New Hyundai Santa Fe

[soldierguy]

Since there's been a fair amount of discussion on here about Hyundais recently, here's a site I found on the new Santa Fe:http://ad.hyundai-motor.com/ca....htmlI'm torn on the styling...the face is very Sonata, the rear is like the VW Toureg, and the profile makes me think of the Subaru B9 Tribeca. Overall in person it comes off as a Toureg that's been left out in the sun and has melted a bit.It's BIG for it being the replacement Santa Fe. It's about the same size as a Toureg or BMW X5. I guess since the Tucson slots so close to the old Santa Fe in terms of size, this was an opportunity to move up a size in the car-based SUV market.I like the interior. Looks a lot like the new Sonata inside, which is not a bad thing at all.The powertrain is different over here than what'll likely be offered in the states. In the US I could see the 2.7L V6 as a base engine with their new 3.8L the optional engine. Over here in Korea though there's only one engine offered...a 2.2L 4 cylinder turbodiesel putting out 150 hp and (get this) 253 lb-ft of torque! Again though, diesel fuel over here is only about 60% the cost of gas, so it pays to buy a diesel.All in all not a bad vehicle. I don't have info on prices yet, but I'd imagine a bump up from where the Santa Fe sits now...I could easily see it starting for a little below $20K and maxing out around $27K to remain more than competitive.

[JustinVGT]

It is 100% better looking than the current Santa Fe. I think the current one is so ugly. The first few times I saw one, I thought that the rear doors were kicked in or someone smashed the sides. The way they put the ugly curves into the vehicle, it makes it appear to be dented in on the lower rear door panels. I also really dislike their fenders. Hyundai has really improved their image with their newer vehicles, getting rid of a lot of the ugly bubbles, lumps, and curves they've been designing.

[NSimkins]

Quote, originally posted by JustinVGT »It is 100% better looking than the current Santa Fe. I think the current one is so ugly.Agreed, 100%! Glad to see the redesign made it far more appealing visually.

[MrRich]

(removed)! This is a very nice SUV with all the futures. 7 pessengers, 10 speaker stereo, rainsensing wipers, cooler in armrest, smartkey etc. Now just need to know the price, but I am pretty sure Hyundai will be very reasonable on that too.

[BOZACK]

My brother just got a 2006 Tuscon. It is very nice.

[soldierguy]

I really like the Tucson and the Kia Sportage...both are pretty cool vehicles. And the new Santa Fe does look SO much better than the first one. I dunno...the Santa Fe I saw going down the street here probably wasn't the best example...the wheels looked kinda small (they were probably the 16 inch wheels), it was painted a light metallic blue (my least favorite car color), and the windows were not tinted. Throw some nice 17 or 18 inch wheels on it, paint it a dark color, and tint the windows and it would have looked much nicer.

[MrRich]

A video from the Korean market:http://www.motordic.com/conten...0.wmv

[Baltovibe]

Quote, originally posted by MrRich »A video from the Korean marketThat soundtrack is cool ... I know I had heard it before. Anyone has details ... artist or title?

[JustinVGT]

That song is by ATB I'm pretty sure. I'm a big trance fan and I have that song at home. I'll try to remember to look it up when I get home. If you like that type of music, ATB is very good and many others.

[Baltovibe]

Quote, originally posted by JustinVGT »I'm a big trance fan and I have that song at home. I'll try to remember to look it up when I get home.JustinVGT, thanks for the hint. When you mentioned trance music, it rang a bell with me. After a little research, I remember downloading a song very similar to the one in the video, although a different remix.KFMF (Kosmic Free Music Foundation), located at http://www.kosmic.org , has an MP3 of the song at http://kosmic.darkscape.net/ar...r.mp3 . After reading the MP3 tags, it appears it is "Children" from the Dreamland album by Robert Miles. Apparently, it was a international megahit in 1996.If you have any more info, including the exact mix they used in the video, please let me know. Thanks again!

[ColonelPanic]

The '07 Santa Fe makes its debut at Detroit... Lots of pics there, looking very nice!