With my Flex getting up there in age and miles, I have been looking at what to get next. My driving needs has changed as well as my family in the past 9 years of driving the Flex. I have a few SUVs on my short list.
One of them was the new Hyundai Sante Fe. Looked like a Flex replacement. Well, my girlfriend's son got the Hybrid one for graduating college from his grandpa- yeah, lucky kid. His twin got the new Lincoln Nautilus- blacked out version.
We just got back from vaca and I asked if we could take his Santa Fe and he was fine with that. I put my crossbars on his (yes direct fit) and I put the cargo box up there. There were 5 of us, basically all adults. The daughter is 16 but as tall as her mom. So packing for 5 for 6 days was tight. We had one seat in the 3rd row flat and it had bags in it. The roof box had several other bags and was fairly full. The biggest issue with the vehicle is the room behind the 3rd row. It's basically non-existent. My small cooler barley fit back there. Maybe because its the Hybrid, the floor behind the 3rd row is flat with the rear entry.
So, fully packed we went off. It had a full tank when we started and had a range of just over 500 miles. That was plenty to get to our destination and beyond. In fact we filled up once during the trip and again just outside of home so he would have a full tank. Probably averaged 28mpg, kept it in Eco mode the whole time.
The tech in the car is great, probably like most other new cars and WAY more advanced than my 2011 Flex. Adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist, and even lane change assist worked great. Heads Up Display was very helpful as it tied into the Android Auto nav I was using. It was fun watching how much the EV kicked in instead of the motor and it was a lot. Still had power to pass when needed too. Cruise set at 80 did just fine. (speed limit was 75). Nice and smooth ride. USB-C everywhere, 2 up front (as well as 2 wireless chargers), second row and even 2 in 3rd row. AC outlet in 3rd row as well, along with a 12v socket. The camera views were great for parking. I even used the autonomous pull forward out of the parking spot once.
My gripes- I'm 6'4" and the front seat does not go back far enough for me. There was still room for 2nd row but I couldn't get a good adjustment on the seat for me. It was comfy, but my legs were a little crammed. 2nd row has no controls. HVAC, well fan control, for 2nd row is all in front touch screen. As are heated seats (but didn't need those) 3rd row has a fan control and on/off, but she said it wasn't working. My guess is we had so much stuff in there, it was blocking the floor vents. The warnings on the dash kinda drove me nuts. Apparently, I got too used to the lane assist and didn't keep enough pressure on the wheel and got the warning. Apparently, I looked away too much and got the keep eys on the road warning. The take a break popped up a few times and not sure why. I feel like there is less room between 2nd row seats overall. We of course brought back more than we took and it was hard finding spots for everything. Power 2nd row fold for 3rd row access was a little slow. Everyone complains how fast the 2nd row folds on the Flex, but the Santa Fe is slow.
Overall, yes, it is a great vehicle with no major driving complaints. Is it a true Flex replacement? Close, but I feel the Flex has just a bit more useable interior space. Or just need to get a much larger roof box and put all the luggage up there. Hybrid didn't disappoint for mileage and/or power. No tow package built in, I guess it's just a bolt-on hitch accessory to add on later, is a negative for me. Is it still on the list? Maybe...
One of them was the new Hyundai Sante Fe. Looked like a Flex replacement. Well, my girlfriend's son got the Hybrid one for graduating college from his grandpa- yeah, lucky kid. His twin got the new Lincoln Nautilus- blacked out version.
We just got back from vaca and I asked if we could take his Santa Fe and he was fine with that. I put my crossbars on his (yes direct fit) and I put the cargo box up there. There were 5 of us, basically all adults. The daughter is 16 but as tall as her mom. So packing for 5 for 6 days was tight. We had one seat in the 3rd row flat and it had bags in it. The roof box had several other bags and was fairly full. The biggest issue with the vehicle is the room behind the 3rd row. It's basically non-existent. My small cooler barley fit back there. Maybe because its the Hybrid, the floor behind the 3rd row is flat with the rear entry.
So, fully packed we went off. It had a full tank when we started and had a range of just over 500 miles. That was plenty to get to our destination and beyond. In fact we filled up once during the trip and again just outside of home so he would have a full tank. Probably averaged 28mpg, kept it in Eco mode the whole time.
The tech in the car is great, probably like most other new cars and WAY more advanced than my 2011 Flex. Adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist, and even lane change assist worked great. Heads Up Display was very helpful as it tied into the Android Auto nav I was using. It was fun watching how much the EV kicked in instead of the motor and it was a lot. Still had power to pass when needed too. Cruise set at 80 did just fine. (speed limit was 75). Nice and smooth ride. USB-C everywhere, 2 up front (as well as 2 wireless chargers), second row and even 2 in 3rd row. AC outlet in 3rd row as well, along with a 12v socket. The camera views were great for parking. I even used the autonomous pull forward out of the parking spot once.
My gripes- I'm 6'4" and the front seat does not go back far enough for me. There was still room for 2nd row but I couldn't get a good adjustment on the seat for me. It was comfy, but my legs were a little crammed. 2nd row has no controls. HVAC, well fan control, for 2nd row is all in front touch screen. As are heated seats (but didn't need those) 3rd row has a fan control and on/off, but she said it wasn't working. My guess is we had so much stuff in there, it was blocking the floor vents. The warnings on the dash kinda drove me nuts. Apparently, I got too used to the lane assist and didn't keep enough pressure on the wheel and got the warning. Apparently, I looked away too much and got the keep eys on the road warning. The take a break popped up a few times and not sure why. I feel like there is less room between 2nd row seats overall. We of course brought back more than we took and it was hard finding spots for everything. Power 2nd row fold for 3rd row access was a little slow. Everyone complains how fast the 2nd row folds on the Flex, but the Santa Fe is slow.
Overall, yes, it is a great vehicle with no major driving complaints. Is it a true Flex replacement? Close, but I feel the Flex has just a bit more useable interior space. Or just need to get a much larger roof box and put all the luggage up there. Hybrid didn't disappoint for mileage and/or power. No tow package built in, I guess it's just a bolt-on hitch accessory to add on later, is a negative for me. Is it still on the list? Maybe...