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 11 through 20 of 157.00

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  Best SUV for your dollar - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By boxman_okc - July 4 - 7:25 pm

  IMO this is the best SUV you can get for the money, especially if buying used. The cargo capacity is outstanding, including generous under-floor storage, the ride is very quiet, the mileage is surprisingly good (no worse than my previous Honda CR-V - a much smaller and noisier vehicle). With the Santa Fe you get the feeling of a refined, almost luxurious vehicle but with a bargain pricetag.

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  Nice, but little issues.... - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By SteveH - April 25 - 7:40 pm

  Chose the Santa Fe over Rav4 for slightly larger size and cost savings. Initially I like the vehicle, but starting to find annoying issues. Items like the lackluster highway gas mileage (21-22 avg), flat audio from radio (or speakers), and unresolvable issue with car pulling to the right drive me nuts. Turn signal clicker too loud. The door ajar beeper is way too loud and annoying, and beeps at every little thing. The tiny foot rest to the left of the break pedal is too low and out of the way to use. Drivers seat is too high for taller drivers. The spring in the front sun visor causes it to pop forward and limit adjustment.

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  Hyundai got it right! - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By pmack - April 3 - 3:50 pm

  I researched this vehicle purchase for two months. It boiled down to the Santa Fe and Dodge Journey because of our current experiences with both Hyundai and Dodge vehicles. Did not like the looks of the smaller SUVs such as the CR-V, RAV-4, & Escape. Drove the Journey and was sorely disappointed. Hyundai had the big rebates at the time, so it was a no- brainer. Good choice! The car is easy to drive, view from the drivers seat is great, averaging 21 mpg for the first 1,000 miles. All those reports about the bad transmission - not evident! This is a well-made, very comfortable, and whisper-quiet vehicle. And you can hardly beat the warranty! Totally satisfied 2nd Hyundai owner!

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  Decent but leaves a lot to be desired - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Martin - March 3 - 2:13 am

  Overall, a good value for the money compared with other SUVs in this class.However...at 4000 km there was an oil leak which took 3 trips to the dealership and was finally fixes with silocone sealant.During the winter,the windshield washer fluid reservoir broke and had to be replaced.Windshield is surprisingly fragile - accidentally dropped the wiper arm when replacing the wipers and the windshield cracked all the way to the top.I also have a 2005 Chevy Malibu and the Santa Fe is missing a lot of the nice add-ons.It even doesnt have auto on headlights (come on, I get leather seats and not this!).I have had less problems with my Chevy (and previous one) in 5 years than with the Santa Fe in 1.

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  First Hyundai - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By John - January 23 - 5:13 am

  We drove various Suvs,Cuvs and we kept going back to the Santa Fe as a basis for comparison. The Santa Fes cost to value ratio when everything was considered (styling,warranty,level of interior trim, resale value ect)the Santa Fe was the clear winner. Would not hesitate to purchase another Hyundai.

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  Good machine but POOR TIRES - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By LesP - December 26 - 8:43 pm

  This is my sixth Hyundai, my first suv. All five were great but my suv has more squeaks & rattles than all others combined. The fog light switch gave out twice & lost a tirerod end but overall reliability is good. The OME tires are poor. I highway drive a lot in sales & got half the mileage on the Bridgestone tires that I got on my other Hyundai cars. The dealer said that is the way they are and nothing can be done. So expect to buy a new SUV and the next summer spend $600.00 plus for new summer tires. The tires were not on all year, in this area I use snow tires from early fall to late spring putting more than half the mileage on them and not the tires that came on the machine.

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  Still breaking it in - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Austin - October 31 - 10:43 am

  So far I have not experienced any of the transmission issues that others are talking about. I have nothing but good things to say about this vehicle. I have custom 2 tone leather seats in it and they are fantastic. Have no issues with any of the instruments or controls. Im averaging about 16.8 mpg (only 400 miles on the vehicle and nothing but city driving, no hwy miles really). The torque and hp is a LITTLE low but all that does is teach me to accelerate without a sense of being in a race all the time. That saves gas anyway so I think its fine. At speed I have no problem getting in and out of traffic. By the way my previous vehicle was a VW Jetta VR6 and this gets better mpg.

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  The sum is more than its parts... - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By mbanas1 - October 31 - 10:20 am

  Wow, has Hyundai come a long way since the early 90s cheapo cars! Fit and finish of the Santa Fe are top notch, very solid and stable feeling on the road, great 3.3L engine (powerful and Im getting 24.5 mpg avg., mostly hwy), best balance between interior space and exterior dimensions (between a CR-V and Pilot) for a family, and huge value for the price (beneath the CR-V). Almost a perfect "family roadtrip" vehicle that is also nice in the parking lots and side streets. However, if you do a daily commute in heavy traffic you might not appreciate the best parts of this car (its quiet ride, 5-speed automatic, comfortably supportive seats), and you will definitely get worse mpg!

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  Much better than expected - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By panophotog - October 10 - 2:53 pm

  Never thought Id buy a Hyundai (after many Toyotas, Hondas and recently Subarus), but the 2008 Santa Fe Ltd. had all the features, mpg, comfort and room I was looking for. Im getting 22 mpg average, and everything is rock solid after 3k miles. This car is *quiet* inside, and everything feels well thought out and well put together. The Ltd. has a great stereo, quality leather, all the options, and looks and feels like a Lexus EX. The CR-V and RAV4 are nice, but smaller and less comfortable - and they cut corners and it feels like it. The Santa Fe is less $, but nowhere does it feel cheap, and I continue to find things that make me say "hey, thats nice they thought of that."

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  Great Suv - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By e, comer - July 9 - 4:36 am

  My family and I are pretty pleased with our purchase. The suv is roomy but also small enough to handle & park easily. We love it. We had an easy time purchasing the auto from the dealer but the dealer once we went off the lot didnt care what happened after that. We had two incidents happen as we drove off the lot and one has not been addressed yet by them... yet they state that the autos go thru a 37 pt inspection. Will probably not buy from this dealership again, but will definitely buy another Suv like this one as we are enjoying it.