2005 Hyundai Santa Fe Review
Price Estimate: $974 - $1,576





+44
Edmunds' Expert Review
by the Edmunds Experts
Pros
- Reasonable price, strong warranty, roomy interior, long list of standard features, solid construction, good crash test scores.
Cons
- Thirsty at the pump for a small car-based SUV, soft suspension limits handling ability.
What’s new
The base trim level has been dropped. The 2.7-liter V6 is now standard (the LX still gets the 3.5-liter V6), as is an automatic transmission. Also newly standard this year are four-wheel antilock brakes and traction control. Exterior changes include a new grille surround, side cladding, taillamps, tailgate handle, rear bumper design and alloy wheels. Inside, there is new seat fabric, an upgraded two-tone color scheme and a revised instrument cluster. A power driver seat is now standard on the LX, and a compass is included with the optional sunroof.
Edmunds says
The Santa Fe offers a consumer-friendly blend of space, comfort, features, performance and value that make it a compact SUV worth considering.
For sale near Columbus, OH
28 listings
- $6,999fair price$545 above market
- 60,429 miles
- 1 accident, 2 owners, personal use only
- 6cyl automatic
- Joe's Autos (121 mi away)
- AWD/4WD
- Alarm
- Rear Bench Seats
- Fold Flat Rear Seats
- 2500lb Towing Capaci...
Close
Located in Toledo, OH
ABOUT THIS VEHICLE We have been serving the Toledo area since 1990, and our key to success has always been customer service. We want you to be a HAPPY...
AutoCheck Vehicle History Summary
Accident Free Vehicle: No
Personal Use Only: Yes
History Provider: AutoCheck
Title Details: Clean Title
Salvage Vehicle: No
Frame Damage: No
Theft History: No
Lemon Status: No
Free History Report: No
Features and Specs:
18 Combined MPG (16 City/21 Highway)
Listing Information:
VIN: KM8SC73D05U928085
Stock: 6025
Certified Pre-Owned: No
Listed since: 05-08-2025 - 159,326 miles
- No accidents, 6 owners, personal use only
- 6cyl automatic
- Cars of Charlottesville (271 mi away)
- AWD/4WD
- Alarm
- Rear Bench Seats
- Fold Flat Rear Seats
- 2500lb Towing Capaci...
Close
Located in Charlottesville, VA
AutoCheck Vehicle History Summary
Accident Free Vehicle: Yes
Personal Use Only: Yes
History Provider: AutoCheck
Title Details: Clean Title
Salvage Vehicle: No
Frame Damage: No
Theft History: No
Lemon Status: No
Free History Report: No
Features and Specs:
17 Combined MPG (15 City/21 Highway)
Listing Information:
VIN: KM8SC73E05U005940
Stock: 5137FLS
Certified Pre-Owned: No
Listed since: 03-13-2024
Cost to DriveCost to drive estimates for the 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe GLS Fwd 4dr SUV (2.7L 6cyl 4A) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.13 per gallon for regular unleaded in Ohio.
Monthly estimates based on costs in Ohio
$199/mo for Santa Fe GLS
Santa Fe GLS
vs
$179/mo
Avg. Midsize SUV
See Edmunds pricing data
Has Your Car's Value Changed?
Used car values are constantly changing. Edmunds lets you track your vehicle's value over time so you can decide when to sell or trade in.
Hyundai Santa Fe Reviews
Owner Reviews
5(68%)
4(25%)
3(5%)
2(2%)
1(0%)
Most Helpful Owner Reviews
Trending topics
Favorite vehicle to date
4.25 out of 5 starsbristol6, 01/08/2015
2005 Hyundai Santa Fe LX AWD 4dr SUV (3.5L 6cyl 5A)
2005 Santa Fe LX AWD. The first car i ever owned was a Hyundai. Since then i owned a BMW, a Dodge, a Mazda, and a Chevy, and I have returned again to Hyundai. My Santa Fe is reliable, capable, comfortable, and relatively easy to maintain. They are fairly common vehicles so parts aren't hard to find. Plenty of space inside, and enough room in the cargo space to stow whatever you want. … Folding the back seats down is easy and quick. I put some Toyo All-Terrain tires on mine, and i am comfortable driving it across fields, through mud, snow, ice, and sand. If you're looking for a reliable fun midsize SUV that you can take anywhere, this is your ticket.
Great running SMALL suv
3.63 out of 5 starsdrivenamerican, 09/20/2013
2005 Hyundai Santa Fe GLS Fwd 4dr SUV (2.7L 6cyl 4A)
Our Santa Fe was bought used and now has 102,000 miles on it. The
2.7 liter is underpowered but gets great gas mileage. There are a few design flaws such as the third brake light hanging in the rear window, and the back 3 spark plugs are under the intake manifold, changing them is expensive and a pain. the last thing is the drivers seat does not go back far enough for taller drivers.
Yea for Santa Fe
5 out of 5 starsJOANNA KRIEGER, 07/21/2016
2005 Hyundai Santa Fe GLS AWD 4dr SUV (3.5L 6cyl 5A)
Whenever I , or have mechanic check, all fluid levels, NEVER NEEDED ATTENTION. The tightest best running engine of any car I have owned. Oil always looks clean. Teams fluid, same. Acquired in 2006. 2005 model.
Time to move on, with no problems
3.75 out of 5 starsMatt, 08/11/2009
2005 Hyundai Santa Fe GLS AWD 4dr SUV (2.7L 6cyl 4A)
I bought this vehicle with 17k mi on it. It now has 137k mi. I have only had one major issue. The throttle position sensor went out. After I found a mechanic who could identify the problem, it only too an hour to fix and the cost was minimal. The factory tires lasted 100k mi. Another problem that was really a non issue, is that when I let the gas get too low the check engine light … lit up after i filled it up and stayed on till i used half that tank of gas. I averaged about 20 mpg on all highway miles. It still runs great, just time to move on.
2005 Santa Fe Highlights
GLS
Base MSRP Excludes Destination Fee | $21,649 |
---|---|
Engine Type | Gas |
Combined MPG | 19 MPG |
Cost to Drive | $199/month |
Seating | 5 seats |
Cargo Capacity All Seats In Place | 30.5 cu.ft. |
front wheel drive | |
Warranty | 5 years / 60,000 miles |
Safety
Key safety features on the Santa Fe include:
- Alarm
NHTSA Overall Rating
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration offers independent analysis.
- Frontal Barrier Crash RatingOverallNot RatedDriver4 / 5Passenger5 / 5
- Side Crash RatingOverallNot Rated
- Side Barrier RatingOverallNot RatedDriver5 / 5Passenger5 / 5
- Combined Side Barrier & Pole RatingsFront SeatNot RatedBack SeatNot Rated
- RolloverRollover3 / 5Dynamic Test ResultNo TipRisk Of RolloverNot Rated
IIHS Rating
The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety uses extensive crash tests to determine car safety.
- Small Overlap Front Driver-Side TestNot Tested
- Small Overlap Front Passenger-Side TestNot Tested
- Moderate Overlap Front Test – OriginalGood
- Moderate Overlap Front Test – UpdatedNot Tested
- Side Impact Test – OriginalAcceptable
- Side Impact Test – UpdatedNot Tested
- Roof Strength TestNot Tested
- Rear Crash Protection / Head RestraintPoor
People who viewed this also viewed
5.0 average Rating out of 5 reviews. |
Starting at $31,990 |
4.2 average Rating out of 43 reviews. |
Starting at $28,705 |
4.3 average Rating out of 14 reviews. |
Starting at $37,200 |
Related Used 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe info
Vehicle reviews of used models
- Honda Accord Hybrid 2021 Review
- BMW M5 2020 Review
- Honda Pilot 2021 Review
- Chevrolet Express 2020 Review
- Bentley Bentayga 2020 Review
Shop similar models
- Used Hyundai Santa-fe 2025
- Used Kia Sorento-plug-in-hybrid 2025
- Used Hyundai Tucson 2025
- Used Kia Sportage-hybrid 2025
Shop used vehicles in your area
- Used Hyundai Santa Fe 2010
- Used Hyundai Santa Fe 2014
- Used Hyundai Santa Fe 2015
- Used Hyundai Santa Fe 2016
- Used Hyundai Santa Fe 2017 For Sale
- Used Hyundai Santa Fe 2018
- Used Hyundai Santa Fe 2019
Popular new car reviews and ratings
- New Kia Sorento Hybrid
- New Lexus ES
- 2025 Porsche 911
- 2025 Toyota Highlander Hybrid News
- New Volvo XC60
- 2026 Volvo XC60 News
- 2025 Ford F-450 Super Duty
- 2024 Maybach GLS
- 2026 Volkswagen ID.4 News
- 2026 X5 M
Research other models of Hyundai
- New Hyundai Elantra
- Hyundai Elantra N 2024
- New Hyundai Tucson
- New Hyundai IONIQ 5
- 2024 Sonata
- Hyundai Elantra Hybrid 2025
- 2025 Sonata
- Hyundai Elantra N 2025
- 2024 Hyundai Sonata
- Hyundai Venue 2024
Research similar vehicles
Other models
- New Toyota Corolla-Hybrid for Sale in Old Saybrook, CT
- Used Audi RS-3 in La Mirada, CA 2025
- Used Tesla Model-S in Caldwell, ID 2025
- Used Maserati MC20 in Jackson, MI 2025
- New Nissan Z for Sale in Beaverton, OR
- Used Isuzu Trooper in San Tan Valley, AZ 2002
- Used Honda Pilot in Herndon, VA 2025
- Used Ram Cv-Cargo-Van in Warwick, RI 2012
- Used Audi A4 in Shawnee, KS 2025
- Used Lexus Es-330 in Methuen, MA 2006