Driving Experience
Includes acceleration and handling
What Owners Say
"Smooth running, AWD is fantastic in the snow. Great seating for long trips."
Anonymous, WI (2009 Hyundai Santa Fe)"I had problems with sudden un-anticipoted acceleration on 3 different occasions about 6 months apart. All occurred under warranty Hyundai refused to repair it because it did not happen when they drove it, I had the Honda dealer look at it and they identified that the fuel sensors had failed. I replaced them at my cost and it has been working since( about 3 years ago)"
Anonymous, ON (2009 Hyundai Santa Fe)"Good acceleration & handling for SUV. Also used to pull pop-up camper satisfactory utility."
Anonymous, NC (2009 Hyundai Santa Fe)"Six cylinder. Has plenty of get up and go even when heavily loaded. I use it often to haul heavy payloads such as lumber and other building materials. It performs very well to hard work."
Anonymous, MD (2009 Hyundai Santa Fe)"Good acceleration and handling."
Jeff T., MD (2009 Hyundai Santa Fe)"Great hNdling."
Walter D., MO (2009 Hyundai Santa Fe)"Handles very well on the highway. Quick acceleration when needed."
Jim G., NM (2009 Hyundai Santa Fe)"Find the throttle response to be very poor, even on moderate hills the vehicle will loose 10-15 kmh and then a dramatic downshift is needed to regain speed. This is even more apparent while using cruise control as it can't maintain speed very consistent even on slight inclines."
Ray M., BC (2009 Hyundai Santa Fe)"Powerful engine and good handling."
Anonymous, NC (2009 Hyundai Santa Fe)"Problems with engine stalling/stopping during deceleration."
Anonymous, SC (2009 Hyundai Santa Fe)"Very stiff steering. Good acceleration."
DAVID K., FL (2009 Hyundai Santa Fe)"Good acceleration, it is acceleration though rather than the more digital speed change of the Golf. Has been very safely responsive when needed to serve around eg idiots backing out without looking. The staggered gearshift drives me insane, I just sit in the car and tell it how much I hate just because of that one stupid feature. It is impossible to execute any quick 3 pt turn etc because the stupid gearshift sticks when used quickly, when it happens it's frightening and dangerous."
Anonymous, CA (2009 Hyundai Santa Fe)"Excellent acceleration from the smaller V-6, and handling is better than average."
SHERYL H., AL (2009 Hyundai Santa Fe)"Had unintended acceleration issue. Dealer no help, factory worked with dealer, but could not resolve issue. This happened to my wife, my son-in-law twice and myself. Youtube had some scary footage"
STEPHEN R., PA (2009 Hyundai Santa Fe)"Easy and fast acceleration and handling."
HANK B., ON (2009 Hyundai Santa Fe)"This has been a great workhorse! It has over 145000 miles. It drives well, has a short turning axis. and has never has had a problem with snow on our steep driveway. (It's 4-wheel drive)"
THOMAS R., KY (2009 Hyundai Santa Fe)"With 117,000 miles, it still runs well with just regular maintenence. Paint has started to peel around back window and on front window support column"
Anonymous, FL (2009 Hyundai Santa Fe)"Has a small V-6 engine that has good acceleration. Handles very well for a small SUV."
JAMES H., TX (2009 Hyundai Santa Fe)"Long wheel base so it wobbles quite a bit when going around corners"
Anonymous, NY (2009 Hyundai Santa Fe)"Tends to wander on the highway. Steering is over-sensitive and constant attention is needed."
GLENN H., IL (2009 Hyundai Santa Fe)"Unsettled & "Jittery" drive. My 2009 SantaFe does not ride as smoothly as my friends 2005, which prompted me to get a SantaFe."
Anonymous, ON (2009 Hyundai Santa Fe)"Good acceleration and handling. Fun car to drive.V6 is a plus"
Julie L., TX (2009 Hyundai Santa Fe)"The car handles well but hesitates on acceleration before kicking in and accelerating."
Anonymous, TX (2009 Hyundai Santa Fe)"Acceleration and handing are excellent on highway and local roads"
Deborah G., TN (2009 Hyundai Santa Fe)"Continues to exceed expectations for reliability and quality transportation at 139,400 miles."
Steven P., TN (2009 Hyundai Santa Fe)"6-cylinder engine's performance, overall quality of the Santa Fe."
Anonymous, FL (2009 Hyundai Santa Fe)"For an SUV it handles smoothly although acceleration lags slightly."
Anonymous, AB (2009 Hyundai Santa Fe)"It still has plenty of power and great take offs from a stop"
Brian G., NH (2009 Hyundai Santa Fe)"Have taken many long vacations and the vehicle drives great, a pleasure on the road."
Anonymous, WI (2009 Hyundai Santa Fe)"Underpowered when accelerating onto highway, delay before kicking into gear. Handling and shocks are ok for an SUV."
Bill M., NC (2009 Hyundai Santa Fe)"the larger engine definitely accelerates much more smoothly/consistently"
Anonymous, AL (2009 Hyundai Santa Fe)"Peppy, good acceleration. Smooth gear changes."
Rhonda H., TX (2009 Hyundai Santa Fe)"A big comfortable SUV that has served me well."
Paul Y., WA (2009 Hyundai Santa Fe)"I love the acceleration; but as stated before, it feels a little top heavy (tippy) when cornering or changing lanes quickly."
Fran M., WA (2009 Hyundai Santa Fe)"for a 2.7 liter (2,700 cc) engine I'm fairly impressed. More than satisfied with merging onto freeways and passing. Handling is a bit of a different story. You need to realize it's a small SUV. I drive it like it's a sports car. Since it's an automatic transmission there's no using the gears and engine compression for any of the handling. That means that the tires ability to grip the road, handle potential high temperatures, have a solid sidewall are important. I check The UTOG ratings for Traction and Temperature and never tale less than an 'B' on traction and 'A' on Temp (I balance the traction with tread life (stickier tires wear out sooner). I am amazed at how responsive the steering and braking are considering it's an SUV and the way I drive it."
Patrick M., OR (2009 Hyundai Santa Fe)"never have a problem passing vehicles on the interstate"
Anonymous, PA (2009 Hyundai Santa Fe)"Smooth ride with very good and responsive acceleration (V6 engine). Drives comparably with a much smaller car."
Walter B., NC (2009 Hyundai Santa Fe)"Excellent acceleration, firm steering control and smooth transmission."
Anonymous, ON (2009 Hyundai Santa Fe)"Drives great on the highway. It tracks great and there is never a need to fight the steering wheel . Average 24 Mpg on the highway"
Carole B., FL (2009 Hyundai Santa Fe)
"Performance and reliable"
Steven K., MI (2009 Hyundai Santa Fe)