Overview & Reviews

For 2001, Hyundai comes to market with its very own sport-utility. The Santa Fe is based on a modified Sonata midsize car platform and is available with either front-wheel drive or full-time four-wheel drive with either a four-cylinder or V6 engine.

• Relatively inexpensive price, super warranty, roomy interior.

• Unproven reliability, unimpressive four-wheeling capability, underwhelming powertrain performance.

User Reviews:

Showing 31 through 40 of 82.00

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  Hobbzillas Santa Fe - 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By hobbzilla - November 6 - 12:40 pm

  Wanted it 10sec after first test drive. Payments are resonable but local dealership wouldnt work with me so I drove 200 miles to another dealership. Wasnt upset.. I got to drive it all the way home!

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  93000 miles and counting - 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Dean from CO - October 9 - 6:36 am

  A fantastic vehicle, never a single problem (except for a software problem that made it stall twice), upkeep is minimal (finally replaced the original tires after 85000 miles), 27+ mpg (even in the city). I cant rave enough about my Sante Fe. Comfortable, fun to drive, reliable, economical, lots of cargo room. Excellant on long trips. I would keep it another 5 years, but have you seen the 2007s?

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  Incredibly loud noise - 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Russ - September 5 - 10:36 am

  This vehicle deafens us whenever we take it on the highway. Wheel bearings are short lived. The battery has to be replaced frequently. Overall, not worth the money. The dealer is also on an efficiency kick which means that you will pay top dollar for the vehicle as well as service. They are trying to squeeze the customer whenever they can and the auto body shop doesnt provide good quality.

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  Wow, I got the dream car... - 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Happy In LaVerne - July 21 - 11:26 pm

  Perhaps I ended up buying the exception to the rule, but I couldnt be happier. 2WD, gets 23 mpg with a 6cyl engine, beefy enough that I feel I could survive an accident, yet small enough to fit into a compact parking space. Hit the accelerator hard, and it takes a good moment to get up to speed, but once there, purrs like a kitten. Really roomy back seats, handy liftback with window opening, plus enough 12v plugs to keep everyones gizmo charged and running. There are some little bugs - the back ashtray/catchall and cup holder has decided to give up the ghost, but the heaters nice and toasty, and the heated mirrors mean I can see whats around me.

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  Santa Fe is a dream machine - 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By krcooper - April 19 - 10:00 am

  Ive owned my Santa Fe for 19 months now and cant imagine a better SUV for the price. Its got everything I need: long warrantee, good gas mileage, great looks, lots of space, a smooth ride, plenty of power, and generally a feeling of satisfaction no other car has given me so far. Just seeing another Santa Fe on the road makes me think "there goes another happy motorist", while everyone else misses out on our little secret. Oops - I may have just let the cat out of the bag! Oh well, I cant keep such a good thing secret forever. GO GET YOUR OWN AND FIND OUT!

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  Better than most - 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By superz3161981 - October 10 - 3:43 am

  2003 Ford F250, 1999 Subaru, 1995 Isuzu, 1995 Honda, 2001 Honda, 2004 Honda, I can go on and on about cars and trucks Ive owned. This Hyundai however has to be the best vehicle that I have ever owned. I would recommend this SUV to anyone who has a small (2,3,4) size family. Its good in and around the city and even when we take a trip from Daytona to Washington DC. Personally, Ive told my wife that I want a newer model 08,09,10,11,12,ect. I know this is the 1st so there are some minor flaws.

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  good warranty doesnt mean its reliable - 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By drivergirl - October 2 - 10:00 am

  Have owned car 2 years and it has already been in the shop for major repair 2 times. Once I was stranded in a snowstorm when the alternator went out. The last shop trip was for a new transmission. Although the warranty covered everything, its a huge inconvenience to have a broken car. Why spend money on a new car that you cant depend on???

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  Check Engine - 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Jadejaws - September 13 - 6:26 pm

  No Sante Fe owner can tell me he/she hasnt seen this light WAY too often. Overall not a terrible car, but the interior has cheap flimsy equipment (the steering wheel literally started to come apart in my hands). I am rid of this car now and couldnt be happier about that. Maybe the later models were better, but way too many "out of warranty" repairs were needed on this vehicle. The stated MPG is an outright lie and I was lucky to get 16 MPG most of the time. I can honestly say that of the 6 cars I have bought new, this was without a doubt the absolutely worst one (1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse a very close second).

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  Read before you buy - 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Josh - July 21 - 7:33 pm

  Beware of a problem. the ignition system is designed very poorly. every 20k miles the car needs plug wires and/or ignitoin coils. $200-$550 every 6 months for us. 2.4l engine design is bad. Hyundai does not help except charge us every 6 months for the same replacement parts as they do not warranty these. BE VERY BEWARE!!!!!!

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  Great SUV - 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By ralphredwolf - June 29 - 11:06 pm

  After 97000 Miles this has probably been the best vehicle I have ever owned. I happen to drive cars and trucks for a living and this is one of the best out there. Normally after this much mileage a vehicle has some play in the front end but not this SUV. It is just as tight as the day I first drove it, unbelieveable. If only the USA could make a great SUV like this GM & Ford would never have problems. Buy one,you will not be disappointed.