Subject: freelander or santa fe Author: lee Date: November 04, 2009 at 17:26
i am getting a swift charisma 1500kg max and im wondering wether to get a 57 plate freelander2 2.2 diesel 160bhp or a brand new hyundai santa fe 2.2 diesel 155 bhp any ideas which would be best,
Replies:
Author: David Date: November 04, 2009 at 20:27
Hi Lee,
Just bought a new Hyundai Santa Fe 2.2 155 bhp diesel automatic. As yet I have not towed with it, still running in (1000 miles). The kerb weight is 1946kg, so quite a good safety margin for the caravan of your choice. I was tempted by the Freelander2, but to be honest they are just heavy enough for my van. For the money of a 57 freelander2, you can get a brand new Santa Fe. My Santa drives really nice, its quiet, comfortable and surprisingly powerful.
Author: David (Another one) Date: February 21, 2010 at 13:42
Hi Lee,
Like David, I have also recently bought a new Santa Fe (59), I had to wait for my initial 1000 miles before towing. So far I have only towed from the caravan dealer to our storage site. I have found the Santa Fe coped very well, plenty of power and solid and stable at 60mph. However I have had to use the triptronic facility on the gearbox. I find the SF hangs onto the gears too long, so therefore find manually changing down helps. The only downside is the 80kg noseweight, but did not find it an issue. As David said, the Freelander2 has considerably less kerbweight. The SF also has 5 years trandferrable warranty. First proper outing will be mid March, so I can't wait to give the outfit a real test.
