[madfish]

But while we're comparing notes here...the Pilot has a bad front end (IMHO)...it actually mostly looks okay. But stand at your drivers door and gaze out towards the front end. From that angle, it almost has a hideous PT cruiser nose (hood higher than fenders at front). Yukk. Fortunately it's not as noticeable from any other angle.

Driving the Santy, with the bulbous fenders, you could pretend you were driving the Batmobile.

 

[tracy]

But while we're comparing notes here...the Pilot has a bad front end (IMHO)...

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Ugly, on the other hand, is pretty obvious...

 

[74PILOTMOM]

Fully agree! I can't believe the general is still spewing these at us! Everytime I see an Aztek, I wonder if the driver is ashamed of it. Even my young KIDS laugh at it!

As for Hyundai...they have made amazing progress in quality, while Honda seems to be slipping a bit. How much of this is because my Pilot is a first year model...probably MOST. Still, on average Hondas are superior in reliability, customer satisfaction, and resale value to Hyundai. But they're hot on our tail. Scary, but good.

I don't think Alexandra's comments should have been taken as snobbery...I think apples to oranges was more intended to mean size of vehicle. They *are* in a different class. The Santa Fe competes with the CR-V, not the Pilot.

 

[jay]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Ugly, on the other hand, is pretty obvious...

Beauty is only skin deep. Ugly, however, runs straight to the bone.

 

[jdeanski]

The fact that we paid 7K more for a Pilot is not apparent in the fit & finish, materials or engineering of the Pilot.

It will at trade in time :4:

 

[Titans Fan]

... From Andrec8513's post, I'm guessing he's one of those people that has blindly been supporting the war effort and assuming that anyone whom asks questions is unpatriotic....it's that same "you're either with us or against us" mentality!...

If I'm understanding this right, then all of us that are happy with our Hondas are automatically supporting the war, no questions asked.

Ow! Ow!! Ow!!, I think I just got whiplash from that sudden leap of logic.

On the bright side, I guess that Fahrenheit 9/11 thread was just a bad dream.

 

[robrecht]

If I'm understanding this right, then all of us that are happy with our Hondas are automatically supporting the war, no questions asked.

Ow! Ow!! Ow!!, I think I just got whiplash from that sudden leap of logic.

On the bright side, I guess that Fahrenheit 9/11 thread was just a bad dream.

Originally posted by Michael Moore

"Was it all just a dream? ... Did the last four years not really happen? ... Was it a dream? Or was it real?"

 

[andrec8513]

To Titans Fan

I do not blindly support the war effort. I think GW has made plenty of bad decisions, but what else is new. I was having a bad few days, and was maybe a bit harsh about the Santa fe. I know a few people with them who have had good luck with them. But I also remember riding in a Hyundai from the early 90's and what a piece of crap! Still sticks in my mind, but Hyundai has come a long way. Hell, I used to be strictly a Toyota fan, until the Highlander we had was a complete LEMON and we went as far as arbritration, and Toyota would do nothing! SO things do change! Anway, have a nice day!

 

[osteome]

But while we're comparing notes here...the Pilot has a bad front end (IMHO)...it actually mostly looks okay. But stand at your drivers door and gaze out towards the front end. From that angle, it almost has a hideous PT cruiser nose (hood higher than fenders at front). Yukk. Fortunately it's not as noticeable from any other angle.

Driving the Santy, with the bulbous fenders, you could pretend you were driving the Batmobile.

Didn't really notice the vantage point from the driver's door. I think it look sokay. After the Dodge Rams have a hood higher than the fenders and this design is probably one of the more styled" full size trucks...would not be caught dead driving one over a Tundra...but at least it has character.

What you really need is lower trim to take the minivan-ness out of the general appearance:

 

[osteome]

Oh and having a Pilot in one of the two best colors can't hurt either..... call me jaded though.

 

[robrecht]

Oh and having a Pilot in one of the two best colors can't hurt either..... call me jaded though.

Objective Color Value Demonstrated: 3 Pearl Colors Scientifically Superior

 

[tak]

The Sante Fe.

When I frist saw a Santa Fe running next to me on a freeway I thought it was badly damaged in an accident. It took me a while to understand that the huge dent on the side was the intended design. Am I the only one?

The scratchy noise from the door and center console eventually disappear. This is the first summer for my Pilot. I wonder if the noise may come back when it gets cooler in the fall.

-Tak

 

[thomasj2]

My parents went from the Santa Fe to the CRV after we bought ours. They had the top of the line Santa Fe, leather, heated seats, V6, etc and went to an LX CRV. They had problems from day 1 with the Hyundai, front end noise, brake problems and late in yr 2 transmission problems. They traded it in at after owning it and hating it for 2.5 years. 6 months with the CRV and they are still loving it, no issues and much better gas mileage. They considered the Pilot but wanted to stay with the smaller SUV. We have a gen 2 CRV and a Pilot and love them both, even though the CRV has had 3 recalls in 14 months.

 

[jay]

I was running a few errands this afternoon, in the rain that's being blamed on now tropical storm Charley, and saw an unusual sight, a dead, apparently unoccupied Santa Fe in the right lane holding up traffic. Eventually, a couple of guys came over, popped the hood, and started waving a yellow box that looked like a charger or jumper box around.

How hard would it have been to push the darn thing the 15 feet into a parking lot, getting it out of the road on a very busy route 50 near the intersection of route 29 in Fairfax, VA??

 

[charlie]

MADFISH-what was your city mpg with Santa Fe

Madfish,what sort of mpg did you get in city driving with your Santa Fe?What engine did you have-i and was your motor the current motor?What is your Pilot's city mpg?We get 13.6 mpg summer ~15 mpg winter in pure city driving.We got 22 mpg over a 3000 mile trip of pure interstate.Thanks,Charlie PS I am eyeballing a Santa Fe-good prices.

 

[madfish]

We never got less that 19-20 in city driving, and as much as 24-25 on the highway. We had the earlier V6 in a 2002.5 model.

Our Pilot has gotten 19.8 or so at best. We really haven't done much city driving in it (that's how we have 4K miles in a month). Granted...it's just now getting to be broken in and we do live in the Sierras where it's all hills, no simple flat cruising.


</BUSH>

 

[jdeanski]

I looked up some specifications on Kelly Blue Book. The Pilot is 493 lb heavier, 10.8" longer, 4.6" wider. It can carry 37% more people. Both have 3.5 liter engines but the Pilot's engine puts out 240 hp w 242lbs of torque compared to the Santa Fe's 200hp and 219lbs of torque.

The EPA mileage is almost identical, however even if you use the 25mpg figure for the Santa Fe and 20mpg for the Pilot once you figure in size,weight, passenger and cargo capacity, and horsepower the Pilot is a lot more efficient vehicle.

And I didn't even consider retained value after three or more years!

 

[StephenB]

I was thinking the same thing jdeanski.

I'm not sure how one can effectively compare the two. They're in two different classes. The Santa Fe is a small SUV while the Pilot is a mid-sized SUV. They're completely different. A smaller vehicle will get better gas mileage while Hondas do retain their value better.

 

[Titans Fan]

Re: To Titans Fan

To Titans Fan

I do not blindly support the war effort. I think GW has made plenty of bad decisions, but what else is new. I was having a bad few days, and was maybe a bit harsh about the Santa fe. ...

It was madfish who made the comment about supporting the war effort, not me. I just quoted them in my reply, thinking their statement was incredibly non sequitur. How anyone could make a political judgment based on your original statement about the Santa Fe was beyond me. As far as that original statement goes, I kinda liked it, actually.:4: