Need help in deciding between a Hyundai Santa Fe Sport or a Mazda CX-5...

9228 Views 5 Replies 6 Participants Last post by Mary Jane, Feb 23, 2020

ChristInUs

Discussion Starter · Aug 17, 2014 (Edited)

Hey guys,

I'm new on this forum and was seeking your help in deciding to purchase either a brand new Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2.0T Limited AWD or a Mazda CX-5 GT.

I've narrowed down the search from a VW Tiguan (as I don't want to pay for premium fuel) and a Subaru Forester XT (again premium fuel and CVT). I don't want to go for a Honda CR-V or Toyota Rav4 because I want to try something different this time.

After test driving both, here are the pro's and cons that I've come up with for both:

Mazda CX-5 Pros:
- Aggressive styling
- Fantastic gas mileage (approx. 24-26mpg mixed driving and approx. 20mpg highway driving) with 2.5L engine.
- Tight handling (good feedback from the wheel and solid cornering)
- Better price ($35,000 fully loaded and under $500 per month finance with my current lease buyout and $0 down)

Mazda CX-5 Cons:
- Very dull interior (everything is dark in the cabin with the black on black interior)
- SMALL NAVIGATION Screen with 5.8 inches and feels very unresponsive.
- Rear seats don't slide or recline.
- Lack of technology features at this price point such as rear vents or panoramic sunroof.
- No diesel option yet

Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2.0T AWD Limited Pros:
- Fantastic performance with the turbo engine
- Aggressive styling as well
- Wonderful interior layout with better interior choices (although it really sucks that we can't get the beige leather interior)
- Array of really cool features (Panoramic sunroof, rear sliding and reclining seats, rear vents, rear widows shades, etc...)
- 8" navigation screen that feels quite responsive.
- 5 year/100,000kms comprehensive warranty (I was told that we can't get the 10yr powertrain warranty in Canada)

Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2.0T AWD Limited Cons:
- Bad gas mileage (approx. 21mpg mixed driving and approx. 24mpg highway driving)
- Expensive price ($39,000 fully loaded and over $500 per month finance with my current lease buyout and $0 down)
- Steering wheel modes didn't have that much effect on road handling and handling didn't feel as sharp as the Mazda. Is there a real effect with the steering modes?

My wife and I are both leaning toward the Santa FE Sport, however I wanted to check with you guys who already own it with these questions in mind:

- I've owned Hondas for over 15 years and this would be our first Korean-made car, so I was wondering about reliability with the third generation Santa Fe...how reliable is it over the year and a half or so (I'm assuming this question applies to the people that bought this as a 2013 model when it first was on sale, possibly late 2012)?

- How is the gas mileage...for eg: if you fill the tank from full and drive it to empty, how many kms do you get?

- Should I wait till October and get the 2015 model? It appears Mazda is working on a refresh for the CX-5 which may address some of the pain points or it may not.

The dealer also had a demo model for sale which had just over 11,000kms on it but was only offering a $2500 discount which seems far less for that many kms.

In any case, I love the sportiness (coming from a Honda Civic Si 2dr), gas mileage, and price point of the CX-5, but I love the practicality, technology, and features of the Santa Fe. Reliability is also a concern because I would like this car to last 10 years or so.

Thanks very much for any help you all can give and God bless.

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TURBOSFS

· #2 · Sep 3, 2014

ChristInUs said:
Hey guys,

I'm new on this forum and was seeking your help in deciding to purchase either a brand new Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2.0T Limited AWD or a Mazda CX-5 GT.

I've narrowed down the search from a VW Tiguan (as I don't want to pay for premium fuel) and a Subaru Forester XT (again premium fuel and CVT). I don't want to go for a Honda CR-V or Toyota Rav4 because I want to try something different this time.

After test driving both, here are the pro's and cons that I've come up with for both:

Mazda CX-5 Pros:
- Aggressive styling
- Fantastic gas mileage (approx. 24-26mpg mixed driving and approx. 20mpg highway driving) with 2.5L engine.
- Tight handling (good feedback from the wheel and solid cornering)
- Better price ($35,000 fully loaded and under $500 per month finance with my current lease buyout and $0 down)

Mazda CX-5 Cons:
- Very dull interior (everything is dark in the cabin with the black on black interior)
- SMALL NAVIGATION Screen with 5.8 inches and feels very unresponsive.
- Rear seats don't slide or recline.
- Lack of technology features at this price point such as rear vents or panoramic sunroof.
- No diesel option yet

Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2.0T AWD Limited Pros:
- Fantastic performance with the turbo engine
- Aggressive styling as well
- Wonderful interior layout with better interior choices (although it really sucks that we can't get the beige leather interior)
- Array of really cool features (Panoramic sunroof, rear sliding and reclining seats, rear vents, rear widows shades, etc...)
- 8" navigation screen that feels quite responsive.
- 5 year/100,000kms comprehensive warranty (I was told that we can't get the 10yr powertrain warranty in Canada)

Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2.0T AWD Limited Cons:
- Bad gas mileage (approx. 21mpg mixed driving and approx. 24mpg highway driving)
- Expensive price ($39,000 fully loaded and over $500 per month finance with my current lease buyout and $0 down)
- Steering wheel modes didn't have that much effect on road handling and handling didn't feel as sharp as the Mazda. Is there a real effect with the steering modes?

My wife and I are both leaning toward the Santa FE Sport, however I wanted to check with you guys who already own it with these questions in mind:

- I've owned Hondas for over 15 years and this would be our first Korean-made car, so I was wondering about reliability with the third generation Santa Fe...how reliable is it over the year and a half or so (I'm assuming this question applies to the people that bought this as a 2013 model when it first was on sale, possibly late 2012)?

- How is the gas mileage...for eg: if you fill the tank from full and drive it to empty, how many kms do you get?

- Should I wait till October and get the 2015 model? It appears Mazda is working on a refresh for the CX-5 which may address some of the pain points or it may not.

The dealer also had a demo model for sale which had just over 11,000kms on it but was only offering a $2500 discount which seems far less for that many kms.

In any case, I love the sportiness (coming from a Honda Civic Si 2dr), gas mileage, and price point of the CX-5, but I love the practicality, technology, and features of the Santa Fe. Reliability is also a concern because I would like this car to last 10 years or so.

Thanks very much for any help you all can give and God bless.

I have the Sport 2WD, and I found that to be the better solution for my needs vs AWD. Coming from a Volkswagen Touareg V6 which pretty much sucked when talking about gas mileage, this Santa Fe Sport is a major upgrade for me. As you've seen, it is very practical and I liken the feel of starting up this CSV to a fighter pilot/f1 driver starting up their machine. There's a lot going on inside, but it's all laid out where it's not confusing (especially when traveling at high speeds).

Probably the biggest selling point for me was the antenna...lol I've always wanted one of those and my Touareg didn't have it so that was what ultimately led me to buy my SFS...lol I never test drove the CX5 but from the videos and just seeing it on the road it looks very small. The SFS in comparison with my T-reg sits slightly lower/narrower. I'm about 6 feet 2 and I've got plenty of head room. Also, I concur that the interior of the Mazda is very much bland vs the SFS.

The only issue I have is probably the same thing you pointed out about the steering and overall suspension. Coming from the Touareg where I could get very good feedback from the wheels and suspension, I've found that I need a lot more input with the SFS sometimes more than I would like. Still, you have the 10yr warranty which also was a major selling point for me.

Overall, I'm happy about my choice. I own the SFS 2WD (better gas mileage with the 2WD). The price point is above what I expected but then again the Santa Fe is something of an unexpected fun loving intelligent machine to drive

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Johnny1

· #3 · Dec 16, 2015

Easy choice, the Sante Fe. Just a much better vehicle all around.

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2wheelmax

· #4 · Dec 20, 2015

Take a look at a Honda CRV too.

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EnonEye

· #5 · Nov 19, 2019

If you're speaking of "steering modes" as in the economy, sport and normal modes that deals with how your transmission works with the motor in regards to responsiveness. For example if your going up a 15 degree incline on the road the economy mode may take 3 or 4 seconds to get you back to your beginning speed where the sport mode would take only 2 seconds (peppier) but with that comes a tach that may jump into the high yellow area which I don't like, same going downhill and mileage suffers. I keep my '18 on economy and am OK with it. These are heavy cars and such gas mileage suffers somewhat. A concern? Not for me. My biggest con is the ride. I've left air out of tires trying to get a softer ride (31 down to 27lbs) but I have to see the low tire TPMS signal constantly. Sounds like an exciting time for you. Test drive the crap outa them before you decide. Do this online stuff you're doing now and then test drive, test drive, test drive... and be sure to test the model you're buying. Wear em out ha, ha

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Mary Jane

· #6 · Feb 23, 2020

I definitely like the Hyundai. But if you still have a problem with the choice, you can find an alternative. You searched for other options. As I understand it, you take the car for long use. I took the car a lot more expensive. This car satisfies me by all criteria. I took a cash loan and bought the car I wanted. I think maybe you should think about it too.

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