Overview & Reviews

User Reviews:

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  Brand New, But Love it So Far - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By hoser - December 15 - 10:00 am

  We bought the LX Santa Fe this week after much study. We opted for it over the Honda CR-V. We also own a Landcruiser. The tires grip the road as well as the Toyota Landcruiser. The view out the front is outstanding. The room is adequate. Im 511" and have no sense of crowding. Legroom up front is adequate, too. The radio while decent sounds a bit tinny. A subwoofer would help this. So far no problem with the CD changer. Acceleration is good. We opted for the larger 3.5 V6 after reading the reviews here and test driving the 2.7. On the hilly drive home from the dealer, I didnt notice any acceleration problems up or down the hills.

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  2003 LX Santa Fe FWD only - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Rey - November 18 - 9:53 pm

  I was first leary of buying another Hyundai since weve owned an 1989 and 1993 Sonata that were problem childs. The long warranty brought me back as well as leasing incase I wanted to walk away. I am here to tell all that we have had excellent reliability average about 22 to 23 in mixed driving and close to 26 on highway driving at 75MPG. The 2.7 V6 engine seems stronger at greater speeds. I think its because of being a 24 valve engine. The stereo is great, the cargo capacity is excellent. We still have the original tires. Two drawbacks: The timing belt and spark plugs need to be changed at 60000. Plugs require dealer to change at a cost of $250 because of a design flaw with intake.

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  Its my turn now! - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Ejtay - November 9 - 10:00 am

  I finally traded in my Grand Am with 115,000 miles. I read all of your reviews and I was hoping that your comments werent all hype. You gave this SUV high marks and I now agree. I have had it only 5 days but I am very, very impressed. Good luck finding the color that you want. These are flying off the lot and on to the road. I cant believe how many I see on the road now. I needed something with decent gas mileage, something comfortable and something great in the snow. I got 250 inches this last season in upstate NY. The Grandam cant handle that. Read all of the reviews because they are very helpful and appreciated. Thanks ALL!

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  Very reliable and affordable - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Kinetic - October 21 - 12:33 am

  We bought this car new while my husband was in grad school. Weve now had the car for over 6 years--were just under 65,000 miles on the odometer--and have NEVER had a single issue with this car. We get all the scheduled maintenance, plus the recommended maintenance, and the result is a perfectly operating SUV that gets pretty good gas mileage (especially for a 6 cylinder SUV) thats beyond reliable. As a note, my sister has a 2001 Hyundai Elantra that she loves, too. Just like us, she loves her car and has never had any issues. Hyundai has come a long way; their cars are super reliable now!

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  Decent car but... - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Chris - October 17 - 6:00 am

  I am the original owner, purchasing the vehicle (rated 18mpg City/22 Hwy) with 56 miles on the odometer. Ive never gotten more than 15mpg with it and usually around 12mpg is more accurate. Ive taken it into the dealer where I bought it several times only to be told theres nothing wrong with it. Several bulbs burned out the first year. All in all its been a decent car albeit it way underpowered. It took winter/snowy driving in Quebec, CA without a hitch but even with new tires, in the rain it feels uneasy. I cant say Id buy another Santa Fe but Hyundai does a good job for the money.

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  Two Years Owning a Santa Fe - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Ken Parker - October 9 - 11:10 am

  Two years owning this car and weve taken it to Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona and Texas with no problems. This car is very sturdy and has survived very windy conditions. The ride is comfortable and there were times we slept in it at rest stops with ner a backache.

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  Hey -- Get your own! - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Carl V - September 27 - 10:00 am

  Santa Fe = Value I got my Santa Fe for THOUSANDS less than comparable competitor models. I even got a $1000 dollar loyalty discount because my wife already bought a new Hyundai! I love the ride and so do the passengers. Since I love to drive, its really cool having the most comfortable car in our pack. It’s also great for hauling stuff like: 2 Lazyboy recliners (at once!) 1500 Lbs of gravel/topsoil (at once!) 12 foot 2x4 lumber Two man Auger Rototiller Table saw

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  I love my 2003 Hyundai Santa FE GLS 2.7 liter - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By suvmama - September 25 - 7:49 am

  I bought my 2003 Santa FE brand new. I now have 175000 miles on it. I have had its maintenance done regularly which has included the timing and serpentine belt twice, replaced the battery once, 2 sets of front brake pads, 1 set of rear brakes pads, and replaced one set of tires. This has been absolutely worth the money I have spent for the car. Some of the problems that other reviewers have posted are not problems but regular maintenance items. Everything thing wears out people and may need to be replaced! Some of the fuel economy issues can also be attributed to poor fuel quality. If you put crap gas in your car it will cause problems first with poor mpgs then eventually emission issues.

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  Great car - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Dave - September 22 - 1:13 pm

  I have really enjoyed owning my Santa Fe. It combines the ease of driving of a car with the roominess and storage of an SUV. I cant say too much bad about it and I would definitely buy another.

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  Excellent choice - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Kim E - September 21 - 10:00 am

  After reviewing saftey ratings, I chose to go with my first new car --and upgrade because I am now a parent. Great design, decent fuel econmy, BEST warranty ever, cant go wrong ehre!