[Y@SH]

Hyundai has launched the Santa Fe 4X4 with a 6 speed automatic transmission. Features like push button start and smart key have been added. The Santa Fe AT is priced at Rs 24.36 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) and is available in five colours.

Since its launch in October 2010, the Santa Fe has sold 1100 units.

[akshay4587]

The Previous one was also a 4X4 or AWD.
its just that they have added automatic transmission
Nice update IMHO.

[Yeldo]

Originally Posted by akshay4587

The Previous one was also a 4X4 or AWD.
its just that they have added automatic transmission
Nice update IMHO.

Originally Posted by Y@SH

Oops! Yeah AT transmission. Now how do i change the title?

The Santa Fe is also available in 2WD with a 6 Speed MT. So this new Automatic gearbox comes only in the 4WD version?

[gsb350]

Originally Posted by akshay4587

The Previous one was also a 4X4 or AWD.
its just that they have added automatic transmission
Nice update IMHO.

Hyundai is doing a fantastic job and they have an option for Auto Transmission. They have auto transmission in all the new Models they are Launching right from the i10. Yes it decreses the Fuel efficeincy but it takes the stress out of you in traffic.

[shankar.balan]

I understand this AT AWD variant of the Santa Fe vehicle is likely to cost about 32 lacs on road Bangalore.
really expensive eh?

[aks_karthik]

I saw it personally and the car is not that bad as posted by some members. But the price is a total rip off by Hyundai.
Internationally Hyundai is now getting better treatment especially in Germany. Many of the Germans are love to buy Hyundai products and we can see a lot of Hyundai cars on Germany roads.
If the OTR is below 20 lakhs should attract many buyers.

[raul]

I am frequently in US for weeks at a stretch and the Sante Fe is pretty common there, not as much as the Rav4 but I certainly see many Santa Fe's, this is in Palo Alto. I think Hyundai is moving up the perception levels, their products are becoming better.

Put together I am fairly certain Kia Sorenta and Santa Fe would be the leading SUV in the US so some of the the 'Korean' comments are wildly inaccurate.

EDIT: Here found some US SUV marketshare data - http://www.goodcarbadcar.net/2011/09...gust-2011.html

Kia Sorento is No 4 with around 13k units and Santa FE around 11 with 8900 units, add them and the Koreans become the No 1 SUV by numbers in the US market.

[shankar.balan]

yes I agree that the perception of Hyundai is changing. Also they are considered value for money in terms of what you get.

But nonetheless, their pricing here in India is atrocious. Since they have such a fantastic setup here why dont they simply make CKD's with high localization and bring the prices to a more reasonable level?

This is the only crib I ve got against their attitude. The Santa Fe would get off the shelves to an unprecedented degree if it were priced around
20-22 lacs on road bangalore instead of the 28-29 lacs range.

Originally Posted by raul

I am frequently in US for weeks at a stretch and the Sante Fe is pretty common there, not as much as the Rav4 but I certainly see many Santa Fe's, this is in Palo Alto. I think Hyundai is moving up the perception levels, their products are becoming better.

Put together I am fairly certain Kia Sorenta and Santa Fe would be the leading SUV in the US so some of the the 'Korean' comments are wildly inaccurate.

EDIT: Here found some US SUV marketshare data - Top 10 Best-Selling SUVs In America - August 2011 - GOOD CAR BAD CAR

Kia Sorento is No 4 with around 13k units and Santa FE around 11 with 8900 units, add them and the Koreans become the No 1 SUV by numbers in the US market.

[jkdas]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

I understand this AT AWD variant of the Santa Fe vehicle is likely to cost about 32 lacs on road Bangalore.
really expensive eh?

Damn it Bangy! 32lac for that? Saw few last day, didnt have the 'presence' IMHO.

Anyway, people who waited for an good SUV with auto should rejoice.

[Vik0728]

I couldn't agree more with you Shankar.
But then again, we can't entirely blame Hyundai for their pricing.
At one end we get Ridiculous pricings from Hyundai stable but at the other, a customer gets VFM product. May be Hyundai would topple Suzuki from the No.1 spot if they could just tweak their pricings a bit in my opinion.

[andromeda]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

yes I agree that the perception of Hyundai is changing. Also they are considered value for money in terms of what you get.

But nonetheless, their pricing here in India is atrocious. Since they have such a fantastic setup here why dont they simply make CKD's with high localization and bring the prices to a more reasonable level?

This is the only crib I ve got against their attitude. The Santa Fe would get off the shelves to an unprecedented degree if it were priced around
20-22 lacs on road bangalore instead of the 28-29 lacs range.

When Hyundai initially started off in the 80s/90s, they planned to take away the market share from the Japanese by flooding the US market with very cheap/low quality cars. These cars were snapped up by people with not-so-good credit history who bought these cars with loans from Hyundai Finance (since they could not get loans from banks).

As expected, the cars started breaking down after a few 100/1000 miles and guess what the 'esteemed' customers did ? Instead of getting the car repaired, they stopped paying the EMIs

This forced Hyundai to step back, refocus and enter the market the second time with Quality as their main theme. Now they are making in some good cars which make it to the top in JD power surveys. Things might be working in Hyundai's favor off-late, but they have a long way to go before the can command premiums like 25+L for their cars.

[shankar.balan]

this santa fe will be a good thing to buy some 3 years down the line from the used market
with the slew of SUVs that are likely to be there in the market at the time, Im sure one can get a good example at about 15-16 lacs.

it will be interesting to see how our used car market will develop over the next few years.

[AdityaLN]

Originally Posted by raul

Put together I am fairly certain Kia Sorenta and Santa Fe would be the leading SUV in the US so some of the the 'Korean' comments are wildly inaccurate.

EDIT: Here found some US SUV marketshare data - Top 10 Best-Selling SUVs In America - August 2011 - GOOD CAR BAD CAR

Kia Sorento is No 4 with around 13k units and Santa FE around 11 with 8900 units, add them and the Koreans become the No 1 SUV by numbers in the US market.

True, Korean comments are wildly inaccurate now. They might have been true arlier though. Kia and Hyundai have improved tremendously over the past few years. Their sales over the last two/three years are a testament to it.

However, I don't think Kia Sorento + Santa FE would be the No 1 SUV by numbers. That would be Chevrolet Equinox + GMC Terrain. Though they are slotted in a smaller class. Combined Kia Sorento and Santa FE would be the top selling SUV in their class though.

[ssh1979]

I view it like this: this will only increase the sales figures of the Endeavour, Fortuner, to an extent the Pajero and also the Yeti.

I'm looking at an AT, for an all-wheel drive. No low ratios, locking or limited slip differential (correct me if I am wrong here). So you are into the Honda CRV kind of vehicle which can't be a decent off-roader too. Why shouldn't I look at the BMW X1 instead, which has the default premium tag, German electronics etc.?

[Anarchy83]

Originally Posted by ssh1979

I view it like this: this will only increase the sales figures of the Endeavour, Fortuner, to an extent the Pajero and also the Yeti.

I'm looking at an AT, for an all-wheel drive. No low ratios, locking or limited slip differential (correct me if I am wrong here). So you are into the Honda CRV kind of vehicle which can't be a decent off-roader too. Why shouldn't I look at the BMW X1 instead, which has the default premium tag, German electronics etc.?

Personally, I have issues with premium tags.

I drive an Endy (manual), for the sheer joy of its simplicity. I don't feel very "electronic" in the car. There's the extreme joy of trying to break through terrain using a whole lot of brawn (and many a time, this brawn is only perceived brawn) and not a lot of brain. In many ways, I believe this is why I'm now looking to buy a MM540 (and a Contessa, but thats another story).

Another important bit is, the comfort factor. I know if I break something, its not going to cost me an arm and a leg to replace it. I have a cousin who spent close to 6000 bucks on some rubber parts (forgot the name of the part) for his Skoda - best part being, he wasn't taking it off-roading. He was just driving in the city. To replace my clutch cylinders (in the Endy), I had to pay about 4500 only. I know the difference is only 1500, but my clutch components sound more important in the general scheme of things.

Furthermore, my issue came up after many a trip of rugged, evil use. And that was the only issue I've faced with my truck till now (touch wood).

Of course, I am aware that this might be just my personal perception - does anyone else feel the "whoops, I feel I'm going to break my costly german import" twinge?

Also, on another note - how many of you are fans of automatic transmission on a SUV?