All Good things must come to an end

Ive handed over the keys for the last time.  The Hyundai Summer Holidays experience has been brilliant.  We have loved having the cars and trying them over the last five weeks.  I am only sorry I never got to test there Hyundai break down cover, but I'm guessing theres a few people that will be very glad about that.

So I guess the question is would we now buy a Hyundai, Yes without a doubt.  We loved the Santa Fe it was a lovely looking car which was comfy and great on fuel.  The i800 proved itself over and over on a camping holiday with the ability to carry 6 passengers and equipment. 

If we had to choose as a family of 6 it would be the i800 purely because of the space we had, as a family of 4/5 it would have been the Santa Fe as with one or more seats down the Santa Fe has a more than adequate boot space and the fuel consumption was great. 

I can only urge people to not dismiss Hyundai, if you haven't looked at there range before give it a go you may just find a car you like, or like us two cars we like!

So I guess from us Kim, Gary, Jessica, Thomas, Melissa and Joshua its just one last thing to say which is

 xxxxxx

Journey to Silverstone.

Yet again we have had great mpg from the Santa Fe,this was recorded whilst driving to Silverstone at the weekend. 

I was pleased to see I had a improved cup holder in the Santa Fe. Its these silly things which as a passenger you tend to notice.

I couldnt help but laugh at Gary and his lack of ability to work out where the indicators were.  He is a very experianced driver but having the indicators on the right not the left really did ruin the driving experiance of the Santa Fe.  For some reason this was something that didnt phase me, and im sure it is something you would get used to although I can imagine it would cause confusion if you drove more than one car.

Silverstone

I drove the Santa Fe to Silverestone for a Renault day at the weekend. The drive there was a comfortable one but it took a lot of getting used too driving a 6 speed manual, the other thing that can take a lot of getting used to is the indicator stalk being on the right side of the steering coloum when most vehicles are on the left, which meant the windscreen got cleaned quite a few times, much to Kims amusement I should add.

On looking at all the Renault vehicles on display we found that there was nothing that Renault could offer a family like ours i.e four children and two adults, the only vehicle that has seven seats is the Renault Espace with a price tag of £36,000  The Santa Fe which is the closest thing to the Espace has a lot more to offer with a much lower price.

The Hyundai vehicles we have tried have been a real eye opener. Vehicles that in the past I would have completely dismissed but are now on the top of my list when we change cars the problem now is which one, the i800 is a more practical vehicle for us but, the Santa Fe is also a very good option. 

What Goes Down ............

Must come up and in this case its our dog Tasha.  Drove back to my mum & dads today to collect Tasha.  After driving the i800 down the previous week I can say that the Santa Fe seems a lighter drive, not as heavy on the steering.  The fuel mpg was a lot better, I noticed 40.1 mpg at one point.  But ...... I missed the i800 so did Tasha ................

Carrying an extra passenger again, Jessica's friend, making the car carrying 6 people we once again found we were a bit lost for space.  Tasha did have enough room although various bags and a suitcase were round the passengers feet.

This Sante Fe was a 6 speed manual gear box and there was a visual display on the display panel encouraging me to go up to gear 6.  I also found at one point it encouraged me to go up to gear 4, gear 5 then gear 6.  I found this was a great reminder, especially to go into gear 6 and suspect this was a good factor on the fuel usage. 

My dad is very impressed with the Santa Fe and likes the fuel mpg I'm getting, and the way the seats fold down into the floor, with the added bonus of having the seating available for extra passengers (I'm thinking 4 grand children lol) We have both agreed with the colour not being the best as although black looks lovely on both the Santa Fe and the i800 it is showing lots of marks and needs to be polished after each wash to remove water marks and make the cars look there best.

Swap Day

..........

A new toy to play with Yeah

Journey Home

Amazingly as we have now become Hyundai spotters lol, we have not seen one other i800 on the road.  We have had a lot of people look at the i800 then wander round the front to have a look at the badge so obviously they were not sure what it is either.  We did find a Santa Fe on the way home ...

but even they were far and few between.  When we spoke to a Hyundai salesperson at Norwich previously, he said to Gary that if he could only get hold of cars for people to use like we have had the chance to do, he would sell so many more cars, and I have to tend to agree with him.  Hyundai has not been a make that we would have considered as a car and we really have no answer as to why, both cars the Santa Fe and the i800 have been absolutely great so much so we even gave the i800 a birthday on the way home a quick wash ....

then a polish and hoover once back safely on the drive and what do I get rewarded with Monday morning .........

Time To Go Home

Well all good things must come to a end.  Tent to come down and it just means we have to re pack the car with this lot .........

Amazingly it all fitted

Thats 2 adults, 4 children , 12 man tent, sleeping bags, air beds, BBQ, table & chairs, clothes and all the other bits and bobs that go with camping and being away from home for 5 days with 4 children. 

The i800 did everything that we asked of it since we have had it.  It let itself down by only having a car charger at the front of the vehicle so our phones died very quickly one by one whilst away, much to Jessica's horror! We were also not to sure of the mpg whilst away as we did seem to be popping in and out of filling stations daily but we did do a lot of mileage (sorry about that xx) and carried a lot of equipment so to be fair it did have to probably work alot harder than on a average week.  I will be very sorry to see the i800 go, not as much as Gary though as he has taken a right shine to it as has Thomas.  And of all things I will not be sorry to pass back the key though .........

It has a up down switch on the side of the key which is a bit of a fiddle to use when you want to use it but seems to have a mind of its own whilst in my hand, pocket or bag! Twice I had locked the car then checked as you do as you walk of to find it had opened itself again, leaving the car unlocked is not something I would have wanted to do! 

The New Forest Here We Come

Camp site booked, Gary off work, kids off school, Tasha the dog at my mums, car loaded and off we go......
The drive to the camp site is a good 4 and a half hours, we did it with only one stop and the car was great.  Even full to the brim with tent, camping equipment and clothes for 5 days away all the children had there own seats and own space.

Tent up kettle on we were now officially on holiday. Unfortunately the same couldn't be said for the i800, it took us to Poultons Park where Melissa and Joshua couldn't wait to see Peppa Pig.  Here we found the sliding doors again an advantage as we were squeezed in the car park like sardines.  We then drove it to the English Heritage site Old Sarum where the children played Heroes and Villains in the old castle.  We had fun navigating the steep hills around this part of the country but yet again nothing the i800 couldn't cope with. And finally we visited the Fleet Air Arm Museum where they had a Dr Who exhibition.  Joshua is a huge huge fan of Dr Who so he was in his element on this trip.  Once again we were parked liked sardines but on the instance it was the reverse warning beeper that helped us manoeuvre out of the car park. 

Our Summer Holiday

Well first things first our dog Tasha had to go to my mums for her holiday, shes nearly 14 and no spring chicken so unfortunately taking her with us is not an option.  I drove the children and Tasha to my mums and dads house in Essex about 80 miles away.  Loading the dog was funny, I don't think shes ever had so much room to herself ........

This just shows the size of the boot, and don't be mistaken Tasha is no Yorkshire Terrier she is a very ermmmm plump German Shepherd.

The journey to my mums went with no problems, apart from the fact the sat nav took me through a small village that they were doing speed checks.  I will have to say that keeping the i800 at 30mph for any length of time (especially under pressure with a speed gun pointing towards you !) is a task in itself.  Don't get me wrong I'm no speed demon but the i800 is also not that comfortable to be going along at a snails pace. I was pleased to get back onto the open road where me and the car went along at a much more comfortable speed for both of us.

My parents were very impressed with the i800 and were astounded by the space we all had.

I did find that the driving position was maybe not as comfortable as my previous weekends passenger position on a long journey. But I'm putting this down to sitting more upright and being use to an automatic not a manual speed box.

Long Day

Setting of at 6.30am this morning and not long being home at 8.30 i can honestly say that although we have driven for nearly 400 miles in the i800 today I really do not feel that bad.  The seat has been surprisingly comfortable, normally I spend the first 10 minutes after getting out of a car after a long journey walking like a duck! but not today which is very good news for me, and something that is honestly quite a rarity.

I had plenty of time today, as Gary wouldn't let me drive (pay back for me hogging the Santa Fe last week lol), to get use to the i800 as a passenger.  The heating controls yet again were great, with separate settings for front and rear, left and right everybody was happy with the climate inside the vehicle, which considering there was 7 of us today this was nothing short of amazing!

I was a bit lost as to where to put the iPhone/iPod as you can see ...............

It doesn't fit in the only available pocket, which I'm now assuming is for maybe loose change. But putting it in the next available space results in leads over the dash which to me just looks messy .............

Found the concealed cup holder useful

Although if I'm being picky you cant just push your cup down and the arms stretch open you have to use two hands one to open the springy arm and the other to insert the cup, this may though ease with use.

The space in the i800 is brilliant, theres not many cars you can sit and read a Sunday paper in your seat without interfering with anyone else.  Our children today have been great, and I think it was down to everyone having there own space in the car.  Would need to fit a DVD player somewhere in the vehicle for long journeys, surprised actually that this was not included.

The weather yet again needed a lot to be desired so lunch resulted a quick bite in a lay by (oh the glamour!) Although there was plenty of floor space I did lack table space.  A car which I previously owned had the glove box compartment lid that came down straight with cup holders inserted and a small flat surface, this would have been a great feature for the i800 to have had, same goes for the backs of the seats, a simply tray that pulls up with a flat surface and a cup holder, these small changes would have prevented us from having to sit with lunch and drink purchased on our laps.

All in all a great day with, I'm sure, the i800 playing its part in keeping everyone in the family happy.

Putting the i800 through its paces.

I have driven the i800 for the first time today, we took our eldest daughter to Wake Boarding in Milton Keynes then onto Lincolnshire so we were able to put it through its paces with  A & B roads.

The i800 was very comfortable to drive & the children enjoyed the comfort of the leather seating which were able to recline.  Well I say enjoy, they actually slept like logs!

The mpg return was very fair considering its a van derived MVP. It has given a fuel consumption return of approximately 34 miles to the gallon for which in my opinion is very good, this was worked out by ourselves as it appears that it does not have a mpg reading on the trip indicator which is a shame. Along with that point and the fact that the seats do not fold away these are the only faults that I could find wrong with the i800 after driving the car for nearly 400 miles today.

First Impressions i800

It reminds me of the A-Team Van, just missing the red stripe.

So far so good.  It is a manual but the seating position is very comfortable even for me who's 5ft nothing, so this is not a problem and I am able to reach everything I need.  The children love it, wouldn't say there is a lot of room inside but they are calling the gap between the seats a hall way!

With the size of the vehicle I am a bit more cautious of where I'm taking it.  Parked in Asda but was so far from the store entrance it may have been easier to walk from home!  This isn't necessary the fault of the car just me being over sensitive as I don't want it hit or scratched lol.  The sliding doors in the back are great, we are a family of big cars and unless we can find a mother and baby car parking spot, always have to shuffle the cars back and forth in the space to get everyone in and out, but the sliding doors came into there own, the kids were out and waiting by the car before I'd even got my belt off.

Seat space is amazing, and I love the full seat belts especially the middle seat which can sometime be a lap belt.  Just dropped the older three to a holiday club, it was quite amusing when they all got out there seats wondered around then left by the side door.

Guarantee the window wipers are great, just as well as someone turned the tap on in the sky this morning and as of yet forgotten to go back and turn it of !!

Swap Day

Monday morning 10.30 two men came to take my car,  Was I sorry to see it go, yes we all were, but look what they left me in its place ..........

Power outlets

A great feature in the Santa Fe was the amount of power outlets for life's essential gadgets, apparently eye spy and a map book are not the in thing anymore!

Jessica who is permanently attached to her phone and behaves like Kevin from the Harry Enfield sketch show if her battery goes down was more than happy with the middle power point enabling her to charge her phone on the go.

And the space in the front was plenty of room to power our sat nav and have a place for it to sit.

We did use the cable to plug the IPhone into the car which was easy and came up on the audio display with Gary's I phone straight away.  It then enables you to play your own music of your phone through the stereo, the only problem we have is that Gary's taste of music is quite, lets say, unique and no one else wanted to listen to it so we stuck to the CD player. 

Coastal Drive

Not quite the day we had planned as apparently Croma and Hunstanton are not that close to each other, whoops, but on the plus side I can guarantee the coastal drive is very nice and something we had not done since we have lived here. 

The Santa Fe was yet again great on fuel, the trip display telling you how many miles you have to go to a petrol station is very reassuring and eliminates the panic you have when you see the fuel gauge going down.  And as a mum travelling with children this will be a feature I will miss.

We had Gary's mum with us and the car was to high for her to be able to climb up into but Joshua's toilet step soon solved that problem and with the grab handles we had her hoping in and out like no ones business.  She was sat in the back with the children and had plenty of room and a good view out of the windows.

Picnic eaten and a wander on the beach it was time to drive home.  Now the only problem hear was that everyone in Norfolk had also had the same idea to go to the coast for the day.  So as you can imagine the drive home was nose to tail traffic.  Lots of hot children and frustrated parents. Us, nope the Santa Fe's air conditioning was great, the car cooled down really quickly and the temperature in the car was great.  Now Gary loves a cold car me give me heated seats any day so we do normally disagree over the cars temperature but the blowers in the car enable him to be cold with the blowers on and on my side with the blowers off it was lovely.  Not sure how to explain it but even though Gary's air vents were open on him it didn't affect me in the passenger seat.  Which is obviously down to someone taking the time to think about the passengers needs in the design of the car.

AT LAST I GET TO HAVE A DRIVE

Kim finally let me have a drive of the Santa fe today.

First impression is that it is a wolf in sheeps clothing pulling away took me by surprise as the pulling power is impressive and the driving position is excellent with ample room in the back for adults and children alike.

The fuel consumption is very good for a 4wd vehicle. I am very impressed so far I took Kim too the local Hyundai dealer to have a look at the Santa fe premium (although kim wouldnt get out and have a look because she likes this one!!) to do a comparison between that and the style which we are currently driving. the premium going by the price list for both models I would go for the premium as it is £1800.00 more but the extras are worth a lot more.

Boot Space part II

After a poor excuse for a boot with 7 people in the car, I was pleasently surprised today when we were able to get our 8 man tent in the space next to my daughter.  Unlike my car which is a 7 seater where the seats fold to the side, the Sante Fa's seat fold very easily flat to the floor which gives ample room in the boot and im sure would be big enough for a full size pram which in turn makes it a very practical family car for a family of 6.

Gary finally gets behind the wheel.

And where does he take me .......................

Boot space

I was disappointed by the boot space once all the seats were occupied as my pram even being just a small one took up what space was available leaving the extra bags to be spread between peoples feet.

As you can see with the boot space taken up all the extra bags we had acquired from our day out had to go round my families feet and on there laps.  This would be something I would need to consider when going out with a car full of people as I would need to think twice about what I purchased, which is a shame.

Loading children in back

A fault I do have with the Sante Fa is the way to put my children in the back.  Both my little ones still use car seats and are in need of help when putting on there belts.  To enable us to do this we have to lower the middle seat and physically climb on the seat to be able to reach over to insert the seat belts.  On the occassion above my son did this for me but the photo of me loading the children early on would have not been such a pretty sight, especially as you have to back out rear first!!

Sandringham Flower Show

Picnic packed car loaded and off we go.  Joshua and Melissa in back, Jessica, Thomas and my dad in the middle and my mum in the front with me driving.  Everybody had plenty of room.  Both my parents were very impressed with the car, "plently of space and comfy drive" was my mums comment, "lovely looking car and plenty of room in the back" was my dads comment.

Fuel consumption on todays trip was great. I  put £20.00 worth of diesel in which put the fuel indicator to just under half and I recored this whilst going along. Which was very impressive especially as the figure went up to as much as 48 mpg



All set for a day out

Confession ............

For future reference I must remember to do a head count when loading children in the car and then un loading them again once I return home. 

The rear seats are quite deep and with the tinted windows it is really quite cosy back there, that is probably the reason my 6 year old Melissa was so calm and quite (something that really is quite strange in itself!) This is also the reason that she went un noticed when we all got out the car, locked the car, admired the car then went in the front door and left her in the car on the drive.  (not for long I will add lol) Went back outside for her still sitting in her seat with her arms crossed laughing because we had all forgotten her. 

So not sure if I get top marks for parent skills today but the Santa Fe gets my thumbs up for babysitting duties!

First Impressions

Its blue, its big and it looks lovely........

So Ive had the Santa Fe since 9.00 am yesterday morning, first impressions from the outside is its a lovely looking car.  Very roomy inside, with comfortable seats.  Not a very large boot space when all the seats are up but the seats do fold down and then the boot space is then more than adequate.

Ive driven it the last two days for general everyday chores, been to the shops in it and dropped my children to there clubs.  For short trips round town and parking round car parks it has caused me no problems whats so ever, very smooth to drive and very easy to maneuver.

Had to drop keys to Gary's work today about 15 miles away (wouldn't normally have been so keen but hey I have a lovely new car on the drive and in the interest of the blog I err rushed at the chance ) .  It is a car which is gentle enough to drive round town but has the ability and power to be very confident on the open road.  Over all first impressions are very much in favour of the Santa Fe.

My New Toy

And it gets better

we will also be loaning to you a High Definition Flip cam for use throughout the summer to capture a video of your time with the cars.

 I'm guessing one of these which is great as it is handbag size! we have a bigger camcorder and as much as we try normally forget to take it with us as that one will not fit in my bag, well maybe if I remove life's essentials, Juice cups, wet wipes, dummies and a book (for times when the kids are doing something embarrassing and I need to hide).

My Prize - Soooo Excited

We are able to confirm that your prize will be Hyundai Motor UK providing you with three vehicles for use over the course of the summer, each for a two week period.  The vehicles that you will be receiving will be as follows:

Vehicle Model	Registration Number	Delivery Date	Collection Date
Santa Fe Style CRDi  7-Seat 2200 D 5Dr 4x4 Auto 6sp	EK60***	25/07/2011	01/08/2011
i800 Style CRDi 2500 D 5Dr MPV 5sp	EK60***	01/08/2011	15/08/2011
Santa Fe Style CRDi  7-Seat 2200 D 5Dr 4x4 Auto 6sp	EK60***	15/08/2011	26/08/2011