Honda CRV or Hyundai Tuscon/Santa Fe?

if your talking about brand new the Honda is better the 08/09's are very nice.

if your talking used the older 4 cyl CRV's are terribly underpowered.

the 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe V6 is a good vehicle but stick to the 04 and newer the older ones had lower reliability.

if your on a budget drive the Kia Rondo & the Pontiac Vibe/Toyota Matrix

I personally drive a 2006 Hyundai Tucson. We have not had one single problem with it in the 3 years we have driven it. The only thing that I would complain about is the fuel economy with the 6 cylinder engine, not too good at all. I have had several friends move from the Honda CRV to the Tucson and they have all had wonderful experiences with the Tucson over the CRV. Five years ago I would have said to buy the CRV, but the Santa Fe is now rated higher than the CRV for the 2009 model year and the Tucson is a rated a little behind the CRV. If your only concern is the gas mileage then buy a CRV it comes with a little 4 cylinder motor that is quite underpowered, but you will save lots on gas. If you want reliability for a fraction of the cost of the Honda, then buy the Tucson. Notice that I am not slamming the CRV, but you get more for your money in the Tucson. The main thing for me when I bought the Tucson was that it was much quieter on the road with wind etc. than the Honda. We found that the HOnda was quite noisy.

Good luck.

I had a Santa Fe and LOVED it. Your biggest issue will be the the gas. I averaged around 18-20 mpg but I had a 2004. I cried my heart out when we traded it in for the Elantra as gas was so expensive.

It's hard to compare companies. Each offers different things on their SUV's. Hyundai makes practical cars which is all I've ever needed as a mom. They have a warranty that can't be beat. I've never had a problem with any of my purchases and my dealership is wonderful.

However; my dad swears by his Hondas. They have good cars as well as I've driven several when I lived at home. My sister has the CRV and loves it. My next door neighbor loves hers as well. I don't know enough about Honda to make a great comparison.

Drive all 3 cars and keep in mind what you are looking for in an SUV. Also remember that you are buying the dealership as well. There isn't a wrong SUV. It's just finding one you like.

The Santa Fe isn't as small as a Ford Escape. It's about the size of the Toyota Highlander. BTW, I will choose the Honda CRV over the Santa Fe or Tuscon or the Kia Sportage.

They are both great considerations. The Honda is your average SUV you get what you pay for. The Honda is a very dependable car, the engine may get overwhelmed in hilly areas, overall its a good car.

The Hyundai Santa Fe is a great choice, I feel that with a Hyundai Santa Fe you are getting exceptional value for its segment. It's reliability has changed dramatically to great (according to Consumer Reports). The Santa Fe had an amazing transformation in 2007 and was named Consumer Reports best redesign of 2007. It has a third row seat. It has a 10 year, 100,000 mile warranty (Honda's is 5 year 60,000 miles). The Hyundai has more standard safety equipment also. It can tow 2,000 pounds more than the Honda and has 242 horsepower compared to the CR-V's 166 horsepower engine.

The Hyundai is better value.

The Tuscon is outdated for the segment in my eyes.

Hyundai Crv

The Honda is your best best, hands down and will deliver years of good service.

The Tuscon would be my second choice, well made but not to quite as high a standard as the Honda.

The Santa Fe is a much larger vehicle. If you need the room and power remember the additional costs in the long run.

Most people are happy with the CRV but I would suggest you test drive all three back to back.

The nicest SUV out of the 3 is the Santa Fe plus it's the only one with an optional 3rd row seat. Of course it's also the biggest putting it in a different class. But even with it being in a bigger class it's still a best bang for the buck. For around the same price as the base model CR-V the Santa Fe has more interior room, a V6 engine, and a much better warranty. The only real downside will be gas mileage. Being a V6 you will use more gas but you will get more power out of it.

Quality wise it is near that of Honda. Prove being the award it received by Consumer Reports as one of the best mid-sized SUV's.

http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2008/autos/0802/gal...

The Santa Fe is the best bet here.

You do pay for what you would get. CRV is considered having better engineering. Timing belt change interval is 90K, and will require less work to maintain compare to other cars. But You will not be able to get these cars at bargain basement price.

For other two cars, you can get them at cheaper price, but would require more money for servicing.

Personally I would go with Santa Fe. Just because I have mechanical background, and Hyundai publishes all repair information for free (accessible online).

The CR-V and the Santa Fe are both excellent cars. The Tucson is alright, but not as good as the other two. Once Hyundai redesigns it, it will be great, though. Check out the Subaru Forester too.