Thanks for the memories. Time to try something new. Sante Fe HEV

After driving a Prius (actually two priuses) over 19 years, I bought a Hyundai Santa Fe HEV. I was just ready to drive a luxury-feature equiept SUV for a while -- and this is the one that I fell for.

I first drove a Hyundai Santa Fe HEV in Boston and New Hampture in December. When I arived at the airport Hertz lot, there was a funny looking boxy SUV. I could'nt find my usual favorite (Ford Edge), so I took it and I'm glad I did. It was the most pleasently suprizing new car I have driven in a long time. I even got to drive it back to the airport in a blizard. I rent around 30-40 cars per year. This one was a pleasent supprise. HDA2 was a great upgrade over the already pretty good HDA (version 1). I got to rent the ICE version of this car a few more times over the last 8 months.

I drove two Priuses (2006 and 2012) over the last 19 years. My 2012 is still sitting in my garage right now while I try to decide where it spends the rest of its life.
but now that I'm older with different goals, I was looking for

• 4-wheel drive with more road clearance for winter driving, (real 4-wheel drive, not 40hp motors in the back)
• the best of the best driver assistance. HDA2 is the best I have driven. Mother owns a GM with super cruise, but I'm unwilling to spend $65K+ to get that.
• Towing capacity -- enough for two motorcycles or other ocasional small toys like a towable sailboat.
• Something that claims 35-ish MPG and probobly gets around 30-ish.
• Really nice luxury features that I never have except in rental cars:
  • Full camera suround view (I currently drive a 2012 prius without even a backup camera)
  • side radar (While I learned how to drive well before this existed, it is a really good safey feature)
  • Adaptive cruise and very good lane keeping/centering
  • leather seats
  • power liftgate
  • fits 4x8 sheet lumber
• Compatability with Comma.AI open street pilot with high compatabilty for all features.

and for that, the Hyundai Sante Fe HEV Limited AWD delivered.

While the Rav-4 HEV may prove the electric 4-wheel drive system, I'll wait for others to review it first. Right now I found a car that was an unepected answer to what I wanted right now, and probobly for the next 5-10 years.

So old frineds, maybe I'll see you again soon as Toyota expands its HEV lineup. As they say, the rule of thumb for automotive is "Toyota always wins." I'll be looking forward to driving a Rav-4 HEV AWD in a rental fleet.

Meanwhile, I'm trying to decide what to do with my 2012 prius (which still has less than 90K miles on it). I may take it to the other home in Florida so we have an extra car down there when the whole family is in town over holidays and breaks in the winter.

 

I'm actually keeping the last prius and working on a plan to move it to the family vacation home in the south. So we are not going to part ways yet, just putting it into retirement.

 

I paid the 'offering price' of about $39,800, and this is what I got for it. (offering price is defined by the FTC to be the total price paid to the dealer excepting only taxes and feed paid to the government) AND it was MADE IN AMERICA! Actually the first car I ever bought made in America! When I bought my first motorcycle, I bought an american made motorcycle (my second was made in Germany). This is my first American made car.

 

Yep. that is in the plans. I also have to figure out how to store it about 20-inches above the ground in the summers to prevent huricane flood damage. I may just build my own wooden ramp rig of some sort so that i can clear the underbody with 3 step to full height. -- you know I can drive the front straight up. But the back needs to stop every 4-inches and have a section added so it clears the underbody.