Santafe 2008 vs Rexton 2008 vs CRV 2004 vs Rav4 2004

nuwanz · September 11

Need your expert help again.

I'm upgrading my car after 05 years.

The best SUV for daily use.

What is the most reliable SUV for a daily drive.

My previouse vehicle is swift jeeps model car.

What will be the best reliable upgrade?

Models I have selected

Santafe 2.2 diesel (auto), Rexton 2008, CRV RD5, Rav4 2004..

Around 1000kms month.

Mostly light traffic weekend 200kms travel occationaly.

My budget is 6.5m..

I'm big fan of harrier 2002 V6 but only concern is very low fuel efficiency.

iRage · September 11

If you have gone through any of the past threads you should realize that reliability of these cars (nearing 20 year of age) is totally, completely, fully dependent on how they were taken care of by its past owners. So, it is really pointless trying to have a discussion about its reliability in general. If you are interested in a particular car you looked at...go get it inspected and buy the car that is in the best possible condition for your budget.

Now if you are asking about general comments about these models...

Santa Fe : That thing has plenty of torque with its diesel engine. Personally I don't think Korean vehicles of the era aged that well. So even well taken care of examples look like they have gone to the moon and back. There was a time these were good value for money not so sure about it now though.

Rexton : I would say this is the underdog. Never owned one (mainly because I feel it looks too googly eyed but actually looks pretty compared to most modern cars). Those who own them seem to love them and find them to be good comfy no-nonsense work horses. Probably one of the less refined options on your list but also probably offers the best value for money if you can find a decent one.

CR-V RD-5 : At the time this was the most refined ones compared to its Japanese competitors (RAV4, XTrail and Vitara). It feels very station wagon like. Heavier than the RAV4 and the previous generation CRV by about 150kg and has only about 5 hp more than the RAV4 of the same era. So yes....you feel the weight in the way it handles and the engine feels a tad slow. My dad had a RD5 which he hacked to an inch of its life and the only thing that went wrong was the power steering had issues (the oil started foaming up). The only other issue was the radiator had to be replaced because a three-wheeler reversed right into it. Compared to the XTrail and RAV4 the AWD system was a bit weak. It was a reactive system (Real-time AWD) and it was a bit easier to get stuck than the RAV4 and X Trail. If memory serves me right fuel economy was more or less the same as my RAV4 at the time despite the CRV being heavier (mind you this was when the cars were 3 to 5 years old).

RAV4 : Which one ? Are you looking at an AWD (i.e. ACA21 ?) ? Compared to the CRV the ride and the interior feels very basic and utilitarian. Feels quite nimble to drive. Nothing too drastic in terms of engineering issues but it had the typical Toyota concerns of the period (i.e gasket/oil leak failures, engine sludge, etc...) so as long as it was serviced on time things were okay.

Again....none of the above really matters now. Just get the car in best condition for your budget. After nearly 20 years you should look for proper gearbox maintenance, AWD system maintenance (i.e. diff oil changes, etc..), engine maintenance, suspension condition, electricals, rust, etc...

If not maintained properly diffs can burn out, engines can get sludged, transmissions can get grinded out. So...INSPECTION !

Also, people used to disconnect the prop shafts of the AWD systems to turn them into 2WD and try to save fuel. SO make sure nothing like that has been done to the car.

nuwanz · September 11

@iRage Thanks for the guide.

Yes I went through all the forum posts about these cars.

I iust wanted general info. About these cars compared against each other in 2024.

regarding rexton Its lovly suv for the price but every one around me advicing me againt buying it as primary vehicle.

I have seen pretty well aged 2008 satafe suvs around but not sure about reliability compared rav or crvs.

So what you suggest is check all these car models I like and buy decent well maintained one?

iRage · September 12

19 hours ago, nuwanz said:

So what you suggest is check all these car models I like and buy decent well maintained one?

Yes....if you are okay with either one of these..then that should be the approach. The logic here is a well maintained Rexton will always be better than a hacked RAV4.

19 hours ago, nuwanz said:

regarding rexton Its lovly suv for the price but every one around me advicing me againt buying it as primary vehicle.

It is partly the local mentality and party the support system. People believe any pile of junk with a Toyota badge on it is gold and everything else is garbage to be thrown out with time. At the beginning the agent might not have been the best to support these vehicles and accessibility to parts might be challenging. We have a Rexton owner in the forums...hopefully they can chime in with their ownership experience. Also, not having a Japanese badge people believe these will not hold (or gain) value. Which is not entirely true. You buy these cars cheap and then sell them off at a reasonably depreciated price. With cars like Toyota you tend to buy high and sell at about the same price or slightly above (but most likely at a lower price to a buyya who will insult you and hound you to death until they scare you in to giving them the car at a dirt cheap price)

mazda zoom · September 13

Hi, I own a Rexton W.

There are many Ssangyong service exprts in susurbes. I may guide to inspect, if you find a good Rexton.

nuwanz · September 17

@mazda zoom

Can you give me more details on the rexton?

I really like the way it drives.

Other than that I have no experience.

I like to know about maintain cost, reliability..

I will use this as everyday / primary vehicle around town. I travels around 10 - 20 kms a day. Weekend 200+ kms travel. Do you think rexton will be a good fit?

I won't do off roading. Just bad road in rural areas.

mazda zoom · October 31

Sorry for very late reply NuwanZ.

I have a Rexton W manufactured in 2016 & she is very reliable. I drove more than 8000 km after purchasing in last March. We traveled to Jaffna recently without any issue. It's very comfirtable & always assured by the passengers. It is my daily runner too. Fuel consumption is not similar to Santa Fe but she has been returned 13.2 km/l avarage after Jaffna tour. Rexton W returns 8-9 km/l in city driving. 2.0L turbo intercooler engine provides good torque & pulling power with 6 pax. & full load. Being a rear wheel drive vehicle, Rexton is under steering in cornering. Compairing current vehicle market prices it's really worth to own one & I'm happy to live with her. Spare parts are available at specialised garages around Kadawatha , Hokandara and Pannipitiya areas other than Micro. Maintanance cost is matched with other simlar SUVs. It's not same like maintaining a small car.

I use super diesel as recomended by Micro.

Edited November 1 by mazda zoom

iRage · November 1

3 hours ago, mazda zoom said:

Being a rear wheel drive vehicle, Rexton is under steering in cornering.

Well, understeering or oversteering is more about chassis control and dynamics than whether it is RWD or FWD. It is just that each drive layout would favor intensifying one or the other. FWD cars are typically more prone to understeer (think of the wheels being too busy putting the power down that it simply cannot cope with trying to adjust to actually turn in), while RWD tend to oversteer (think in terms of the rear wheels starting to power up and rotate more than the front wheels making the rear of the car wanting to overtake the front of the car).

In the case of something like the REXTON or similar large RWD biased vehicles, what happens is that the vehicle understeers as the heavy mass of the vehicle wants to keep on darting forward as the high perched body rolls and tries to pull the momentum into the corner.