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Hyundai’s 2001 Santa Fe compact sport-utility vehicle outscored such stalwarts as the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V to become the first South Korean-made vehicle to lead a category in AutoPacific Inc.’s vehicle satisfaction index.

Scores for other Hyundai passenger cars made significant jumps in the 2001 index as well, said George Peterson, AutoPacific president. Hyundai owners rated their vehicles higher than did owners of such brands as Porsche, Mazda, Subaru and Suzuki, he said.

The annual survey records buyers’ overall satisfaction with their new vehicles, as well as their likes and dislikes of about 50 features related to operation, comfort and safety. The firm surveyed 34,000 owners of new 2001 vehicles.