Topic: First Drive: 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport

[Autos_Editor]

With its new Santa Fe, Hyundai is clearly aiming for the top of the crossover segment, says Jonathan Yarkony

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[JohnnyMac]

"Anyhow, this 2.0T boasts 4 percent more horsepower, 8 percent more torque, and 8 percent better efficiency than the 2012 Santa Fe’s 3.5L V6."

This should read "Anyhow, this 2.0T boasts LESS horsepower (276 compared to 264), but has 8 percent more torque, and 8 percent better efficiency than the 2012 Santa Fe's 3.5L."

As an owner of the current model Santa Fe Limited with 3.5L V6 and AWD I think I should comment on this new one.  For sure it's a much better looking vehicle inside and out compared to our model.  I'm a bit disappointed that they decided to go with a turbo 4 cylinder instead of giving the 3.5L direct injection instead.  That would have given it a bit more horse power and fuel efficiency. 

"However, on the long return trip from the Muskoka region and in a couple more days of city driving in a 2.0T SE AWD, the fuel economy in the trip computer was typically over 10 (though not in ActiveEco mode, oops), well above the estimated 9.1 L/100 km combined rating for that model, though not as far off as in other Hyundais we’ve driven recently."

Just so we're clear driving our vehicle with 3.5 people in the vehicle on the NB highway cruising at 116 km we typically average around 10L/100km so I hope this new engine is much better in city driving as there doesn't seem to be much advantage on the highway.

There's a lot to like about this vehicle but like most new vehicles there are things that they could have done to make it a much better vehicle.  Personally I think it should have came with the 3.5L with direct injection and the new 8 speed tranny from the Genesis models.  But I guess they are trying to get away from larger engines.  At least they did the right thing with the base model by giving it direct injection and giving it enough power that most people won't complain.

[nlm]

The 2.0T SE AWD is priced well for what you get.

"A button to the left of the steering wheel can engage four-wheel-lock for a permanent 50/50 torque split all-wheel drive, but the system automatically disengages above 40 km/h." - I'm guessing though that it doesn't go back to torque lock when going back below 40 km/h?

Is the Santa Fe, rather than the Sport, a rebadged Sorrento seeing as they both offer 3rd row seats?

[redman]

It seems that few vehicles are coming anything close to Gov't Canada rated fuel economy numbers, more so with Hyundai for some odd reason.
Does anyone know how these numbers are calculated ? If so are the manufacturers just optimizing there vehicles to achieve ideals based on the Gov't testing parameters ?
Clearly a better evaluation of real world testing needs to happen, especially with Transport Canada numbers vs U.S. Gov't.

Definitely a better looking vehicle. Looking forward to seeing one on the road. Poor fuel economy and vague steering feel would also be deal breakers for me.

[OliverD]

There's a lot to like about this vehicle but like most new vehicles there are things that they could have done to make it a much better vehicle.  Personally I think it should have came with the 3.5L with direct injection and the new 8 speed tranny from the Genesis models.  But I guess they are trying to get away from larger engines.  At least they did the right thing with the base model by giving it direct injection and giving it enough power that most people won't complain.

The larger Santa Fe model with a third row seat will have a 3.3 litre 290 HP V6 from the Azera.

[dirtyjeffer]

my wife had my car all weekend as i used her car for a weekend road trip...when i got back in my car this morning, the fuel economy rating was at 8.2 (i had the ActiveECO engaged, as for some reason, it is always high when she drives it)...i reset the gauge and drove to work...when i parked the car in the lot, the gauge was at 5.0...i think it has less to do with what's under the hood, and how it is driven...she isn't a "racer" or anything, but perhaps really heavy on the pedal, especially during stop and go...i don't know.

[Spheric]

"Who cares about steering feel in a mid-size SUV, anyway?"

Considering that is one of the key things a driver comes into daily contact with, I think it counts for a lot. It's one of the primary reasons I ditched my 2004 Toyota Highlander with less than 50k on the clock. 

[mixmanmash]

my wife had my car all weekend as i used her car for a weekend road trip...when i got back in my car this morning, the fuel economy rating was at 8.2 (i had the ActiveECO engaged, as for some reason, it is always high when she drives it)...i reset the gauge and drove to work...when i parked the car in the lot, the gauge was at 5.0...i think it has less to do with what's under the hood, and how it is driven...she isn't a "racer" or anything, but perhaps really heavy on the pedal, especially during stop and go...i don't know.

I completely agree.  I achieve very close to the government ratings in my 2002 Protege.  On the highway, travelling at a constant 110 km/h, I achieve the rated 7.3 L/100km.  The city rating is 9.6.  My city driving consists of 35% city and 65% highway.  I manage a 8.0 L/100km average.

"Who cares about steering feel in a mid-size SUV, anyway?"

Considering that is one of the key things a driver comes into daily contact with, I think it counts for a lot. It's one of the primary reasons I ditched my 2004 Toyota Highlander with less than 50k on the clock.

I completely agree.  It doesn't have to be a sports car to have a good steering feel.  This is the one thing that bothers me about Hyundai models.  They make great looking cars, but the steering feel puts me off.

[JRM]

This is a much better looking vehicle than the previous model, the best looking in it's class to my eyes.  The interior looks very user friendly, if a bit overstyled for my tatse.  The vague steering and not so stellar real world fuel consumption would, however, be deal breakers for me. 

[JohnnyMac]

The larger Santa Fe model with a third row seat will have a 3.3 litre 290 HP V6 from the Azera.
[/quote]

Yeah I see that the bigger model is getting a V6 but I don't need 3rd row seating and if they did what I suggested (giving the 3.5L direct injection) they would be offering a V6 with more than 300 Hp and I'm guessing the best fuel economy of any V6.  Based on the performance numbers that I've seen from car magazines it looks like the new Santa Fe is a bit slower in all area's compared to the outgoing V6 (even with the weight savings).  I just think they could do better.

[JohnnyMac]

The 2.0T SE AWD is priced well for what you get.

"A button to the left of the steering wheel can engage four-wheel-lock for a permanent 50/50 torque split all-wheel drive, but the system automatically disengages above 40 km/h." - I'm guessing though that it doesn't go back to torque lock when going back below 40 km/h?

Is the Santa Fe, rather than the Sport, a rebadged Sorrento seeing as they both offer 3rd row seats?

This is a completely new vehicle and structure.  The Sorrento is based on the old Santa Fe.  The Sorrento will get a make over in the next year or two in order to bring it in line with the Hyundai product.

[Northernridge]

Not my segment but I like the new Santa Fe quite a bit. It looks good and at under 27k the starting price is fantastic.

[carcrazed]

Will most definitely test drive this in a few months when shopping for my next car.  2.0T or 2.4 Luxury will be on the list.

I agree with the comment about fuel efficiency being dependent heavily on the way you drive.  Hwy 400 to muskoka can't be considered flat like it is in the west.  On my drive to quebec on 401 in my 09 Altima 2.5S, I got low to mid 6 with cruise on at 115km/h.  That's pretty darn close to Transport Canada's fuel economy: 8.7 city, 6.0 hwy.

Having said that, I think US' EPA rating is more reflective of real world driving than that of Transport Canada.

On the road, I see a lot of people dart off the line at the lights, only to brake hard at the next set of lights half a block away.  That'll get the fuel economy down in a hurry.

[LoveToDrive]

Well, I've been waiting for the release of the 2013 Santa Fe for a while now.  I'm cross shopping it against CRV, CX-5 and Equinox to name a few.   While this car generally checks most of the boxes for me, here are two issues I have with the vehicle.

1.  Why does the AWD exact a 5 mpg penalty over the FWD ?   That seems excessive to me.   The CRV and CX-5 both only suffer 1 mpg between FWD and AWD iterations.  I'm using fueleconomy.gov website for this comparison as I find it to be more accurate than any Canadian rating.

2.  Love the styling, but has been mentioned in lots of reviews, it creates large blind spots for which I'd want to have a backup camera.  While I'm generally happy with the features of the FWD Premium, I'd have to move up to the $33899 Luxury to get a backup camera.   This seems excessive to me given that CRV has it standard and CX-5 has it available in the GS, which is only 28 grand or so.

Other than that .. I really like it.

[Snowman]

We made our decision on the Venza last year and the only reason I did not include the SF on the short list is I knew the a new model was just around the corner. I drove the previous generation and was most impressed and would have no trouble putting it up there with the previous generation Pilot and Highlander.

I would like to test one to see how it compares to the new Highlander and Pilot but without a V6 I'm not all that convinced that was a good plan by Hyundai. IMO opinion any of the SUV's in this segment that have a 3'rd row is a waste and not functional ergonomically. I also see no point in a third row that reduces the cargo space by 90%, where are you to put all the luggage or shopping that typically accompanies the extra passengers  I would never step up to the stretch version to get a V6.

I guess that is why every 6th house in our area has a Venza parked in the drive 

[jyarkony]

"Who cares about steering feel in a mid-size SUV, anyway?"

Considering that is one of the key things a driver comes into daily contact with, I think it counts for a lot. It's one of the primary reasons I ditched my 2004 Toyota Highlander with less than 50k on the clock.

I completely agree.  It doesn't have to be a sports car to have a good steering feel.  This is the one thing that bothers me about Hyundai models.  They make great looking cars, but the steering feel puts me off.
[/quote]

If you had to ballpark it, what percentage of drivers in this class do you think would have steering feel as the deciding factor between this and another crossover?

[jyarkony]

It seems that few vehicles are coming anything close to Gov't Canada rated fuel economy numbers, more so with Hyundai for some odd reason.
Does anyone know how these numbers are calculated ? If so are the manufacturers just optimizing there vehicles to achieve ideals based on the Gov't testing parameters ?
Clearly a better evaluation of real world testing needs to happen, especially with Transport Canada numbers vs U.S. Gov't.

Definitely a better looking vehicle. Looking forward to seeing one on the road. Poor fuel economy and vague steering feel would also be deal breakers for me.

I don't know if it's scientifically accurate, but i read somewhere that the US EPA is the equivalent of cruising at 120 with the A/C blasting vs here Transport Canada keeping it at 90 with the A/C off...

I thought the 10ish was decent, considering our driving style—not what you'd call efficient...

and I think ditching the V6 is what Hyundai is most nervous about—a lot of people won't care what numbers it makes, they will simply want a V6, but Hyundai is going with this 2.0T, and I think it's fine as an engine, but who can predict what the perception of it will be and whether that will hurt them.... Escape seems to be doing well sales-wise with just 4 cylinder engines, but maybe not great—but they're also getting hit by recall issues, so that might be hurting them... 

http://www.goodcarbadcar.net/2011/01/ford-escape-sales-figures.html

[SaskSpecV]

This new Sante Fe looks very nice (especially the Sport version) - but where does this leave the Tuscon in the Hyundai lineup?  How much bigger is the Sante Fe Sport vs the Tuscon, and what's the difference in mileage/features/price? For a vehicle that was released only a couple years ago, the Tuscon seems to have fallen off the map.  But maybe not the sales chart?

[SaskSpecV]

Escape seems to be doing well sales-wise with just 4 cylinder engines, but maybe not great—but they're also getting hit by recall issues, so that might be hurting them... 

http://www.goodcarbadcar.net/2011/01/ford-escape-sales-figures.html

Could be the lack of a V6 option, or recalls - but I suspect the fact that the previous Escape was sold with huge discounts, and the new one isn't (yet), is a MUCH larger factor in any difference in sales.  Could get a a previous gen Escape for < 20K, and nearly fully equipped model for < 30K (at the end of the run, at least).  Now it's more like 26 - 40K, so yeah, sales are likely to take a considerable hit (though total profit for Ford might not). 

[Cord]

Escape seems to be doing well sales-wise with just 4 cylinder engines, but maybe not great—but they're also getting hit by recall issues, so that might be hurting them... 

http://www.goodcarbadcar.net/2011/01/ford-escape-sales-figures.html

Could be the lack of a V6 option, or recalls - but I suspect the fact that the previous Escape was sold with huge discounts, and the new one isn't (yet), is a MUCH larger factor in any difference in sales.  Could get a a previous gen Escape for < 20K, and nearly fully equipped model for < 30K (at the end of the run, at least).  Now it's more like 26 - 40K, so yeah, sales are likely to take a considerable hit (though total profit for Ford might not).

The 2013 Escape has only been available for a couple months. Based on the July and August numbers, sales look very strong compared to 2011 and 2010 in Canada and the U.S. And that is without the big discounts of the previous generation.