2010 Hyundai Santa Fe GLS

Pros: A lot of features for the price. Very good warranty. Good ratings on reliability by Consumer Reports for the past three years. Reasonal gas mileage ratings. Built in my home state.

Cons: Just bought it so nothing major so far. My Creative Zen X-Fi will not connect via the USB port, but that may be a Creative problem.

Summary: I bought the Santa Fe for several reasons. 1. I wanted an SUV or crossover because my wife and I have driven minivans, SUVs or pickup trucks for the past 24 years. I really liked the Sonata sedan but getting in and out is a hassle for a tall person like me. I like the extra height to be able to see ahead.

2. I compared the Santa Fe to the Toyota 4Runner and Highlander, the Nissan Murano, the Chevrolet Equinox and a couple of others. The Santa Fe price range was $2,000-$3,000 lower than the other vehicles across the board from the low end to the high end. And they had a $1,500 rebate at the time of purchase.

3. The Santa Fe (and other Hyundai vehicles) have a 5-year, 60,000-mile bumper-to-bumper (limited) warranty and a 10-year, 100,000 mile powertrain warranty. My wife and I have driven every vehicle we have owned at least 100,000 miles (222,000 miles on the 1998 Ford Expedition the Santa Fe replaces).

4. High safety ratings, airbags all around, ABS and ESC standard.

5. The Santa Fe is assembled in my home state (although slightly more than half the parts, primarly the transmission, come from Korea). If I am going to buy a "foreign" vehicle, it might as well be one that benefits the workers in my state.

I looked at the lower GLS line initially, but decided to go with the mid-range SE for the V6, power driver's seat and a few other bells and whistles. Bluetooth phone connectivity and the USB and auxiliary ports come on all 2010 lines, however. I didn't need the sunroof and nav system packages that would have added another $3,000-$4,000 to the cost. However, a fully equipped Santa Fe would still be $2,000-$4,000 less than a comparably equipped Toyota, Honda or GM brand.

I'm in my early 60s so, I don't have to have "sporty" and "high performance" and I don't need a "subwoofer." I still have my hearing and I want to keep it that way. I want a vehicle that I can drive to work each day and take on long vacation trips in comfort and get good gas mileage. Besides, if I park the Santa Fe next to my co-worker's Lexus crossover, the designs look a lot alike.

The audio system will not recognize my Creative Zen X-Fi MP3 player, but it has no problems with MP3 files on a flash drive. Also, it plays MP3 files on a CD. The MP3 player may be a Creative problem. I should be able to use the AUX input port from the Zen's headphone port, but I won't be able to control the Zen that way. The Santa Fe comes set up for XM/Sirius radio.

Overall, I think I got a nice, well-equipped vehicle for a very good price.