Hyundai has revamped its midsize sport-utility vehicles for 2013. What is straightforward is that the Santa Fe has doubled and the Veracruz has been eliminated.
What can be confusing is figuring out if it is the seven-passenger Santa Fe or the five-passenger Santa Fe Sport that is the new kid on the block.
Trying to sort through the Hyundai name game are Wheels editor Jimmy
Dinsmore and freelance automotive writer David Mikesell. Both might occasionally get bewildered, but they know where they stand with the Santa Fe Sport — available in either all-wheel or front-wheel drive, by the way.
JIMMY: It was ironic that I was driving around in the Santa Fe the weekend of the Super Bowl, because Hyundai dropped a lot of advertising dollars to promote the 7-passenger Santa Fe. Dave and I were in the smaller, and dare I say bolder, 5-passenger Santa Fe Sport. The redesigned exterior is drastic. Modern, sleek lines take the Santa Fe near the top of the class in looks. The curving side panels actually slope up and outward toward a rear spoiler. The styling seems better suited for the smaller, 5-passenger Sport than the longer wheelbase of the 7-passenger Santa Fe. Because of that same styling, though, there are some nasty blind spots, especially on the passenger side. Blind spot detectors would’ve been a nice feature, but, alas, was not part of Hyundai’s safety offerings.
Dave, the looks are nice, but what did you think about the Santa Fe Sport’s best feature — the turbo engine?
DAVE: Without a doubt, the highlight for my week in the Santa Fe Sport was the performance of the 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine under the hood. Maybe I’m shallow that way, but the 264 horsepower was ample enough in all circumstances. Best of all, there really wasn’t much of the dreaded turbo lag. Press pedal. Go. Quickly. Nice.
JIMMY: My tester did come with all-wheel drive, something I always appreciate, especially since several snow events happened during my week with the Santa Fe Sport. It dealt with the slick roads perfectly.
A surprise feature of the Santa Fe was the selectable steering modes where the driver can have a say over how tight or loose the steering is. From comfort (loose) to sport (tight) to normal mode, this feature helped overcome one of the problems I’ve found with some Hyundais, and that’s the feel of the steering.
DAVE: Drivers usually get all the space in any vehicle, it’s just a matter of whether the seats conform to specific tastes. The Santa Fe Sport’s side bolsters suited me just fine. As the Sport indicates, the front passengers benefit from a cockpit feel. Back-seat passengers also benefit from split/folding seats that both recline and slide up to 5.2 inches. In addition to plenty of legroom for riders, the cargo area has 35.4 cubic feet of space. Fold the rear seat and cargo capacity goes to 71.5 cubic feet.
JIMMY: I agree about the comfortable seats, Dave, and I definitely appreciated the heated front seats and the heated steering wheel. Panoramic sunroofs are becoming more and more common, but I’ve not seen one quite like the sunroof in my tester. It spanned the entire passenger area, giving real meaning to panoramic. My tester had Hyundai’s Blue Link system, as well as satellite radio and iPod connectivity. However, I was unable to use many of these features due to a glitch in the Blue Link system, when a startup menu frequently took upwards of 20 minutes to clear during each startup.
DAVE: While Jimmy and I drove the all-wheel drive turbo that starts at $29,450, a front-wheel drive model with the base 190-horsepower, 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine, retails for $24,450. The turbo trim also comes with heated front seats, heated power mirrors, keyless access and starting, a trip computer and 19-inch tires in place of the standard 17-inch tires. Options that included a navigation system, panoramic sunroof, leather upholstery, rearview camera and other goodies pushed our car’s bottom line to nearly $36K. That’s getting to be a steep price. The Sport still has a nice payoff.
JIMMY: Rugged and sporty, the Hyundai
Santa Fe has the looks to compete in the SUV segment. By offering more room as a 7-passenger model, and more power in the 5-passenger version, it truly brings the utility back to the sport utility vehicle.
Jimmy Dinsmore is Wheels Editor for Cox Media Group Ohio and Dave Mikesell is a freelance automotive reviewer based in Indianapolis. Across Generations looks at similar vehicles from two different perspectives.