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Hyundai Santa Fe AWD Questions

13 messages,  Last post on Apr 17, 2009 at 9:32 AM

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#1 of 13 AWD + snow = happy by jimirl Mar 17, 2007 (7:19 am)
Well, I have my new '07 Santa Fe about 2 weeks now. I had debated over getting AWD or not. Previously I had a 4Runner with 4WD and I had to admit I rarely used the 4WD feature. BUt when I did need it, it was a blessing. I live in the NY/NJ area and sometimes we deal with snowy conditions. Ultimately I did decide on the AWD for my Santa Fe.   Yesterday we got some snow ( Friday ). It was an icy, hail type of snow. I work evenings so I was leaving for work well into the messy weather. I saw many vehicles slide on the unplowed roads. Some hit the dividers and some hit each other. It might be a combination of bad driving and poorly handling vehicles.   I started my vehicle, got rid of the snow on the windows and pushed the "lock the AWD" button. I honestly have to say, from the moment I pulled out of my spot, the Santa Fe was nothing but confident on the road. I never drove a vehicle with traction control, stability control or AWD before ( just FWD and 4WD ). I couldn't believe how stable it was on the mushy and icy surface. I didn't want to push my luck, but when I had the chance, I did gas it a bit and was a little aggrsive with the steering. I just wanted to feel it slip and slide a little so I would know it's limits. It just wouldn't. I started to think maybe the road conditions were actually not bad. That was until I started to see other vehicles slide and skid. I did see many accidents yesterday and I am sure the insurance companies are frowning.   I have read a few articles about the Santa Fe and AWD. They never claim the Santa Fe AWD is an off road vehicle in the serious sense. But they do say it is one of the most capable in it's class. Any doubts I had before about it perfoming in adverse conditions are gone. I couldn't have felt safer on messy roads   I am now a very proud Hyundai owner Replies to this message: pelican19 (Mar 17, 2007 6:29 pm) mrmister2000 (Mar 18, 2007 1:20 pm)
#2 of 13 Re: AWD + snow = happy [jimirl] by pelican19 Mar 17, 2007 (6:29 pm)
Replying to: jimirl (Mar 17, 2007 7:19 am) Yep. Two thumbs up from me as well. I was really concerned we were not going to get the conditions here in NY/NJ to test the Santa but yesterday was a trip. My daughter had a sweet 16 to go to and many of the kids cancelled due to the weather not my daughter. From the moment I left the garage it was a dream to drive. We had quite a few fender benders here in Staten Island as well. The AWD is awesome. A very agile and sure footed machine. I too tried to push it beyond its limits. Its hard to do. Well done Hyundai.
#3 of 13 Re: AWD + snow = happy [jimirl] by mrmister2000 Mar 18, 2007 (1:20 pm)
Replying to: jimirl (Mar 17, 2007 7:19 am) I live in NJ and had to drive home from work in that storm and yes, it was quite a troublesome storm. A number of cars (at least 4) slid off I-295 and into the ditches. The whole time I had the "steering wheel grip of death" as I still currently have my 2WD Ford Ranger (absolutely horrible in any kind of inclement weather). I suppose that by the time that I finally do get my Santa Fe (sometime next month) the bad weather will pretty much be gone, but it's good to hear from others in the area just how capable this truck can be when the nasty stuff hits!
#5 of 13 Santa Fe AWD Capability by tpfilm1 Jul 14, 2007 (10:50 pm)
Ok... People have mentioned the AWD in snow.   I have to ask... has anyone taken their Santa Fe on a mild off-road excursion? How did it do? Where you nervous?   Anyone taken their Santa Fe on the beach? Here in NC there are a few places along the coast that you can take 4X4's on the beach. We are not talking beach like Daytona. Soft, loose sand. I have seen CRVs and Escapes out there. Never noticed any Santa Fes.   Also... anyone used the tow hooks on the Santa Fe? Especially curious about the screw-in hook in the back. Replies to this message: pelican19 (Jul 15, 2007 12:52 pm)
#6 of 13 Re: Santa Fe AWD Capability [tpfilm1] by pelican19 Jul 15, 2007 (12:52 pm)
Replying to: tpfilm1 (Jul 14, 2007 10:50 pm) I have used my Limited AWD in 2foot of snow and ice in PA up hills and on medium duty trails with absolutely no issues. It performs better than expected. The OEM tires need replacing if you intend to do a lot of it though.   My only fear was scratching the paint other wise it is very forgiving and nimble.   On one snowy night in PA I had to use the tow rope to pull my father in-law out of a ditch. He slid off the road and could not climb back out. ( s10 blazer ) heheheh. We still give him crap about that night. This Santa Rocks!
#7 of 13 Question about AWD by salestrainer Dec 22, 2007 (6:28 am)
I am a new Santa Fe owner with a 2007 AWD model and have a question about the AWD (I haven't had an oppportunity to really test this yet in slick conditions).........the manual isn't real clear on how the AWD locks/disengages and displays at certain speeds.   -Does the AWD disengage automatically above the indicated speeds in the manual (19-25 mph) even though you have activated the "Lock AWD" button? -If this is the case then.......Does the dashboard "Lock" indicator stay on or go off? -(presuming the automatic disengage functioanlity) If you reduce speed to less than the 19/25 does the AWD re-engage automatically?   Anything else I need to know about the AWD function on the Santa Fe?   Thanks in advance..............   Salestrainer in Kansas City Replies to this message: drwoodr (Dec 22, 2007 7:53 am) somedai1 (Dec 22, 2007 3:54 pm) kdahlquist (Dec 27, 2007 8:43 am) somedai1 (Dec 27, 2007 9:53 pm)
#8 of 13 Re: Question about AWD [salestrainer] by drwoodr Dec 22, 2007 (7:53 am)
Replying to: salestrainer (Dec 22, 2007 6:28 am) There was a recent discussion of this in one of the other treads, but the AWD does disengage automatically between the indicated speeds in the manual (19-25 mph). The dashboard "Lock" indicator does stay on, because when you slow down, it will re-engage. I find it does improve traction from a stop in slippery conditions. Replies to this message: somedai1 (Dec 22, 2007 3:54 pm)
#9 of 13 Re: Question about AWD [drwoodr] by somedai1 Dec 22, 2007 (3:54 pm)
Replying to: drwoodr (Dec 22, 2007 7:53 am) right- it is 50/50 power to the wheels front/rear while locked - as u increase speed the 50/50 continuously decreases until it goes back to normal awd...
#10 of 13 Re: Question about AWD [salestrainer] by kdahlquist Dec 27, 2007 (8:43 am)
Replying to: salestrainer (Dec 22, 2007 6:28 am) From what I've read, the AWD lock button locks in a 50/50 front/rear torque split, but only up to 22 mph. Above 22 mph, the system operates on demand, meaning that torque is only sent to the rear wheels when the system detects slippage of one or both front wheels. I live in Minnesota, and we've had a lot of snow, already (there is about 24 inches on the ground right now, with 6 of those falling in the past week), so I've had a lot of opportunity to test out the AWD features of my 2007 Santa Fe Limited. Frankly, I haven't really noticed any benefit of the AWD lock. When you get above 22 mph, the light does stay on. I assume that just means that it is automatically locking up again whenever your speed drops below 22 mph. That makes sense to me, anyway, but I can't actually feel any difference. In any case, I've been driving in a lot of heavy snow, ice and slush, and while things are sometimes slippery, I haven't yet had any occasion where I felt like I might get stuck. Replies to this message: somedai1 (Dec 27, 2007 9:53 pm)

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