Fantastic tow car, use to tow with a Ford Ranger but very thirsty, the Hyundai tows very well and economical.
Plenty of pulling power in the 2.2 200bhp diesel engine, we tow a Coachman which weighs in at 1695 kg with a 81 percent match no complaints.
Towing Bailey Olympus 464 (1320kg)
Really nice towcar, adequate power to effortlessly tow, completely stable and you barely know the caravan is behind!
24mpg easy, 28-30 if ultra careful. 33 solo mixed driving, a bit more at steady 60 solo. Economy just ok.
Smooth towing experience when loading caravan safely. Hyundai's h-trac awd system is very responsive when extra pulling power is required (uphill or when accelerating).
very Good match. Recommend switching to sport mode. The suspension stiffens and power is delivered well
Did a lot of homework before buying the Santa Fe. It is matched to our 2015 Lunar Clubman Si. What a combination. The Santa Fe has loads of torque and `grunt` and easily pulls the `van whatever the terrain. The electronic handbrake is a joy to use; hill starts are very easy. Acceleration is good without being exemplary.
This is a very comfortable car to drive. The only danger on long journeys once you set the cruise control is the possibility of becoming inattentive, as it wafts you along at the legal limit uphill or down dale.
It`s a big car but parking is made easier by reverse sensors and camera.
Despite the comments of a previous reviewer you can turn off the reverse sensors when reversing with the caravan hitched. Well pleased with the whole outfit.
We have recently bought the Santa Fe having updated from a 2004 version. We towed our Lunar for 2 weeks around France. The car didn't miss a beat. Being an auto with cruise control made driving on the French motorways a breeze. We hardly knew the van was on the back. Economy was not bad either being comparable with our old manual car. We would definitely recommend this car and have recently done so to a friend. We will buy a santa fe again.
Bailey Unicorn III Cadiz with a Hyundai 2012 7 seater. We bought the extra 50 kilo plate from Bailey, but as everyone says, this is an epic tow car and it didn't seem to slow the Santa Fe down. Several times, I got the tap on the knee from SWMBO and on looking down we were edging towards 70. Longer trip this summer, so we will see how it goes sur le peage.
I have just got an Ace Supreme Globestar, great caravan to tow, better than Abbey Spectrum 620 that I had. car is chipped and pulls the Ace without problem even on steep motorway hills. the Santa Fe auto is a great towcar too, getting around 30mpg now, was 28mpg with the Abbey.
Towed about 1000 miles so far after putting on the 1200 required to tow. All seems good although have yet to work through the trip to get accurate mpg - anyway v stable and willing enough even with auto. 2500 to do in france so will report in due course!
2010 model top of the range manual gears pulls like a train first to the top of the hill doesnt waggle about with the Charisma on and returns good MPG if you dont push it too much.
I had this car for over 3 years and towed all over UK and France without any issues. I recommend the 7 seat Style as it has load levelling and all the kit you need, and the kids prefer cloth seats to leather anyway. The kerbweight is 1910kg so loads of capacity for a large caravan to be towed. The horse power and torque are very generous at 194 hp and 411 nm respectively, and the on demand 4 wheel drive makes sure you always have traction, and 4 wheel drive lock can be selected too (it disengages automatically at 19mph). The performance on motorways could get you into trouble with the police as it can easily exceed 70mph when getting past lorries (not that I have ever done that occifer!). Another massive bonus for caravanners is a full size alloy spare wheel slung under the boot floor (no stupid aerosol tin) and you can drop the spare without unloading the MASSIVE boot. Only one minor niggle - you cannot turn off the reversing sensor with the caravan hitched, but given the above advantages, that's OK. Buy one!
what an amazing tow car, you would not even know there is a caravan behind you when towing its that smooth. 10 out 10 Hyundai.
Fantastic tow car ,dropped 2mpg when towing ,can't think of one negative .
Having originally towed my Bailey Valencia 2011 with my Audi A6 2.0 le man Sline I soon realised it was not upto the job and the 92plus % made sense. Just purchased my Santa Fe 2012 mk2 auto and it's a pleasure to tow. No issues with power and getting 40plus mpg solo and 28mpg when towing on none motorway. The height and driving position Is perfect and the boot space is huge with extra underfloor storage. I am unsure around potential nose weight issues as I know the Valencia is nose heavy but no problems so far. Overall would highly recommend the santafe as a reasonably priced powerful economic tow car with 4x4 capability!
Have been towing a Lunar Freelander 3 (2007) with a SF 20L CRDi, cruising at 55 mph comfortable ride, I do get a bit of a twitch as higher vehicles pass, but over all fantastic, as for Clutch, I have had the SF for over 2 years and have experienced clutch slip when NOT towing, she now needs a clutch as informed by Local Mechanic (Trusted), but we have been away this weekend, and only problem with clutch was while reversing onto pitch up incline . would I buy another ??
SF not selling this one yet over 100K on clock
Tows very well, seems more stable than the much lighter lunar Solaris we had before. On our local motorway is long hill (test hill!!), the SF pulled the Elddis no problems as it the lunar was back on..overall very please with the outfit
Tows well a little under powered but drives really well. Holds road good but a little bit sluggish up hills.
Good MPG acheived in France General performance ok
tows like a dream butbe careful to load van correctly.Tyre pressure is important though,I tow with 32 psi in car and 65psi in van.
Towed this to France last year as well as several excursions in the UK really pleased with the car no problems whatever.
lovely car very quiet and powerful highly recommended you wont be dissapointed
Great combination a little under powered on hills but thats not a problem.
Good fuel economy on a run of 25 -28 mpg thats with a lot of weight in awnings etc.
Stable at 65mph also hill starts not a problem.
Did over 1500 mile in Sept 13 in Europe and had no trouble both outfits performed great.
Would I buy another Hyundai Santa Fe ...YES !
Well, I swapped the Santa Fe for a 2012 Nissan Pathfinder 2.5 Manual and there is no comparison (See my review for coachman/Pathfinder)
we tow a coachman 560/4 2012 vip, with our hyundai santa fee 2008 08 5speed manual up &down to padstow 33mpg with no problems fantastic car for the money want a 2010 model 6speed manual thanks steve
I was unsure whether an auto would cope with our Coachman but I was pleasantly surprised at how well it coped. Okay, so 6th gear is only attainable on the flat at about 60mph but we still averaged 28mpg on our first run out. Time will tell just how well it performs on different roads but in terms of power and stability - faultless! If I'm honest, I would still prefer a manual but this one became available at a price too good to refuse.
I've had the Santa Fe March 2012 purchase new and it tows my Hymer Sporting Style 485 with ease both on UK and EU trips.
Great for just putting on cruise control fro those long trips down both UK and EU motorways.
Have been towing the outfit an adria adiva ld532, with the santa fe with a return when towing of 28 to 30 mpg for 8 years and the clutch started to go had a new one fitted and no sign of slipping since. But my friend did fit the best one he could parts cost over two hundred pounds trade.
I have had this combination for 4 years and it is absolutely rock solid. Took a friend with me recently and he commented that you wouldn't know you were pulling a caravan. Totally stable,pl,enty of grunt when you need it, and very very comfortable ride.
Very impressed with the towing capabilities of the Santa Fe. We travel from Germany to Hungary every year via Prag and Bratislava and the only time that i notice the caravan is when we pull over for a coffee break :-)
Replaced our Europa 520 (1450kg) and 06 jag S type diesel auto with an Elite Amber (1650kg) and Hyundai 2.2 crtd cdxi diesel (manual) so we could fit 2 dogs and grandchild into our towcar. Heard about problems with clutch on 2ltr version but no problems so far on ours with a heavy 'van' hitched up. Easy, stable towing (2012 van with alko fitted) but important to balance weight evenly. 40mpg on a run, 30mpg (ish) around town and 27mpg towing. Better with foot off throttle, (31mpg towing) worse when in a rush to get to site (24mpg towing). Good on Mway, ok on B roads. Got 5 spd box, )148bhp), told that 6 spd is better (196bhp) on fuel/performance. Lots of room fairly good performance, well equipped. (tempermental electrics eg cruise control) Might re-chip to better bhp/torque. (anyone tried this?) Great outfit match, very stable, will buy this car again. More room in back for dogs so prefer it to the ix version. Our next car will be 6spd santa fe diesel manual whatever 'van' we get.
i have just bought 2010 santa fe 194bhp,i p/x my award firestar
for a 2011 bailey unicorn barcelona,weighing 400kg more,the bacelona actually tows more efficiently,around 26/28mpg,at 60mph,from thirsk to tamworth,mostly in 6th gear,the car handles superb,the caravan is fitted with abs,i am so pleased with my choice of car van.
TheSanta Fe is ideal having kerbweight (1941kg) and noseweight (100kg) to provide confident towing characteristics. The boot is huge allowing me to put a lot of our gear and full sized awning in it, plus the brilliant under floor storage. Massive torque 311 lbft and power 194 bhp gives terrific performance and hill climbing ability, with 4 x 4 ability when required, and up to 42 mpg solo. Have been to Northumberland in strong winds and the outfit was not troubled by the weather or lorries. Comfortable cabin and privacy glass. Downsides? MPG towing 22- 28mpg depending on conditions. Need to downshift early to maintain progress uphill as high ratios in top gears, but would still recommend this car as a towcar does the job well and comfortable day-to-day transport.
I own a Hyundai Santa Fe auto 2.2 2010 and solo it will change into 6th as low as 40mph and it will tow quite happily in 6th at 50mph
I love my Santa Fe and was a little nervous when I changed my Sterling Europa 550 to a Sterling Eccles Coral T/A.It towed the Europa as if there was nothing behind.It can tow my new caravan equaly as good and I find the Twin axle much steadier in the crsswinds on the motorways.I get 32mpg when towing and 45mpg+ solo.I do keep within speed limits and I do need to use the 5th &6th gears as directed by the car computer.All in all a very practical and economic vehicle for caravanning.
The 7 seat Santa Fe is ideal having load levelling as well as the kerbweight (1941kg) and noseweight (100kg) to provide confident towing characteristics. The boot is huge allowing me to put a full sized awning in it sideways, whilst the load levelling keeps the outfit level. Massive torque 311 lbft and power 194 bhp gives terrific performance and hill climbing ability, with 4 x 4 ability when required, and up to 40 mpg solo. Have been to Dordogne and back without a single moment of concern, and down to London in a gale for New Year 2011 and the outfit was not troubled by the wind or lorries. Kids love the high seating position, comfortable cabin and privacy glass. Downsides? MPG towing 22 to 29mpg depending on road type. Can't switch off reversing sensors with van attached. Need to downshift early to maintain progress uphill as high ratios in top gears, but would still highly recommend this car as a towcar and day-to-day transport.
Used this outfit for 2 1/2 years. Have had a clutch go after 3 years, then flywheel broke 6 months later. Another clutch! Towed for 5 years with this Santa Fe and about the best tow car i've had. Stable, plenty of room for stuff, could be better on hills but would buy another. Towed for over 29 years and out about 20 plus times a year. Fuel a tank full = 400 miles solo, 300 towing at close to legal limit, very easy to go over limit.
the car performs tremendously,with only 2 reservations;1,the automatic only changes to 6th gear at 60mph,and it will pull all day easily,if you could keep it above 58,when it wants to switch back to5th , frustrating,so try a manual; 2,when not towing it gets 40 mpg,but 27 on 50 mph roads,30 mpg on motorway runs;it's a cavenous,powerfull car that doesn't know when it's towing;confidence inspiring and recommended,after 18 months ownership and 5 different towcars ,i wont be changing this one
have towed my avante 524 all round northern england & yorkshire for 3 yrs with no problems at all.sailed up birk brow,no clutch problems, cant fault the car at all.
towing with an auto is so relaxing but fuel is not great at 25.5 but at our age we are not in any hurry
Lunar Lexon 570 1249 UW 1500 MLW Towball 80 k/g
Santa Fe 2.0 .
Auto Diesel 25 mpg Towning 29 Solo
Cruises at 60 on motorway no probl;ems changes to 3rd .on hills again no problem.Stability excellent.On a 1 in 12 standing start no problem held second.
The Santa Fe'' towing a Lunar Lexon SB Twin Axle. Tows with no problems on any kind of roads will tow at 60mph all day with enough left in the engine to overtake when required. Average fuel 29mpg on long run. very comfortuble drive any distance.
Tows well no problem sits at 60mph on cruise control and I am acheiving 37 mpg that is with a tuning module so all in all very happy with both units
we have just returned from a holiday in the peak district (plenty of steep hills) this outfit performed really well especially good on climbs, excellent on motorway,very comfortable with superb economy=32mpg when towing.
Although we were a little apprehensive before we set off
that it was up to the job,we need not have worried it was excellent.
We have a Hyundai Santa Fe auto 2010 model and a Elddis Crusader Super Storm. We went all over France last year and have found the car to be fab!! it pulled so well and was super stable. Would recomend this as a tow vehicle
Towed my new conqueror 630 from Yorkshire to cornwall and back with no problem at all, it handled well and couldnt really feel the extra weight, good fuel consumption as well.
Excellent match for the van. Very stable at all speeds and you forget you are towing. I get around 28mpg with the van in tow and 32mpg solo. Have experienced the clutch slip but it appears to be intermittent.
Perfect car for my caravan, it pulls well, but I need to use my gears on steep inclines as power and speed is lost quite quickly. The car is big enough to carry the items that I do not want to carry in the van.
Tows well, if I had to say anything I would say maybe a little under powered but I've now fitted a Diesel tuning module which has helped a lot, stable in all conditions that I've come across so far and the 4 wheel drive a god send when on site, no burning clutch smell when shunting the van around which is very good considering our van is a twin axle, I get mid/high 20's when towing
I have just toured Scotland with a Bailey Auvergne (5 Berth) I did not notice I was towing a caravan for the most part and achieved 35 mpg - what a car!
I tow an Abbey vogue 2, 09 model with my santa fae no clutch problems in the three years i`ve had her,I`m also thinking of changing my van to a swift conqueror hope she does ok.
Well I've now towed 3 times with this outfit and all I can say is it performs alot better than I thought it would, I have ordered a tuning module for it just so I can have a little bit extra power when overtaking on twisty roads, however when on the motorway or dual carriageway then once at 60 that's where it stayed, not at any point did I ever feel any instability or have any reason to feel uncomfortable, economy solo on a run around 40mpg towing around mid 20's very low 30's
I have been my Santa now for 18 months. I find it is a very steady tow vehicle, can struggle on very steep inclines i.e. up to Blaena. but otherwise no problems. I havn't had the clutch issues but apparently the cushioned fly wheel was changed to a standard one on a recall when around six months old.
I have the 2.2 automatic and find towing the Bailey 624 retuns 32mpg on motoreways and 28mpg on A & B roads the nly problem is the tow ball wieght 90 kg on the car the van has an ex works nose wieght of 88kg thats with out gas bottels
I found the best fuel economy is between 50 to 55 mph. Outfit has ATC fitted as well as alco dry hitch. Happy towing at 60mph. Came out of a mud bath of a field 6 to 9 inches of mud in 2nd gear no trouble.
I have bought Abbey Spectrum 540 and used it for the last year for 950 miles. The Hyundai is a fantastic towing vehicle. Very quiet, and super comfortable, and 24 mpg when towing. Cannot speak to highly of this car. It is effortless driving this outfit and it is so stable in cross winds. I must say that I have towed for 40 years, and I pay alot of attention to how I load the caravan to make it stable.
Very pleased with the towing capabilty of the Santa fe returns sensible MPG and has no problem with power or stabilty.
How ever i have experinced the same problem with the clutch slipping that many other people appear to have.
Being a technician at a main dealer Hyundai have researched a great deal of time trying to rectfy this and to no success. Very intersted by comment of terracan clutches have looked in to this but the clutches are much larger and do not fit.
Any body else with help or input would be greatfully recived as this is my only grip with the car.
We find the Hyundai tows the Odyssey without effort. This match of vehicle and caravan is perfect. We have experienced no problems at all.
IT WOULD BE A GREAT MATCH APART FROM THE CLUTCH SECOND ONE IN 12 MTHS FOUND OUT FLYWHEEL IS PROBLEM ,TOO LATE FOR ME AFTER IT WAS PUT BACK TOGETHER,BUT SUPERB OTHERWISE WORRYING EVERY TIME WE TAKE IT OUT ,LIVING IN WALES MOUNTAINS,RAIN AND MUD CANT GET AWAY FROM IT ,MINE IS CHIPPED AS WELL MAKES A DIFFERANCE MAYBE THIS DON'T HELP EITHER
This is a really pleasing combination, I forgot to lock the stabiliser on and towed home from North Wales, no problems at all. Fuel consumption approx 30 mpg. As I said towed all around Wales (north and south) without any problems at all .
Towing lexon 640 RS twin wheel very stable , cruises at 60mph no problem, and have had as high as 28 mpg on long trip to west country
A very stable towcar tows well at 60mph with nose weight set at 80kgs returns 24mpg overall
I have just recently brought a new outfit this summer. The car is a 4x4 Hyundai Santa Fe 2.0 CRTD (54 reg) & the caravan is an Ace Award Nightstar (2003). I have to say I have been very impressed with the towing capability of the Hyundai. You can bearly tell the caravan is on the back. I've towed it on a mixture of roads and it gives you great confidence. As an all round towing vehicle I would happily reccomend it. They're reasonable priced to buy 'used' and economy is good also. I get 32mpg 'combined' making it easy to live with compared to other 4x4 who struggle to make 25mpg!! Connection onto the towbar bar is also a smooth operation (Al-Ko on the caravan).
The Hyundai is not supposed to have much off-road capability but I have towed over wet grassy sites with no worries. This website gives a 81% match (5 stars) and I couldn't agree more. I'm off to Devon for October (08) half term from the Midlands & I can't wait !!!
I have been towing an ABI Globestar (1250)kg for a year and a half now on road and off road in some serious deep mud and the Hyundai has not missed a beat, this car is a good all round towcar with good fuel returns when towing.
2003 Santa Fe with our new Abbey Vogue540 tows brilliantly. No problem keeping a steady speed. in relation to the clutch query ours was changed under warranty(to a Terracan clutch!) after 6 months as slipping under towing load is a known problem. Dealer should sort.
The model of Santa Fe I have is automatic which seems to affect the towing on inclines. All other aspects of this model are great.
i havea hyundai santa fe 2003 2.0 crtd manual, and tow a lunar quasar fb mass weight of 1600 kgs, i have been towing for 19 years ,in the last 12 months i have had 2 clutch,s it slips when towing has anyone experienced this
I have now been towing with this out fit for several months almost on max capacity fully loaded .The i am very impresed with the power and torque hills dont seem to exist anymore with supersmooth pullaway under any conditions with the auto box i have to say this is the best tow vehicle i have used for along time comfortable and reliable smooth and powerfull the weight knocks the fuel consumption abit but i like to push on abit so maybe iam abit heavy footed but still getting 28mpg whith is not bad for a near 4000kg outfit overall very impressed and would recomend this towing vehicle to anyone for any outfit .
The santa fe is a great car. The engine delivers bags of power and it is responsive right through the gearbox. I never get less than 36 mpg solo. When towing it delivers 26-29 mpg. The more miles it does the better the engine gets. Its approaching two years old now and has had no faults at all. Buy with confidence!
tows well, bit heavy on juice, but you feel very confident if a lorry passes you on the motorway - look out for towball weights though as this is just over the max (towball weight 80kg - van is 92kg)
Have towed about 1000 miles so far with the Santa Fe; my caravan is an Avondale Dart 510. Makes a very stable tow, and fifth gear available to use 85% of the time, averaging 25 miles to the gallon when towing.
I have toured Denmark with this outfit (no big hills) and found both performance and economy to be excellent. Overall fuel consumption over 2500 miles according to cars computer was 33 mpg. This included all towing from home in UK. I have no stabilizer fitted and all remains steady in any conditions. The main factor in this is the low ratio of caravan weight to car weight. This is my second Hyundai and both have been 100% reliable.
I have now done over athousand miles with this outfit and find that the balance and performance are amazing. Driving in gale force 5 winds and being overtaken by big heavy lorries causes no problems at all. In fact, the match and weight seem to help stability, over lighter caravans I have previously towed. There is no doubt, that the twin axles help considerably. I have towed for 40 years and must say that combination of this car and this caravan is the best outfit I have ever had.
excellent towing, likes to sit slightly above 60mpg on motorway. has returned 30+ mpg dependant on weather conditions. never had trouble up inclines regardless of gradient
We have actually got a ventana 470ts which is an import van of similair weight. The Sante Fe tows this like a dream and returned fuel consumpion of 30 mpg on a tow to Spain last year. We would recommend this match to anybody looking to get style and performance in one hit.
HAD THIS SET UP FROM LAST SUMMER AND EXCELLENT, WOULDNT EVEN KNOW YOU WERE TOWING THE NEW HOBBY BUT NOW WERE CHANGING TO A 307SW SO LET YOU KNOW HOW IT GOES.
I can't fault the Santa Fe, not only does it tow well, I also have in it an electric wheelchair and 4 dogs as well as hubby and myself.
I rally and getting off muddy fields is not trouble and I have never been stuck, other 4 wheel drive vehicles have.
Hills are no problem either, even with the caravan on and it is also a good car when you are not towing.
Would I buy one again, definately.
excellent ,very stable will cruise at 60 + all day.previous car C5 ,which could be prone to drift when overtaking lorries at speed .Sante fe has no such problems...
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