Hyundai Santa Fe or Tuscon?

Howdy,
I'm hoping to get some advice w.r.t. upgrading to a Santa Fe of Tuscon.
I have a perference for a diesel as the yearly mileage will be substansial.
The budget is in or around the €25k mark and I'll be a cash buyer as I have a buyer for my old jalopy already.
From web surfing all the used car sites it appears that I may be able to land myself a 05 Tuscon or a 03/04 Santa Fe for this price.

Any advice on the advantages/disadvantages of either machine?
(I am also open to suggestions on other makes/models of the same size).

Thanks.

I don't have first hand experience of either, but friends of mine have a Tuscon and they are delighted with it.

It seems to be all about the amount of space you need, as with Kramer I know people who have both and seem to be very happy. Another to look at given that you don't appear to be a badge snob is the Kia sorento, I was thinking of buying this kind of car a while ago and did a hell of a lot of research with the sorento coming out on top of virtually all non-prestige marque models. Just chuck kia sorento into google.co.uk and read the reviews.

Yeah,
I have scoped out the Kia but it's a little pricey for my budget.
The space required is for a new addition to the family (#1).
I'm slightly worried that the Tucson (spelt it incorrectly in the heading) doesn't have the boot space.
It could be that the scare stories of how much space children require has me muddled.

Thanks for the feedback anyway!

Personally I think that the Santa Fe is ugly and the Tuscan is a far better looking car. Also be aware that SF is due to be replaced this year so if you are buying it may be worth waiting a little. You woudl be in a better negotiating position for a 2nd hand Santa Fe once the new model comes out.

As for space....no matter how much you have you will find a way to fill it. If you have tons of space you may just end up lugging unecessary things ('will bring it just in case') around with you rather than being more selective.

If space really is the priority - then would you not be better off with a vehicle that is dedicated to maximising space such as one of the People Carriers rather than an SUV.

those SUV's do not have more space... they are just a bigger car.

I spent a good while looking at different cars etc a few months ago. IMO the boot is important for anyone with a family, teh tuscan, rav4 etc have tiny boots and a waste.
I dam neer bought a santa fe. I drove a 05 one and a 03 one and teh difference was massive. that made me worry a bit , I then had a klift in a 04 one and it was different again and read that they are making changes again soon my question would be why make changes in 03, 04, 05 and 06 very unusual.

Thanks for all the info people.
I'm not a badge snob but I am looking at the SUVs rather than the probably more practical people carriers.
(My wife is in the same boat as me for a change so that helps.)
I guess I am just trying to get a feel for what is available out there in SUV world.
I actually agree with Soy, not that the Santa Fe is ugly but the Tucson is better looking.

Personally I think that the Santa Fe is ugly and the Tuscan is a far better looking car.

Click to expand...

I'll be doing a little test driving tomorrow so I'll keep you all posted on my impressions on the various makes/models.
Hopefully I'll have a go in a:
Hyundai Santa Fe
Hyundai Tucson
Kia Sorento
Mazda Tribute
Nissan X-trial
Honda CR-V
Honda HR-V
Ssangyorg Rexton

Cheers.

What about the suzuki grand vitara?

Indeed, another added to the list.
Lucky thing I am in the motor-town of Cork.
Busy weekend ahead.

How did the test drives go?

Another option would be the Landrover Freelander TD4. Bulletproof 2 litre BMW sourced engine. New model due for release later this year so possibility for good deals on run-out stock.

Well I've had a busy weekend.
I had a test drive in the Tucson, Santa Fe, Kia Sorento, Nissan X-trial, Honda CR-V, Ssangyong Rexton & Suzuki Grand Vitara.
All diesel engines ranging from '03 to '05.

Hyundai Tucson:
Plenty of power, a nice drive without being spectacular with a comfortable interior.
However the gear change was worryingly rough and I will be going for something with more space.

Hyundai Santa Fe:
Again plenty of power, a solid drive & a comfortable well laid out interior.
My wife and I prefered this to the Tucson drive-wise.
I would go for the Santa Fe over the Tucson even if the Santa Fe didn't have the extra space.
I had heard that the Santa Fe had a lot of body roll .
Well not anymore than the Tucson and I drove them equally hard.
The speakers in the boot will be an issue for me however, what a stupid place to put them.

Kia Sorento:
A really solid machine, I liked it a lot.
It is more sturdy than the Santa Fe & Tucson and has as much space as the Santa Fe.
I found it very good in corners and absolutely beautiful on the open road.
However it was a little bouncey on the narrow unmaintained side roads.

Nissan X-Trail:
Drives well, excellent road holding.
I hated the interior of the one I drove and the sound proofing of the engine wasn't good enough.

Honda CR-V:
I didn't like the drive at all, it was ok in a straight line on good roads.
Plenty of power but it can't/won't corner and hates the rough.
I though I was going to be turned to jelly in it.
However, the interior was nicely laid out and good quality.
This SUV would not be anywhere near the top of my list.
I excepted more from Honda.

Ssangyong Rexton:
I loved this SUV but too expsensive for me.
The build quality both interior & exterior was impressive.
You could feel you were driving something like a tank.
I'd say it could gussle the fuel when you put the foot down though.
The Rexton drove really well, cornering surprisingly well for a machine of it's size.
Definitely have look at this if you are in the market.

Suzuki Grand Vitara:
This was not a model I had intended driving when I first set out.
The reason for this is I don't particularly like the look of it.
I'll keep this one short, if you like the look of this machine give it a chance.
It might just be what you are looking for.

I have not driven a Toyota Rav 4 or a Freelander.
I'll drive the 5 door Rav 4 next weekend.
I have no interest in the Freelander.

Sorry if I have diss'd anyones choice of car but this is all personal opinion.

Top 3 of the above if money wasn't an issue:
Ssangyong Rexton.
Kia Sorento.
Hyundai Santa Fe

Later!

gocall01,

Good post, you're obviously researching the market well. Just wondering why no interest in the Freelander?

I just don't like the Freelander at all.
Apologies if that is what you are driving but as I said this is all personal opinion.
I have actually driven a '03 diesel freelander that a friend of a friend owns.
I have nothing negative to say about it really except it is just not for me.

By the way, if anyone has any other opinions on any of the SUVs I'd love to hear them.

Cheers.

This is absolutely fascinating as I'm looking to change cars very soon, I have a hyundai Coupe and need lots more room.
My preference so far has been for the CRV mainly because of the big, deep, boot. The spare wheel is stored on the outside which leaves more room for luggage.
I'm also looking to go from a manual to an auto.
I have'nt looked at the hyundais yet, mainly because of the spare wheel issue.

gocall01,

any update?

Hi all,

Just getting back from another weekend of test driving.
I'm interested to hear from "Zorba" on his/her preference for the Honda CR-V.
I didn't particularly like this machine as can be seen from a previous post.

I drove 2 other SUVs which I hadn't driven previously.
The Toyota Rav 4 and the Mazda Tribute.
Again these had diesel engines and both were '04.

Toyota Rav 4:
This was the 5 door, long wheel base version.
All I can say is I loved it and it is a definite runner.
I thought the drive was excellent on all surfaces with loads of grunt.
The interior was nice without being anything to get excited about.
There was plenty space both in the front and back.
I would have to go for the long whell base verion however (more space).
I will be looking into having another test drive soon.

Mazda Tribute:
I had a negative view on this model prior to test driving it due to word of mouth.
The drive was pretty good but lacked the power I would like to feel.
It seemed sluggish to get going in 1st gear.
The interior was ok, the space was very good all over.
This wouldn't be making my "further investigation" list.

I also reaffirmed my opinions on the Rexton, Sorento and Santa Fe.
I like them, the Rexton is probably out of my range realistically.

After all my test driving and due to certain constraits (one being cash),
my "further investigation" list consists of:
Hyundai Snata Fe
Kia Sorento
Toyota Rav 4

I will be buying in the 1st/2nd week of February hopefully, provided I find the right deal.
I'll let ye all know how it goes.

I am interested to hear everybodies opinion on this so let's keep the discussion going.

Cheers!

Both the Rav 4 (Jan '06) and Santa Fe (Mid '06) are being replaced this year so there may be some decent haggle room on current models.

Personally, of your top three, I think the Sorento is most attractive and best equipped all-rounder.

Also as you're a cash buyer it might be worth sourcing from the UK.