  2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2.0T AWD Limited. Click image to enlarge |
Review and photos by Lesley Wimbush
As did several of my colleagues, I opted to make a road trip out of the annual sojourn to the Detroit Auto Show. The interminable dreariness of the Winter That Would Not End, combined with an unwillingness to face the “exercise in testing the limit’s of one’s patience” that has become the norm for US air travel, made the idea of a leisurely drive with no concrete timetable sound mighty attractive.
But unlike most, we weren’t relying on a car manufacturer’s hospitality this year. Instead of handing over the keys to the valet upon reaching our all-expenses paid hotel, a group of us had taken the plunge and booked a condo in one of southwest Detroit’s more “eclectic” neighbourhoods.
So while most of the road trippers one-upped each other over who came down in the swankest piece of unobtainium – our circumstances required a little more realistic planning.
How long do you think a bright red Cayman would last parked on the streets of “The D”? Not to mention the impossibility of cramming four journos of varying sizes into it. One of Audi’s Q-Ships would do very nicely indeed, but would probably have its rims exchanged for cinder blocks after the first night and its badges pried off to become neckwear.
What we needed was something common enough to fly under the radar, accommodating of all our paraphernalia, yet engaging enough that nobody would feign illness to avoid their stint behind the wheel.
Enter the 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2.0T AWD Limited, a great all-arounder that’s a lot easier to manage than its cumbersome handle.
Perfectly camouflaged in that mud-puddle grey that Hyundai seems to favour, the Santa Fe would be unlikely to attract a second glance from any nefarious characters prowling our graffiti-tagged side street.
   2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2.0T AWD Limited. Click image to enlarge |
What the Santa Fe lacks in boast-worthy cachet, it more than makes up for in versatility and features. Not all of those premium sedans our colleagues rode in had a heated steering wheel as a matter of course – but our Santa Fe did. Bluetooth? Yes. Reclining rear seats? Likewise.
Although the Santa Fe does an admirable of job of going “stealth mode”, this is not to say that it’s nondescript. The last of the Hyundai lineup to receive the “Fluidic Sculpture” makeover, it’s a nicely finished exercise in flowing lines and sharp creases. It’s available in two models: a long wheelbase Santa Fe XL, and our more compact (by 21.5 cm) Santa Fe Sport. It could accommodate up to five passengers in a pinch, though I wouldn’t want to be the monkey in the middle over a long haul.
 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2.0T AWD Limited. Click image to enlarge |
The cabin is typical Hyundai, and will be familiar to anyone who’s driven any of their lineup. There’s a modern, geometrically shaped centre stack flanked by angular air vents, with premium soft-touch materials and aluminum and wood trim. It may not rival such premium marques as Audi for interior craftsmanship, but in its own way, Hyundai has become a benchmark for simple yet affordable elegance.
Standard are such features as keyless entry, cruise, air, and tilt/telescoping steering wheel. Our Sport 2.0T model automatically comes with heated mirrors, rear-view camera, auto headlights, foglights, roof rails and eight-way adjustable seat, blind-spot monitoring and rear window sunshades. The Technology Package adds xenon headlights, panoramic sunroof, ventilated front and heated rear seats, Nav system with eight-inch touchscreen and a 12-speaker Infinity System that ain’t bad at all.
All the extras come at a cost, however: while a base model Santa Fe Sport 2.4L FWD stickers at $28,359 – our top of the line Sport 2.0T Limited will set you back forty big ones – more than forty-five when you include tax.
The leather seats are cushy and comfortable – and our interior is strikingly laid out in a warm tobacco colour and contrasting charcoal. Rear seats fold flat to provide 2,025 L of cargo space. Overall, there’s a sense of decent craftsmanship and refinement. Best of all, there are a number of cubbies to hold caches of road trip essentials like junk food and cell phones. I was absolutely elated to find purple Bonomo Turkish Taffee at a Windsor truck stop – and tucked several into the centre armrest where my companions wouldn’t find them.
   2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2.0T AWD Limited. Click image to enlarge |
The 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder engine is similar to the one in the Sonata Turbo, but reworked to provide a broader torque range. With 264 hp and 269 lb-ft of torque, the 2.0T has a lively character that makes this crossover fairly enjoyable to drive. It’s matched to the single transmission choice: a six-speed automatic. The steering can be adjusted through three modes: Comfort, Normal and Sport, via a button found beside the wheel. We found “Normal” to be disconcertingly “darty” and while “Sport” had the most comforting sense of heft and accuracy – it’s never going to be accused of being overly chatty.
Detroit takes the word “pothole” to a whole new level. It’s amusing to hear Canadian drivers complain about surface condition of the 401, compared to the gigantic craters all over the state of Michigan, ours are starter-potholes, or potholes-in-training. There are sections of road between the auto show and our digs that look like they’ve been shelled, while here and there, errant tufts of grass thrust up through the crumbled pavement. The MacPherson strut front and independent multi-link rear suspension setup does an admirable job of absorbing it in stride without too much noise or vibration intrusion into the cabin, and venturing off the tarmac and into the rubble to steal some candid shots of Detroit’s iconic “ruin porn” was a snap with the available 4×4 mode.
  2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2.0T AWD Limited. Click image to enlarge |
The Sport 2.0T has been criticized for being a less frugal fuel consumer than some of its competitors – and over the long drive back we decided to put that accusation to the test. From door to door, over highway and through congested downtown Toronto streets – we achieved an overall 9.9 L/100 km. But for a three-hour highway stretch, sticking to the speed limit, we hovered between 7.5 and 7.9 L/100 km – pretty impressive for a 1,681 kg vehicle loaded with gear and humans.
So perhaps we didn’t score so high on the press-car bragging rights sweepstakes. But we traveled comfortably and affordably – and best of all, returned with all four rims attached.
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Pricing: 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2.0T AWD Limited
Base Price: $38,899
Destination: $1,760
A/C Tax: $100
Price as Tested: $40,759
Competitors:
Chevrolet Equinox
Dodge Journey
Ford Escape
Honda CR-V
Kia Sorento
Mazda CX-5
Toyota RAV4
Crash Test Results:
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS)
