Vehicle Tested
| 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2.0T AWD
Base Price: $29,450
At-Tested Price: $35,925
Built in West Point, Georgia.
Options
Leather & Premium Equipment Package
Technology Package
Floor Mats
Cargo Net
Cargo Cover
Engine: Turbocharged 2.0-liter I4, 264 horsepower
Transmission: 6-Speed Automatic
Drive Wheels: All-Wheel Drive
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South Korean automaker Hyundai has introduced an all-new Santa Fe for 2013 - actually, two new Santa Fe models. The Santa Fe Sport directly replaces the outgoing Santa Fe as a five-passenger crossover SUV. It is roughly the same size as the outgoing model and boasts similar pricing. A few months on the heels of the Sport introduction came a nine-inch longer version dubbed simply Santa Fe. It seats six or seven passengers and effectively replaced the Hyundai Veracruz.
Santa Fe Sport competes with vehicles like the Chevrolet Equinox, Ford Edge, GMC Terrain, Nissan Murano and Toyota Venza. The Santa Fe, with its seven-passenger capacity, competes more directly with vehicles like the Chevrolet Traverse, Dodge Journey, Ford Explorer, GMC Acadia, Honda Pilot, Kia Sorento, Nissan Pathfinder and Toyota Highlander.
Santa Fe Sport is available in Base or 2.0T trim. The Base gets a 190-horsepower 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine. 2.0T gets a 264-horsepower 2.0-liter turbocharged four. The larger Santa Fe is available in GLS and Limited trim. Both come with a 290-horsepower 3.3-liter V6. Six-speed automatic and front-wheel drive are standard across the board. All-wheel drive is available on all models.
Towing capacities vary depending on engine choice. The Base has a 2000-pound capacity. 2.0T get a rating of 3500 pounds. The V6-powered GLS or Limited have a towing rating of 5000 pounds. All-wheel-drive models do not have a low range but do get a locking center differential.
Standard safety features include antilock four-wheel disc brakes with brake assist, stability control, downhill brake control, tire-pressure monitoring system and front, front-side, curtain-side and driver-knee airbags. Rear-view camera is optional. Park assist and blind-spot alert are not offered.
Pricing starts as low as $24,450 for the Base Sport and rises to $34,850 for the AWD Limited. All models have an $825 destination charge and are manufactured in the United States at Hyundai's new plant in West Point, Georgia.
Get Up and Go The Sport's 2.0-liter turbocharged engine provides surprisingly peppy acceleration. From a stop you'll reach 60 mph in about 6.5 seconds. That's quite fast for the class. Smooth and seamless, the engine delivers power instantly with little hint of any turbo lag. The six-speed automatic transmission compliments the torquey turbo four nicely. It provides smooth shifts and downshifts quickly when more passing power is needed.
When equipped with the 2.0-liter turbo engine, Santa Fe Sport is EPA rated at 19 mpg city, 24 mpg highway and 21 mpg overall. Those numbers are comparable with other compact to midsize crossovers. Regardless of engine, Hyundai says all Santa Fe models run fine on regular-grade gasoline.
In real-world driving, Santa Fe delivers on its EPA ratings. In an even mix of relaxed suburban commuting it will easily average 22 mpg. Spend more time on the highway and you'll likely equal or surpass the EPA highway rating of 24 mpg.
On the Road Santa Fe Sport offers a great balance of ride comfort and rough-road composure. The suspension does an excellent job of filtering out minor road imperfections and softening harsh impacts. In addition, it limits secondary body motions on badly rutted roads. The ride grows slightly firmer with the 2.0T's 19-inch wheels, but it's never tiresome.
For a crossover utility, Santa Fe Sport feels nimble, almost agile. The steering is nicely weighted, tracks true on the highway and provides enough feedback when the road grows twisty. Tires hold the pavement well and body lean is kept nicely in check. Brakes have plenty of stopping power and an easy-to-modulate pedal. All that being said, Sport is still a tall crossover and can't match the moves of a traditional sport sedan in spirited driving.
Interior noise levels are quite low, even on the highway. The engine is nearly silent in cruising and emits a subdued growl in hard acceleration. Though not unusual for the class, rear-seat passengers complained of some wind noise at highway speeds.
Behind the Wheel Santa Fe' interior is strikingly modern, sporting plenty of complex angles and sweeping curves. Materials are a clear step forward from the preceding model and pleasingly upscale in most cases. Some trim levels sport faux wood grain paneling that seems out of place.
The instrument panel is dominated by two large dials that are easy to read. Dashboard center stack features the expected audio and climate controls. Most are clearly marked and easy to operate, but seems perhaps overly complicated - especially on navi-equipped models. There are a few buttons to the left of the steering wheel that are hard to see and operate, and some models have so many steering wheel mounted controls that they are hard to operate without looking away from the road.
Front seats are very comfortable and offer good leg room. Head room is excellent even when equipped with the optional panorama sunroof. Height-adjustable driver seat and tilt-telescope steering wheel make it easy to get comfortable behind the wheel. Thick roof pillars all around block the view somewhat, but outward visibility is on par with others in the class. Blind-spot alert and park assist would welcome additions to the available option list.
Since the Sport is a dedicated five-passenger vehicle, Hyundai was able to provide a bit more leg room than you'd expect. The seats are comfortable and provide enough room for three-abreast seating in a pinch.
Cargo space is quite good and there are a couple of covered bins in back as well. Folding the second-row seats creates a slightly uneven load floor and requires moving the front seats forward a bit. There are lots of open bins throughout for small-item storage, but the center console bin and glovebox could be a bit larger.
Bottom Line Santa Fe Sport toes the line between compact and midsize crossover, which makes a lot of sense given that the larger Santa Fe can fight it out with the true midsize utilities. Offering just four-cylinder engines is also the right move given the price of gasoline and the current demand for fuel-efficient vehicles.
Hyundai has ticked off all the right boxes with the Santa Fe redesign. It's smartly sized, affordable and quite useful. Road manners are significantly more refined than its predecessor. Too bad it lacks some of the latest safety features like blind-spot or cross-traffic alert. Still, it's a sensible choice for those stepping down from traditional midsize SUVs as well as buyers looking to move up from a compact sedan.
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