Santa Fe signals change [5.13.7]

[T Mac]

Much has been made in recent years of Hyundai's rise to the top of the quality charts.

If you want to gauge where the company is now, this is all you need to know: in designing the second-generation Santa Fe crossover, Hyundai skipped right over the usual competitors such as the Ford Escape. Instead, the Korean automaker set its sights much higher, benchmarking against the Acura MDX, Lexus RX, and Volvo XC90. Even the advertising backs up Hyundai's lofty goals, comparing the Santa Fe to a Land Rover.

Click here (http://www.nsnews.com/issues07/w051307/053307/rev.html) for the entire story from North Shore News

[2RedV's]

JD Powers Initial Quality... Long-term remains to be seen and their competition has a really good head start.

[connermt]

Click here (http://www.nsnews.com/issues07/w051307/053307/rev.html) for the entire story from North Shore News

While Hyundais have gotten much better in the last few years (better looking, better quality, better reliability), their biggest selling points are 1) price & 2) warranty (read the fine print on that warranty).
For people who can afford a Land Rover (or whatever), they usually won't consider a Hyundia. Those who can't afford the Land Rover would consider the Hyundai because of it's price & (advertised) comparison to Land Rover. The first newly design Santa Fe I sat in had interior trim coating peeling off of it with <5 miles on it. Plus, I have never sat in a new one that didn't have a horrible smell from the glue used (and no it's not 'new car smell').
Their 100K mile warranty (at least used to read) that if any scheduled maintenance wasn't followed, the 100K miles are voided & defaults to the 36K miles warranty.
Not knocking Hyundai at all, but they either seem to be really good or really bad & my experience with family member's Hyundais has been all bad.