Hyundai Santa Fe (01-05) - Review

Review by Parkers on
If you really need to go off-road then you'l probably be better off with Hyundai's Terracan as the Santa Fe is not designed to deal with serious mud. Its 4x4 system is permanent and doesn't offer high and low ratios or diff locks. However, it will cope with the odd point-to-point car park and you don't have to pay for, or carry, hardware you're never going to use. You get plenty of car for your money, but don't expect a sharp drive. A good family activity workhorse.
3.5 out of 5

Other Hyundai reviews

3 out of 5

Running costs

Fairly cheap to buy and insure and the diesel's fuel costs aren't bad either. But expect poor residuals when you sell it on.

* based on most recent data

Estimated fuel cost for 10,000 miles per year

Unleaded

£2,192 - £2,557 *

Diesel

£1,644 - £2,137 *

The estimated fuel cost figure is a guide to how much this model will cost to fuel each year, so you can compare between cars. It's calculated by using the model's average mpg (calculated from both town centre and motorway driving) and the average fuel price. It's based on the following cost-per-litre: petrol 135p and diesel 141p. Prices are updated daily.

Summary Running Costs

Servicing period

10,000 miles.

Warranty

Three years mechanical, six years bodywork.

Road tax (12 months)

£250.00 - £270.00

Vehicle excise duty (VED) varies according to the CO2 emissions and the fuel type of the vehicle. For cars registered after March 1st 2001 VED or road tax is based on the car's CO2 emissions. For cars registered before March 1st 2001 it is based on engine size.

Full running costs data

2 out of 5

Green credentials

  • A
  • B
  • C
  • D
  • E
  • F
  • G
  • H
  • I
  • J
    190
  • K
  • L
  • M
    274

CO2 emission figure (g/km)

Fuel economy rating

The arrows indicate the best and worst CO2 bands for this model.

Emissions summary

Santa Fe is quite a polluting model. With an average of 236 g/km CO2 across the line-up, its emissions are a little high for a large 4x4. However, it's worth noting that the line up has a high number of diesel models, bringing the average down and giving buyers more choices of low-emission versions. Diesels typically produce less CO2 than petrol engines with similar power outputs. The range is not very frugal, averaging 30 mpg.

Find the exact engine and CO2