Canadian Chat → [Poll] Nissan Rogue OR Hyuandi SantaFe

We are shopping around for an affordable SUV and debating between Rogue and SantaFe and need some feedback.

Reliability is the most important factor for me.

Thanks

I like the new Rogue, good value for the price. Reliability is about even.

BTW the Rogue is more akin to the Tucson.

Santa Fe. Everyone I know that has had one has loved them. Also, they don't have a CVT, like the Rogue does. There's nothing you can do to sell me on one of those. Driving feels unnatural with a CVT.

Santa Fe is larger than the Rogue... if you can use the cargo space it's a no brainer, IMO.

That being said, I don't think you can go wrong with either one. If the size of the Rogue is ok for you, you may also want to look into the Hyundai Tuscon as it's in the same size range.

assuming you are looking at 2014 models...take both out for a good drive (see if you can even have them for an afternoon)...as mentioned by others, the Rogue is smaller than the Santa Fe (i assume you are looking at the Santa Fe Sport, not Santa Fe XL, which is the 7 seater).

the new Rogue is greatly improved over its predecessor, especially the interior (powertrain is virtually unchanged, although i think the CVT is possibly improved too)...if the extra space is handy, the Santa Fe is larger (not Suburban large, but certainly larger than the Rogue)...i'd take the Rogue over the Tucson myself, but either the Rogue or the Santa Fe are decent enough (but different enough to compare equally)...the Hyundai also has a 5 year warranty versus Nissan's 3 year...you mentioned reliability, and both brands are good, but the Hyundai does come with an extra couple of years of warranty should any problems arise.

i am not sure what trim level you are looking at...both vehicles have 4 cylinder engines, but the Hyundai does use a turbocharged engine as an option.

perhaps consider some other strong compact SUV choices, the Santa Fe's sister vehicle, the Kia Sorento (which just won an award) and is also available with a V6 (if you prefer them over a turbo4)...the new Forester is also a very good vehicle (not as "flashy", but VERY functional), has great practicality, excellent fuel economy and among the best resale...then there is also the redesigned Mazda CX-5, which is also getting great reviews.

also, depending on how you are buying it (cash, financing, leasing, etc), the various offers and rates may also help make your decision for you as some vehicles can vary greatly ($$$) depending on current market offers.

honestly, the gap between "best and worst" has never been so small.

Autos.ca did a recent comparison test, which may be able to shed some light as well.

»www.autos.ca/car-compari ··· s/?all=1

I can tell you that friends of ours have had a Rogue for a couple of years and love it. No problems with it. As others have said, they are two different sizes so it depends on what is important.

heres a question, why do they call it "HUNDAY" on the commercials? its spelled HY-UN-DAI?
i absolutely hate it when they mis-pronounce it, i went to a HY-un-dai dealer ship and they all were calling it Hy-Un-Dai

I should have provide more info.

I am upgrading from a sedan so size is really not a bid deal for us. Also, we are not looking to spend more than $12k on this vehicle and I would like a 2009 or 2010 - not newer (cost less on insurance).

I dont buy brand new cars - personal preference.

But yeah, I have not test driven any vehicles yet but I just wanted some info. on what to look for when I out there test driving.

Someone told me that if I go with Hyuandi, I should stick with 2009 or newer models. Seems like KIA and Hyuandi did not have good reputation prior to 2009.

I like Murano/Rogue but at 12K, I am getting about 110,000 - 125,000 on it which seems a bit higher. However, for the same price range, I can get a SantaFe with 75000 - 90,000 kms.

Hyundai and Kia don't have the best resale values (although, they are getting slightly better), so getting a used one is good value...if you are looking at a Santa Fe from that era, it will likely have their V6, which is a good engine...i think between the two vehicles of that era, i would suggest the Santa Fe over the Rogue...you might also find a Chevy Equinox, which are also quite common...i'd still likely pick the Santa Fe, between them though.

that said, i looked on autotrader.ca and i don't see much in the way of 2009/10 Santa Fes for $12k with low mileage on them...if you have found one for $12k with 75k on it, i'd be suspicious of its history...there are some base models in the $12-$15k price range, but most have 120k on them...the "going rate" for a vehicle like that with "low kms" is about $18-$20k.

I have driven Equinox. It looked good from the outside but from inside it seems like most of the interior was made out of recycled plastic (sorry - just my opinion).

Someone recommended - Dodge Journey. But I am staying away from locals.

So yeah, it must have been on kijiji. See this. 2009- $12K - 60,000kms

»toronto.kijiji.ca/c-cars ··· 63794811

But you are right, most Santa Fes in $12k range have over 100,000 km on them but I know I saw at least a couple of low mileage Santa Fes in the same range a couple of weeks ago.

If I am getting same mileage on Santa Fe & Rogue then I am leaning towards Rogue. Simply because I have had a very good experience with a Nissan in the past.

i would be very wary of dealers like that...those kinds of dealerships get the vehicles "new car dealers" don't want on their lots...for various reasons.

many years ago (about 20), my friend was looking around for a used Honda Prelude as he really like that car...he was looking at ones that were about 5 years old and they were all about $15k around here...he found one at a dealer in Toronto for $9k...being young and naive, you believe all the "Toronto is a bigger market, more competition, so you have better prices on cars" bullshit...needless to say, the car looked great, so he bought it...about 6 months later, he bought a nice car audio system from me and while it was being installed, the installed brought to my attention something...the rear end of the car (C-pillar and back basically) was a completely different Prelude...essentially, the car must have been smoked from behind and someone took another Prelude rear end and put it on this one...looking from the outside, you'd never know (well, a regular person would never know)...it was only discovered after the inside trim and carpeting was lifted to run the wiring for the amps/speakers.

as i said, if you know something was in an accident, or has some "history" to it, you can at least decide for yourself if you want it...but to have someone dump it on you isn't good at all.

I have a 2011 Rogue. It took a little time to adjust to the CVT. Now, I enjoy the smooth transition between gears. Yes, it does freak you out sometimes when your RPMs are going up and the car hasn't shifted gears, but the CVT hasn't given me any prolems yet.

whats funny, is that the CVT best mirrors what we want out of a vehicle drive train(low rpm climb with linear acceleration), yet for some reason people don't like them, but if you stuck them in an electric car they would be perfectly ok with it. always found it kinda odd.

Very true. I wouldn't purchase a vehicle solely because it had a CVT, but I weigh that as a feature that I want in future vehicles.

CVTs are common in snowmobiles and scooters...been that way for a long time...the complaints come when you "floor" it and they wail away...while it may do that, how often are you driving around "flooring it"??...maybe once in a blue moon to accelerate on an on-ramp...in regular casual driving, it is no different than a traditional automatic...the criticism comes from "enthusiasts", many of which aren't regular people buying cars, and make up a VERY small segment of the car buying customer base...i would bet you could let the average customer test drive a few cars and they wouldn't even know which one had a CVT in it.

Nissan had something like a 10 year warranty on their CVT transmissions...however, they recently changed it (3 or 5 years?), perhaps around 2012 model and newer?

there have been a few complaints regarding some of their newer units, but i think that was in the new Pathfinder, which is larger than a Rogue.

Mine came with a 3 year/30,000 mile warranty, and a 100,000 mile on the transmission.

The CVT equipped subaru that i test drove was pretty apparent(it would wind up to ~2500 and sit there, where the regular would rev from 2200 to 3000 before shifting), but as a commuter car it makes no difference.

now if it's my "for fun" car that would have a stick, and not be an SUV.

yea, i think the newer ones are lower (maybe 3 year/60,000 miles or something like that).

That's because the manufacturers have gone and programmed the CVT's to "shift" in order to make them feel more natural.

I've never driven a vehicle with a CVT that I liked.

Because it's written "%uD604%uB300" in Korean. The first character is composed from the letters h, yeo and n, the second from the letters d and ae. So it is in fact Hyeondae.

they will only do that when in a "sport" mode or something similar (as some also have paddle shifters)...in its normal operating mode, it will not do that.

as blackbox has stated, they aren't mispronouncing it...it is pronounced like "Sunday"...phonetically, in English, it is simply "Hunday".

Incorrect

Back in the 80s when they started selling cars in Canada the print ads said Hyundai rhymes with Sunday.

i am curious as to which one does not operate this way.

from what i have read (and i stay up on this), every CVT operates like a CVT...however, many have a "sport" mode (or whatever each brand wishes to call it) where it will simulate preset "gears".

the whole point of using a CVT is to maximize efficiency...to have a CVT, then use "preset shift points" makes no sense...you might as well just use a conventional automatic instead.

"Sport mode" on a CVT is completely counterproductive. Simulating shifts actually slows down the vehicle's acceleration.

Manufacturers started doing it because people were complaining that the transmissions didn't feel natural at all.

I had a rental Jeep Compass once and the best way I could describe driving that thing was that it felt like I was driving a sewing machine.

Some vehicles, such as the Audi A4 with CVT simulate shifts in regular and "sport" modes. Jeep Patriots with the CVT simulate a low gear mode when driving off-road.

I agree that the reason to have them is for maximum efficiency. It's funny that they've done that and then implemented gear ratios to appease consumers that don't like them.

My mom has a 2007 Dodge Caliber with a CVT... I've driven it a bunch of times, and while it is weird at first, its not all that bad once you get used to it.

And its great for fuel economy. That car sips gas if you dont floor it.

And for what it's worth, no problems at all with the car since new.

Time for me to visit my local POS Used Car lot and get a beater , the Escape is just to heavy on gas for the daily commute.

You do realize getting and insuring a beater would buy a lot of gas for your Escape.