on gas. Dash board stuff like speedometer is somewhat hard to see. Vent on the door could be a bit colder than normal in the summer. Too small of a gas tank or fuel economy is not good. I can see the gas tank being emptied. Other than that, a great car. If I can go past five years on it, I will trade this in for another.

2006 Hyundai Santa Fe: Highlights

Santa Fe is the larger of Hyundais two compact SUVs. A redesigned version with midsize dimensions and seating for seven is due in mid 2006 as a 2007 model. The 06 offers base GLS and uplevel Limited models. Both have front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive without low-range gearing. GLS comes with a 170-hp V6 and a 4-speed automatic transmission. A 200-hp V6 with a 5-speed automatic is standard on Limited, optional on GLS. Both transmissions include a manual shift gate. Front side airbags and antilock 4-wheel disc brakes are standard on all models. Hyundais warranty is among the industrys longest: 5-years/60,000-mi. basic, 10/100,000 powertrain, 5/unlimited roadside assistance.

Interior Design and Special Features

Inside, the Hyundai Santa Fe offers reasonable accommodations for five and a 29.4-cubic-foot cargo bay; fold down the 60/40-split rear seats, and you get a generous 78 cubes. The cabin boasts a sharp two-tone color scheme and feels high in quality, as Hyundai has fitted it with low-gloss plastics and solid switchgear. The seats are comfortable, but legroom can be a bit tight for adults in back, and unlike the Equinox and CR-V, the Santa Fe doesnt offer fore/aft adjustment for its rear bench.

Safety

Four-wheel antilock disc brakes, traction control and side airbags (for front occupants) are standard on all models. In government crash tests, the Hyundai Santa Fe received four out of five stars for driver protection in frontal impacts and five stars for the front passenger. Side-impact testing resulted in a five-star rating for front- and rear-passenger protection. In frontal-offset crash testing conducted by the IIHS, the Santa Fe received a "Good" rating (the highest possible); in IIHS side-impact testing, it earned an "Acceptable" rating (the second highest).

Powertrains and Performance

The GLS model comes standard with a 2.7-liter V6 rated at 170 horsepower and 181 lb-ft of torque; its paired with a four-speed automatic transmission. Optional on the GLS and standard on the Limited is a 3.5-liter V6 good for 200 hp and 219 lb-ft of torque. This engine comes with a five-speed automatic. Both front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive models are available on this Hyundai SUV. Although the smaller V6 is rated for up to 26 mpg on the highway, the 3.5-liter turns in poor fuel numbers for a small SUV application -- just 16-17 mpg in the city and 21-22 on the highway.

Body Styles, Trim Levels and Options

The four-door Hyundai Santa Fe is sold in GLS and Limited trims. Standard equipment on the GLS includes side airbags; air conditioning; power windows, mirrors and locks; a CD player; 16-inch alloy wheels; a full-size spare tire; an auto-dimming rearview mirror; and foglights. Options on the GLS include a power sunroof and a Monsoon sound system with an in-dash CD changer. The Monsoon stereo comes standard on the high-line Limited, along with automatic climate control, a power driver seat, leather upholstery, heated seats and a trip computer.

Driving Impressions

The Hyundai Santa Fe offers good handling, particularly in the two-wheel-drive version. The front-drive Santa Fe proved to be more fun and more responsive than the heavier four-wheel-drive models. It doesnt feel top-heavy like some SUVs. The brakes are refreshingly responsive, even before the antilock brakes kick in.

The 2.7-liter V6 produces 170 horsepower and 181 pound-feet of torque. Those are good numbers. EPA-estimated City/Highway fuel economy is 19/25 mpg with front-wheel drive, 18/23 mpg with four-wheel drive.

The 3.5-liter V6 comes paired with a five-speed automatic transmission. It offers lots of throttle response once its going. Its a little lethargic off the line and the throttle response isnt linear, but the owner should be able to calibrate his or her foot to it. The 3.5-liter engine develops 200 horsepower and 219 pound-feet of torque. EPA-rated City/Highway fuel economy is 17/23 mpg. The front-wheel drive 3.5-liter Santa Fe, equipped with trailer brake, is rated to tow up to 3,300 pounds, enough to handle a small boat trailer.

Santa Fe models equipped with all-wheel drive use one of two different systems, depending on whether the 2.7-liter or 3.5-liter engine supplies the power.

We found the mechanical full-time four-wheel-drive system thats available with the 2.7-liter V6 capable for light off-road driving in Southern California. The system appears to do a good job of sending the torque where its needed, especially with the traction control (standard). This system is compact and clever and was developed by Austrian four-wheel-drive specialists Steyr-Daimler-Puch. The system combines proven engineering in innovative ways. A planetary differential inside the front transaxle splits the drive torque equally between the front wheels, and 60/40 between the front and rear axles. A viscous coupling between the front and rear axles overrides the differential if the wheels at either end begin to slip. This is a simple, purely mechanical system thats been around for decades, and it works very well with no attention whatever from the driver. All four wheels are driven all the time, with the coupling limiting the difference in speed between the front and rear axles. So if a front wheel starts to spin, torque is immediately re-directed to the rear, and vice versa.

Santa Fe 3.5-liter models come with a new and more sophisticated electronic system that Hyundai calls InterActive Torque Management (ITM). This system still requires no driver input. It drives only the front wheels most of the time, but monitors their traction with a computer, and distributes torque to the rear wheels only when necessary. The main advantage of ITM is optimized fuel economy with all-wheel-drive traction. A 3.5-liter Santa Fe with all-wheel drive gets an EPA rating of 17/23, comparable efficiency to the lighter front-wheel-drive version. The electronic ITM system available with the 3.5-liter V6 was developed by U.S. gearbox veteran Borg-Warner. It relies on a series of wet clutches mounted just ahead of the rear axle. A computer monitors wheel speed, throttle position and steering angle, and engages the clutches when necessary.

Favorite Features

Traction control, 4 wheel disc brakes with ABS, multiple air bags and very good crash test ratings. And my daughter thinks it looks "pretty sweet", with a great factory sound system and room for her friends. (Including her 64" boyfriend.) Adjustable (reclining) rear seats, stylish and practical.

Overall Review

This is one of the most under-rated SUVs around. The Ford Escape and Chevrolet Eqinox cannot and do not compare with the standard equipment, quality and handling of the Hyundai Santa Fe. With the 3.5 liter V-6 this is one HOT SUV! Dont be fooled by "tip-up" tests. The popular Chrysler mini-vans are just as as prone to roll-over. You simply will NOT find a better SUV for the price and besides it is loaded with front and side air-bags and the front crash ratings are as good, if not better, than any vehicle in the industry. Just drive one of these SUVs.............and then be totally seduced by the performance and price...........WOW!