Excellent safety features but rough ride and loud engine...
This review is strictly for the 2020 Santa Fe SEL with 2.4 engine, 18" tires, AWD, convenience and premium packages purchased new in August 2020. I based my purchase on many months of research as well as it being listed as the top 2 row SUV in consumer reports, and who can pass up a 5 year warranty?! Unfortunately, I regret my decision to this day after 9 months of driving it. I understand that reviews are subjective but I am one of the most honest people you will find and this is based on my experience.
Right from the start, I felt a vibration in the gas pedal and an overall grinding/rumbling feeling with acceleration and just driving on normal pavement. It feels like there is no suspension or the shocks/struts are bad. I drive over the seams on a highway, pot holes, or raised areas on patched roads and there is no absorption and I feel it in my spine. Then regular roads, it just feels like a rough rumbling feeling. It basically goes away when driving on a freshly paved asphalt road which is not common in most places.
The second major issue is the loud engine. It will sound like you are driving a race car with no power. Even with gentle acceleration from a red light or stop sign it will still take 5 seconds to shift from 1st to 2nd and 2nd to 3rd gears and sounds like the engine is going to burn out. It goes up to 5,000 rpms with no power. It is also dangerous to merge onto a highway without adequate pick up. Once at cruising speed at around 2,000 rpms, it's not bad at all. At cold start up in the morning, summer or winter, it is extra loud with now a whining, buzzy type sound on top of the regular engine sound (if that makes sense) when accelerating. That does dissipate a bit after 5 minutes of driving or so. I'm actually embarrassed to pull out of my neighborhood it sounds so bad.
You may be saying, well didn't you test drive this before buying it? Yes, I did and I noticed some rumbling but there are so many things to think about during a test drive, it's hard to focus on just one thing. Additionally, I test drove 2 limiteds prior to this SEL and I did not think the engine sounded as loud with acceleration and the drive felt smoother which is why I kept coming back to the Santa Fe. I originally wanted the limited trim but the seat was not comfortable for my short legs. Then I came across the SEL with both packages which gave me most of what the limited had and the seat was less plush and more comfortable and the price was less. I thought I hit the jackpot. The poor driveability only really became apparent with day to day driving. In fact, when I left the dealer's lot I felt like the underside was going to fall off because there was so much "clanking" under the front end. I took it back and they basically said everything drives as expected. I understand it is a 4 cylinder but I recently test drove 4 different brands when looking for a vehicle for my daughter.....Rav 4, Forester, Mazda CX5, and Tuscon. They all were significantly better...no lie!
I contacted Hyundai corporate and they gave me a case number. I thought they would facilitate communication with the dealer but I was wrong. They basically said, take it back and tell them to do x,y,z. Ok, like they will take directions from me. Overall, I took it back to the purchasing dealer 2x and then 2 other dealers. The manager at one said he sees what I'm talking about but that is how the Santa Fe drives. The other dealers say there is no issue.
I know this is long and you can take it with a grain of salt if you'd like but I would just say, please, please if you are considering a pre-owned 2020 Santa Fe, take it on an extended overnight test drive. One of my regrets is not doing that. This would be my perfect vehicle because it has everything that I want and need in a long term vehicle EXCEPT for driveability.
As far as the ratings below, the build quality on the inside is quite nice if that is what they are referring to. I love the leather and the interior doesn't look or feel "cheap". The moonroof does have a lot of "creaks and cracking" noise which adds to my dislike of this vehicle. Don't know about reliability yet since I only had it for 9 months. Thank goodness for the 5 year warranty should something break.
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