Overview & Reviews

The 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe receives minor changes. The Limited trim pads its standard equipment roster with the high-power Infinity Logic 7 CD changer audio system and a sunroof, while SE models now include standard premium seat cloth.

• Well-designed cabin, impressive standard safety features and crash test scores, competitive price, lengthy warranty, optional third-row seat.

• Excessively firm ride on SE and Limited models, lackluster automatic transmission, disappointing driving dynamics.

User Reviews:

Showing 91 through 100 of 157.00

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  Absolutely Love This Vehicle - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By ncastor - January 17 - 3:05 am

  I purchased this vehicle used and by far my favorite. I have owned all types of vehicles and this is by far my favorite in terms of performance and luxury. My girlfriend has a BMW X3 and the Hyundai compares in terms of luxury and performance. In fact if you look at the specs the two vehicles are almost identical. The only difference is the BMW feels "tighter" steering wise. Overall plenty of power and luxury. The seats are comfortable and the ride is extremely smooth and quiet. Getting about 20.7 mpg in primarily suburban driving and over 25 on a long trip to and from the Jersey shore.

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  best choice - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By DSinND - November 2 - 8:10 pm

  My 1st Hyundai, will definitely not be the last! Looked at CR-V, RAV-4, Jeep and more, chose Santa Fe for a few reasons: best looking, best size, best price, best warranty, on and on and on. Bought as a program car, best vehicle purchase I ever made. Traded 03 Chev Trailblazer (possibly the WORST vehicle ever made!) and have been nothing but happy with the Santa Fe. North Dakota winters are no problem with AWD. Fuel economy not exactly what I expected (or told by dealership) but not too bad. Just drove the family to central Florida and back with no complaints.

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  900 Mile First Impressions - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By ceprise - October 11 - 4:20 pm

  Well. I am certainly impressed! Superb fit, finish and dealer prep. I bought with input using my friends satisfied experience with his 2005 Santa Fe. After riding in my 2008, he complimented the leather interior, greater interior space, the cool blue instruments and knock-out sound system. My last ride was a beloved 1996 Mazda MPV AWD with 178,000 miles. But blue smoke and electrical gremlins in wet weather required a change. I extensively researched the specs on Edmunds.com of similar vehicles. I wanted a boost in gas mileage over the 15 MPG of my Mazda, with better interior dimensions and comforts. The 2008 Santa Fe was the same dimensions, but better 1st and 2nd row seating and +5 MPG.

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  BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By D - October 10 - 9:40 pm

  Great car so far. Read reviews here and was worried about the trans... no problems. 3rd row is perfect for our kids, but would not put an adult back there. feels bigger than it is. very smooth. love the blue lights everywhere. lots of features you wouldnt expect at this price.

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  Possible Hyundai Convert - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By PapayaMoo - October 10 - 1:33 am

  The 08 Santa Fe is one fun car to drive. It feels light and responsive and the acceleration is very good. The novelty of the blue dashboard light wears off for me fairly quickly but everything is well lite and functions appropriately.

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  First time SUV owner - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By new oner - September 14 - 2:20 am

  This SUV is not perfect, but its 4 to 10 thousand less than the Rav4, Highlander and Pilot. Not as powerful as the Rav4, but on par with all of them. Ive got the SE 3.3 V6 and Ive been averaging about 21 MPG in stop and go commuting. 5 issues that Ive noticed so far. 1) Only lowing the rear windows sometimes causes a percussive booming against the back window. 2) No aux input or easy way to connect MP3 player to stock stereo. 3) Manual lumbar and height adjustment are worthless. 4) Seat Height adjustment lever is right where I place my behind when I get in. This might break over time. 5) Front window sill where the wipers park will fill with snow. Overall, these are small issues.

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  Comfortable Vehicle, Underpowered 2.7 V6 - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By skoob38 - August 17 - 10:00 pm

  Have had vehicle for almost a year and have 13,500 miles on it. I get compliments on the vehicles look and comfort from almost everyone who rides in it. Very quiet vehicle on the road. Love the blue lights at night. Only issue so far was buzzing noise underneath, which turned out to be a heat shield near the muffler. Happened again a few months later. I just got under the vehicle and bent the shield away from the muffler, which fixed the issue. Not sure how it happened again! Maybe snow underneath pushing on it? Biggest complaint is the power of the 2.7 V6. I should have got the larger engine. Feels pushed every time I drive it. I avg. only 17MPG. Not good. Never get 23 on HWY.

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  A lot of SUV for the money - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By TBPA - August 17 - 7:10 am

  We drove several comparable vehicles in this category (Subaru Forester, Nissan Murano, Subaru Tribeca, Mazda CX-7, Chrysler Pacifica) and for the money the Santa Fe has them all beat, hands down. The features and options list would have cost thousands more in the other models. Driving off of the lot during the test drive, I felt as if this vehicle was in a completely different league compared to the others we had driven. FAVORITE FEATURES (too many to fit below) The interior materials, fit and finish are absolutely top notch. The Navigation option, while sometimes not the greatest at getting you where you need to go the fastest, definitely works well and intuitively.

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  Still undecided if I made right choice - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Iownahyundai? - August 14 - 1:43 pm

  I owned a 2005 Chevy Trailblazer LT, loaded to the max. Sunroof,dual zone auto climate. Everything but the kitchen sink was in this truck. I loved driving it but the gas was killing me and the lease was up. I own a 08 Elantra and Im happy with it so I figured I would check out the Sante Fe. Fit and finish is good but I dont think the ride is so smooth. When Im doing 60mph and up I can feel it. On my trailblazer when I was doing 60 it felt like I was going 30mph Gas Mileage is between 18 and 19mpg and this is mostly all highway, so I am not to impressed with the mpg. Santa Fe is basically for the wifey and she likes it but my next truck will be a GM if theyre around:)

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  Best Crossover SUV built, period. - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By thomas - July 22 - 3:23 pm

  Before buying the Santa Fe we test drove the honda CRV, Toyota Rav 4, Saturn Vue, among many others. This car was far superior in EVERY category. Just listening to the doors closing, ring a sound of quality. Very happy with mileage, which is 21 in mixed city driving and 24 on the highway. Vehicle handles very well, road and engine noise are almost non-existent. It is very fast, shifts and brakes flawlessly and is extremely comfortable. We have had absolutely no problems since purchased last year and 20,000 miles ago. This is my wifes car, but I use it every chance I get as it is a much more fun to drive than my gas guzzling F150!