xtrail or sante fe

chiefwiggum

ok after being snowed in for over 10 days for the second time this year meself and the missus are thinking of getting a 4x4 ..we've kinda narrowed it down to the nissan xtrail or the hyundai sante se... any advice or comment would be most welcome...reliabilty factors, known faults,mpg etc
thanks everyone

R.O.R

I've never driven one of the older model Santa Fe's, but the new (2.2d) version is quite good to drive on the road.

I picked up an 06 X-Trail 4x4 at lunch to make sure I can get home tonight, and it's pretty horrible to drive. Feels like it's going to topple over at the first sight of a slight bend. In it's favour, there are 155,000km on, and it's only ever had standard servicing. No major parts replaced and no breakdowns. Still favour the newer model Santa Fe over the X-Trail though.

-Corkie-

The mate has a 06 Santa Fe the old model and is very happy with it. He has it from new and it hasnt cost him a bob.

Allthough I think there a ugly looking thing I am impressed with how reliable it is. I know nothing about the X-Trail.

chiefwiggum

thanks R.O.R
ive driven the new santa fe(test drive) and it is lovely to drive but alas the new model is out of our budget... the neighbour has an older model and swears by it

my bro swears by the xtrail as his friend has one...and i was swaying towards that

R.O.R

chiefwiggum wrote: »

thanks R.O.R
ive driven the new santa fe(test drive) and it is lovely to drive but alas the new model is out of our budget... the neighbour has an older model and swears by it

my bro swears by the xtrail as his friend has one...and i was swaying towards that

And if you buy it, you'll be swaying back and forth all over the road :eek:

My opinion might change come the morning if it get's me out of some tricky scraped tonight, but the last one I drove felt like it was going to fall over on the M50 Red Cow off ramp, so it seems like they are all a bit cr@p to drive.

I also don't think I saw a cup holder - what am I going to do with my Coffee in the morning? Ah, suppose it's time to drive with the knees again

chiefwiggum

would you not ask your starbucks employee to sit in the passenger seat and hold it for you!!!! ha ha
i suppose im going to have to test drive the xtrail to see... the sante fe do seem fairly reliable...you'd want to see the snowy hills the nighbours is tackling at the moment no bother to it

Andrew42

The dealers are going to be p**sing themselves with excitement! someone else here wants to get rid of a BMW and get a 4WD saloon, unless you live halfway up a mountain you really don't need 4WD just to cope with a bit of snow and ice, I've been driving in it all week in a regular car with 2WD and summer tyres, a bit of care and you're fine. I will invest in a set of winter tyres next summer though (no point doing it now, you'd get fleeced by the dealers). Don't be a sucker and rush out to buy a 4WD, let things settle for a few months and if you still think you want one for next winter then go ahead and start shopping. Personally, I'd go for the X-Trail, old shape Santa Fe looks like it melted or something. UGLY!

Absurdum

I had a 2.2 dCi X-Trail for a couple of years, it was thoroughly competent, the 4wd system is quite good and will see you through just about anything the winter will throw at you provided you have decent tyres on it. I put up a more detailed review here (that was for a facelifted 2004 model). I can't comment on the new models as I haven't driven it but the reviews I have read all say it's better to drive but still looks dull. I'd be looking for a service history and at least 6 months warranty if I was buying one again.

-Corkie-

Andrew42 wrote: »

The dealers are going to be p**sing themselves with excitement! someone else here wants to get rid of a BMW and get a 4WD saloon, unless you live halfway up a mountain you really don't need 4WD just to cope with a bit of snow and ice, I've been driving in it all week in a regular car with 2WD and summer tyres, a bit of care and you're fine. I will invest in a set of winter tyres next summer though (no point doing it now, you'd get fleeced by the dealers). Don't be a sucker and rush out to buy a 4WD, let things settle for a few months and if you still think you want one for next winter then go ahead and start shopping. Personally, I'd go for the X-Trail, old shape Santa Fe looks like it melted or something. UGLY!

Why dont you drive to Wicklow where the man lives and see how good you get on with your summer tyres..;)

E39MSport

Some of the Santa Fe are 2WD I think.

Edit: in answer, of the 2, I'd go Xtrail. HJ says "Excellent, honest vehicle, decent to drive on road and best in class off road."

Absurdum

E39MSport wrote: »

Some of the Santa Fe are 2WD I think.

yup so are some X-Trails as well, you might want to check this before you buy

chiefwiggum

well you see the problem is i do live up the side of a mountain and the roads are pretty much impassable..we get a lot of snow and flooding occasionally..we've been talkin about getting one for a couple of yrs now to be honest
as for the ive been driving in a 2wd and you'll be grand...i seen 3 crashes today on the way back to the house..all driving perfectly to suit the conditions..all low speed but.... also seen cars and vans getting stuck on hills all wheel spin and going nowhere..couldnt go back cos there was traffic behind them so not all 2wd drive cars will get you anywhere by driving wity due care and attention

chiefwiggum

R.O.R wrote: »

I've never driven one of the older model Santa Fe's, but the new (2.2d) version is quite good to drive on the road.

I picked up an 06 X-Trail 4x4 at lunch to make sure I can get home tonight, and it's pretty horrible to drive. Feels like it's going to topple over at the first sight of a slight bend. In it's favour, there are 155,000km on, and it's only ever had standard servicing. No major parts replaced and no breakdowns. Still favour the newer model Santa Fe over the X-Trail though.

Absurdum wrote: »

yup so are some X-Trails as well, you might want to check this before you buy

yeah i know that they both come in 2 wheel and 4 wheel drive ...the santa fe is constant 4wd dont know about the xtrail

chiefwiggum

-Corkie- wrote: »

Why dont you drive to Wicklow where the man lives and see how good you get on with your summer tyres..;)

too right corkie...all roads into and out of the local village (2km away) were closed for a while today due to crashes and jack knifes...very hilly village;)

Eric Cartman

how about a propper 4wd ? Kia sorento - 2.5TD , alright on fuel, reliable, cheap to service and get parts, do very well in the snow , full time 4wd on all but the basic spec model , lost floating around 2nd hand with leather, climate etc... on them, better drive than the xtrail by a mile

http://www.carzone.ie/search/KIA/Sorento/2.5-PASS/201048200403754/advert?channel=CARS

http://www.carzone.ie/search/KIA/Sorento/2.5-TD-A/201022198292145/advert?channel=CARS

E39MSport

chiefwiggum wrote: »

yeah i know that they both come in 2 wheel and 4 wheel drive ...the santa fe is constant 4wd dont know about the xtrail

4WD was optional on the Santa Fe - its an SUV

chiefwiggum

very helpful review absurdum thanks
@eric cartman...was looking at the sorento's alright but youre moving up to the next tax band from 823 in the 2.2 to 935 in the 2.5
my uncle has the kia and very happy with it and we have a kia pro'ceed 1.6crdi and are very happy with it too...kia seem to be getting quite popular
the serrento has to be thirsty though ?

Eric Cartman

chiefwiggum wrote: »

very helpful review absurdum thanks
@eric cartman...was looking at the sorento's alright but youre moving up to the next tax band from 823 in the 2.2 to 935 in the 2.5
my uncle has the kia and very happy with it and we have a kia pro'ceed 1.6crdi and are very happy with it too...kia seem to be getting quite popular
the serrento has to be thirsty though ?

I had one for 18 months and I used to get 26-28mpg per fill, I used mine a lot for city driving and I had the automatic. A lot of long distance driving or manual gearbox will eaily see you getting 32-34mpg out of it

chiefwiggum

yeah i do a fair bit of milage mostly motorway so i am thinking of running cost mostly aswell surely the sante fe and xtrail would be lighter on juice? i'd love an auto alright

Andrew42

-Corkie- wrote: »

Why dont you drive to Wicklow where the man lives and see how good you get on with your summer tyres..;)

No need for the smart answers Corkie, I qualified my statement with "unless you live halfway up a mountain". I live between Saggart and Blessington with plenty of hills so I'm not just pootling about in a city housing estate, also OP could live in Bray, Greystones, Arklow etc and never need 4WD due to sea air normally keeping these areas relatively frost free. Do you have any useful input?

Eric Cartman

chiefwiggum wrote: »

yeah i do a fair bit of milage mostly motorway so i am thinking of running cost mostly aswell surely the sante fe and xtrail would be lighter on juice? i'd love an auto alright

the new santa fe is lighter, the old one is about the same as the sorento , cant vouche for the xtrail , if youd like an auto , the sorento came with 5 speed auto with tiptronic, a great gearbox with really smooth shifts and excellent acceleration , only reason I got rid of my sorento was I needed a crewcab

E39MSport

Andrew42 wrote: »

No need for the smart answers Corkie, I qualified my statement with "unless you live halfway up a mountain". I live between Saggart and Blessington with plenty of hills so I'm not just pootling about in a city housing estate, also OP could live in Bray, Greystones, Arklow etc and never need 4WD due to sea air normally keeping these areas relatively frost free. Do you have any useful input?

... Here's some. Chillax. Smilie check.

Andrew42

chiefwiggum wrote: »

too right corkie...all roads into and out of the local village (2km away) were closed for a while today due to crashes and jack knifes...very hilly village;)

Well 4WD is not going to get you over crashes and jack knifed vehicles is it?
Obviously, 4WD is going to be better than 2WD in extremes but my point is, you, and half the country are now contemplating jumping on the 4WD bandwagon so the dealers will be p~*sing themselves with excitement. That's all.

E39MSport

Dealers here have been having it handy for years.

The chap is looking for advice on choice between certain makes not a life lesson.

iei044775

My wife bought an Xtrail last March because of all the trouble we had last year with the snow. (We live one mile up a mountain road). It is a 2.2dCi and has been consistently doing 38 - 40mpg. It's normally switched to 2WD, just on 4WD this past 2 weeks. It has been fantastic in the snow on intermediate tyres. For general use we find it handly too with the big boot and contrary to the comment above it has brilliant cup holders on the dash!!
Watch out for intercooler and turbo failure though, both of these were done under warantee before we bought ours.

As an option I would say buy winter tyres for your car - I have a set of good winter tyres on an Audi A6 and have gone everywhere the xtrail has gone!

Antomus Prime

E39MSport wrote: »

Some of the Santa Fe are 2WD I think.

Edit: in answer, of the 2, I'd go Xtrail. HJ says "Excellent, honest vehicle, decent to drive on road and best in class off road."

All diesel Santa Fe's are 4x4, same with X-trails. WHy you would buy a jeep with a petrol engine is beyond me, you'd want to have a pretty hefty bank account to run the thing lol.

I prefer the look of the x trail but i've heard the santa fe is a better machine. My dad had one and my sister has one now. Both diesles and neither have had any bother with them. But i cant really comment on the x trail cause i dont know anything about them.

-Corkie-

anthonyk.is wrote: »

All diesel Santa Fe's are 4x4, same with X-trails. WHy you would buy a jeep with a petrol engine is beyond me, you'd want to have a pretty hefty bank account to run the thing lol.

I prefer the look of the x trail but i've heard the santa fe is a better machine. My dad had one and my sister has one now. Both diesles and neither have had any bother with them. But i cant really comment on the x trail cause i dont know anything about them.

Wrong they come in 2wd and 4wd.

chiefwiggum

great lads thanks for all the input ..its great to hear how these thing perform both on the road and throught he snow
@ at andrew you did come across a bit badly but yeah i can see what youre saying about living in an estate but trust me...your car will not come down my road at the moment a jeep will.. im not worrying about dealers im worrying about us and remember a car dealer is there to supply the vehicles that we demand,i big enough to look after myself when it comes to be taken advantage of as ive dealt with enough dealers in my time. ive just lost a weeks wages due to this and only got in yesterday didnt make it today due to further snow so i think a 4x4 could be a worthwhile purchase

techie

Op, if the Sorrento is too big and tax too much have a look out for its smaller stable mate, Kia Sportage, 4 x 4 diesels are around if you have a scout on carzone

Biglad

For what its worth; I once had a 04 X-Trail very capable on the road and offroad appearently as well although more than a muddy track it never saw. Unfortunately I had a ton of problems with the Renault diesel engine in that car. Many visits to garages and no joy. It was a great way to find out how this nation wide dealernetwork and service network dealt with the issue, it didn't. After a few really scary moments, sudden power loss whilst overtaking etc, I decided to park it up as it became rediculously dangerous. We found out afterwards that the diesel injector pump was faulty in it although Nissan always said that is wasn't or couldn't be. Look out for these 2.2 diesels as there are many known faults with these Renault engines.

We replaced it with a new model 06 Santa Fe, 7 seater automatic, absolutely fecking loved that machine (still do although somebody in Dublin is driving it now). There is no comparison with the old model santa Fe, all they share is the name, nothing else. I drove the old model once when mine was in for a service and I nearly got seasick. I put 167K kilometers on the Santa Fe and it never missed a beat, averaged 35-35mpg. 4WD on demand means 2 wheel drive all the time and when the fronts loose grip the rears come in, was fantastic in the snow with summer tyres. The orginal set of tyres lasted 60K kilometers, they were rotated once. I know your budget might not make a new model Santa Fe, which is a real shame.

I would probably go with the X-Trail, just make sure it's sound engine wise if you are going diesel. Check if it pulls well, has a fsh and that the turbo makes all the right noises and no other noises.

VolvoMan

IMO the old Santa Fe is a horrible, horrible thing.

Biglad

VolvoMan wrote: »

IMO the old Santa Fe is a horrible, horrible thing.

Closest thing to a boat on wheels I was ever in

Absurdum

iei044775 wrote: »

It's normally switched to 2WD, just on 4WD this past 2 weeks. It has been fantastic in the snow on intermediate tyres. For general use we find it handly too with the big boot and contrary to the comment above it has brilliant cup holders on the dash!!

Slightly o/t but the 4WD Lock setting is only for proper snowy/icy/offroad conditions, the AUTO setting is fine for frost or wet road conditions. Leaving it on 4WD Lock can damage your transmission in normal conditions.

The 2.2dCi was only available with a 6 speed manual, it's a decent box though the clutch is a little heavy.

chiefwiggum

@ techie....yeah i looked at the sportage and i think it may be out of our budget 7k max never too keen on the shape anyway

chiefwiggum

@ biglad..thanks thats very good post cheers..i'll make sure to check everything out

chiefwiggum

VolvoMan wrote: »

IMO the old Santa Fe is a horrible, horrible thing.

no i must admit it aint a looker but if its rugged and reliable it would do me lol

Stevie Dakota

Have you considered winter tyres? There is a short thread about it here somewhere

Before leaping to a 4WD it could be worth a try as many are reporting a huge increase in grip and drivability. While 4WD is great for a few weeks a year for the rest of the time you are hauling around a lot of weight with a bigger engine, tax, insurance and all the associated extra running costs.

chiefwiggum

Stevie Dakota wrote: »

Have you considered winter tyres? There is a short thread about it here somewhere

Before leaping to a 4WD it could be worth a try as many are reporting a huge increase in grip and drivability. While 4WD is great for a few weeks a year for the rest of the time you are hauling around a lot of weight with a bigger engine, tax, insurance and all the associated extra running costs.

yeah stevie i know but i could do with the clearance aswell as both our cars are scrapping off the ice and compacted snow in the middle of the road..it'll end up pulling something off:)

slimjimmc

chiefwiggum wrote: »

no i must admit it aint a looker but if its rugged and reliable it would do me lol

Check the clutch has been replaced, older models were prone to premature clutch disc failure. Of the 2 Santa Fé owners I know, both needed early clutch replacements.

Anan1

chiefwiggum wrote: »

yeah stevie i know but i could do with the clearance aswell as both our cars are scrapping off the ice and compacted snow in the middle of the road..it'll end up pulling something off:)

How about a SUbaru Forester or Outback? Either will be in a different league to the two cars you're looking at, although they might be a bit heavier on fuel.

Biglad

slimjimmc wrote: »

Check the clutch has been replaced, older models were prone to premature clutch disc failure. Of the 2 Santa Fé owners I know, both needed early clutch replacements.

Think this was the same issue with the Trajet, there were quite a few gearbox complaints as well and a good few of these were replaced under warrantee.

stackerman

Have you any way to justify a commercial ?? less than €300 tax (please no smart comments )
A good crew -cab with good tyres would see you out. Sounds like the area you live in is just like mine, and my crew cab has pushed on without a prob. Just a thought, I know most cant get away with it, just on the off chance that you missed it. ATB

Biglad

chiefwiggum wrote: »

@ biglad..thanks thats very good post cheers..i'll make sure to check everything out

pssst, don't tell anybody, but sometimes I lie awake at night crying thinking back on my Santa Fe days, man I loved that machine. When my SAAB goes, which will be soon, there will be a Santa Fe again, snow or no snow, promise.

chiefwiggum

Anan1 wrote: »

How about a SUbaru Forester or Outback? Either will be in a different league to the two cars you're looking at, although they might be a bit heavier on fuel.

looked at the forester but they only come in diesel from 2007 on i think and petrol just really isnt an option but i do like the subaru's a lot

chiefwiggum

keving wrote: »

Have you any way to justify a commercial ?? less than €300 tax (please no smart comments )
A good crew -cab with good tyres would see you out. Sounds like the area you live in is just like mine, and my crew cab has pushed on without a prob. Just a thought, I know most cant get away with it, just on the off chance that you missed it. ATB

no chance kev i have a commercial golf and am lucky that i can tax that as wicklow is supposed to be brutal on the commercials but oddly taxing car van is not a problem

chiefwiggum

Biglad wrote: »

pssst, don't tell anybody, but sometimes I lie awake at night crying thinking back on my Santa Fe days, man I loved that machine. When my SAAB goes, which will be soon, there will be a Santa Fe again, snow or no snow, promise.

BIGLAD CRIES AT NIGHT OVER HIS SANTA FE!!!!!

dont worry i'll keep it to myself;);):p:p:D:D

ltdslipdiff

I was going to suggest the scoobie's too. What about a Volvo Country estate thingy AWD ? Or an Audi A4/A6 quattro?

gcgirl

Andrew42 wrote: »

No need for the smart answers Corkie, I qualified my statement with "unless you live halfway up a mountain". I live between Saggart and Blessington with plenty of hills so I'm not just pootling about in a city housing estate, also OP could live in Bray, Greystones, Arklow etc and never need 4WD due to sea air normally keeping these areas relatively frost free. Do you have any useful input?

sea air my ass I live just on the out skirts of wicklow town and it's ****e the snow is still here for 3/4 days I could not get out so so much for the sea air;)

R.O.R

Well, the hairyest moments I had on the way home were trying to get through Cookstown Industrial Estate to the Topaz at Belgard, and getting on to my drive.

Huuuuuge ruts in the ice through Cookstown and the X-Trail was being thrown all over the place. Ended up sideways on one of the roundabouts, but was easy to bring back in line. Probably would have ended up pointing in the wrong direction in a car.

Driveway at home now has icy snow on top of icy snow. Managed to back the X-Trail up and in to the corner. Took 3 attempts and a bit of momentum in the wife's V50 to get it on straight.

Still think it's pant's to drive on the road, not helping that the steering wheel is about 10 degrees offset and it pulls left under acceleration and right when you take your foot off. Performance (sic) from the 2 litre petrol is woeful, and I now think the auto box is a CVT. Putting your foot to the floor makes it a lot louder, but does not much else. Torque is completley in the wrong place.

I put €20 of Petrol in, in Portloaise (it was very empty). Drove the M7/N7 at 120km/h to Tallaght, and the fuel light came on again when I left the office, so it's got some thirst on it - diesel is a must in my opinion, for something this size.

Kia Sportage or it's sister the Hyundai Tucson in 4x4 diesel may be better than either the X-Trail or Sante Fe in your budget.

(also, can the person who mentioned the cup holders let me know where they are? Are they under the little cubby hole under the radio?)

Absurdum

R.O.R wrote: »

(also, can the person who mentioned the cup holders let me know where they are? Are they under the little cubby hole under the radio?)

there's a little flappy thing that heats/cools it too, same with the box thing under the aircon controls

R.O.R

Absurdum wrote: »

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there's a little flappy thing that heats/cools it too, same with the box thing under the aircon controls

I'd thank you a hundred times if I could. My water bottle was sliding around on the passenger seat all the way home. It can stay nicely cooled all the way in tomorrow, until it get turfed out of it's home to make way for coffee