Review and photos by Lesley Wimbush
 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2.4 AWD Premium. Click image to enlarge |
It was yet another insufferably cold day in The Winter That Would Not Die.
Piling into this week’s 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport tester, my passengers and I cursed the bitter wind while I fumbled at the heat controls with stiffened fingers. My teenage nephew, safe in his back-seat refuge from the boredom of old people conversation, was blissfully enjoying his toasty buns – as the Santa Fe boasts rear seat warmers too. Wrapping my frozen mitts around the steering wheel, I praised whatever Korean deity was responsible for blessing the Santa Fe Sport with a heated steering wheel – which I might add, was noticeably absent in the $80,000 German sedan I’d been in the week before.
The new Santa Fe Sport arrived last fall in what Hyundai Canada President Steve Kelleher referred to as “the most important vehicle launch since the Elantra”.
 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2.4 AWD Premium. Click image to enlarge |
Ever since their “product renaissance” of some five years ago, Hyundai has managed to surpass even the most stalwart Japanese market leaders by offering dynamic styling and attractive, loaded interiors – in segments that had traditionally been devoid of either. Yet, the one market that has remained elusive in Hyundai’s sweep of the most-often-shopped categories is the mid-size crossover. Hyundai has never really been able to capture buyers in this segment the way cousin Kia has with its successful Sorento.
Now in its third generation, Santa Fe is the final vehicle in the Hyundai lineup to be fully recreated, and a lot of hope is riding on its reshaped flanks. There are two distinct models – the Santa Fe Sport and a long wheelbase, 7-passenger model, called Santa Fe XL, which debuted earlier this year.
The Santa Fe wears Hyundai’s latest design language, called “Fluidic Precision” – which replaces the “Fluidic Sculpture’s” voluptuously flowing creases with crisp, taut lines, a more upright grille and subtle use of chrome brightwork. Flat black lower body cladding along rocker panels, wheel arches and front and rear fascia have a visually slimming effect and work well with my tester’s gunmetal grey 19-inch alloys.
While it appears much larger than the model it replaces, the new Santa Fe Sport rides on an identical wheelbase, but is fractionally longer and wider.
Inside is familiar territory for anyone who’s spent time in any of Hyundai’s other recent offerings. While hardly luxurious, the cabin is quite comfortable and laden with features. There’s a modern, geometrically shaped centre stack flanked by angular air vents, surrounded by soft-touch materials and aluminum and wood trim. Switchgear is intuitive and easy to use, with an optional eight-inch touchscreen display on models equipped with the Technology package. Overhead is a vast panoramic sunroof that completely obliterates any feeling of claustrophobia.
  2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2.4 AWD Premium. Click image to enlarge |
Instead of the cushy leather featured in the more expensive Luxury model, my Premium has light grey cloth, which is nonetheless quite comfortable. Rear seats recline, and fold flat to provide up to 2,025L of cargo space. I easily managed to transport five large cartons on an overnight business trip, with room enough for my luggage.
There are plenty of cupholders and cubbies, and a hidden storage compartment beneath the cargo floor.
Although the base 2.4L engine (190 hp/181 lb-ft) can hardly be described as sporty, its low fuel consumption will appeal to frugal buyers. The available 2.0T engine provides a much livelier driving experience for those so inclined. Still, mated to the six-speed transmission, the 2.4L engine makes good use of its available power and performs fairly smoothly and without harshness under load. Although there’s an “Eco” mode button which remaps shift and throttle response to achieve optimum fuel economy, the trade-off is a rather lethargic driving character, which I decided to forgo in favour of more lively response and a marginal increase in consumption. During a week spent travelling back and forth from the big city, on the highway and through hilly countryside with a little urban errand-running thrown in, the 2.4L was perfectly competent at hauling the Santa Fe Sport’s 1,585 kg around. Official fuel consumption numbers are 10.1/7.0 L/100 km city/highway while I averaged 9.4 L/100 km.
   2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2.4 AWD Premium. Click image to enlarge |
Despite the extra weight added by safety technology and layers of sound-deadening insulation, the new Santa Fe Sport is 120 kg lighter than its predecessor thanks to extensive use of high-tensile steel from Hyundai’s own steel manufacturing plant in Korea.
The result is a fairly composed chassis that feels nimble through tight turns and over unpaved roads, and a rather nice compromise between firm and floaty that remains comfortable through extended road trips. The cabin itself feels very well insulated, although I did notice some wind noise over the side mirrors.
The current suspension is a MacPherson strut setup, while independent multi-link rear suspension not only reduces intrusion into the cabin space, but proved confident and settled even over loose gravel. My tester boasts the new all-wheel drive with ACC (Active Cornering Control) – which seamlessly activates when needed. Otherwise, the AWD Santa Fe Sport behaves as a FWD vehicle, which helps in fuel consumption reduction.
Once the vehicle senses slippage, the system engages through a multiple-plate clutch with torque distribution. The ACC is part of the vehicle’s stability management system (VSM) helping the vehicle remain stable by applying braking force to the inside rear wheel when accelerating through a curve.
While more of a soft-roader than off-roader, the Santa Fe Sport had no trouble plowing through a snowed-in country lane, and managed to extricate itself from a soft and mucky barnyard during its week with me.
Structurally, the Santa Fe Sport feels very well sorted and settled over a variety of terrain. If there’s a downside to the Santa Fe’s driving character, it’s to be found at the helm. Hyundai’s electronically assisted steering is now available with Driver Selectable Steering Modes (DSSM) featuring three modes: Comfort, Normal and Sport, adjusted via a button found beside the wheel. We found “Comfort” to be disconcertingly “darty” and while “Sport” had the most comforting sense of weight and accuracy, overall there’s a sense of numb disconnection. We’d recommend Normal or Comfort for downtown and parking lot maneuvers, but much preferred Sport’s secure heft while at highway speeds.
 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2.4 AWD Premium. Click image to enlarge |
While anyone who’s driven Mazda’s CX-5 can argue that it is indeed possible to imbue a crossover with a sense of engaging steering, let’s be honest here: for the most part it’s a moot point in this demographic, which prizes practicality and value above all.
The Santa Fe Sport AWD may not be a groundbreaker, but it’s a nicely sorted vehicle offering plenty of features and practicality.
2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2.4 AWD Premium
Base Price: $30,299
Options: None
Freight: $1,760
A/C Tax: $100
Price as tested: $32,159
Competitors:
Chevrolet Equinox
Ford Escape
Honda CR-V
Jeep Compass
Kia Sportage
Mazda CX-5
Nissan Rogue
Subaru Forester
Toyota RAV4
VW Tiguan
Crash test results
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS)
