Road Test: 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe

By Shari Prymak

It’s amazing what a decade can do. In just three short generations, the Hyundai Santa Fe has gone from a forgettable oddball to a truly stylish crossover. The Santa Fe has done very well for Hyundai over the years, but its attraction was basically limited to its good value for money. Hyundai has aimed to change that for its 2013 redesign, and indeed, it appears they have. The new Santa Fe is the finest expression of Hyundai’s latest design language thus far. From any angle, it looks just plain elegant, even more so than a few luxury crossovers I could name.

Even though the new Santa Fe appears to have gone upmarket, it doesn’t seem to have lost much in the way of offering high feature content for the money. At $26,499, the entry-level FWD model offers nice conveniences like heated front seats, USB, Bluetooth, and steering wheel-mounted audio and cruise controls. Step up to the $28,299 Premium model like my test car, and you get climate control, heated rear seats, heated steering wheel, power driver’s seat, and even limo-like rear window sunshades. Further trim levels offer leather seating, navigation, panoramic sunroof, HID headlights, backup camera, and cooled front seats, while taking the MSRP as high as $38,499. All-wheel drive is available for a $2,000 premium on most trims.

My choice in the range would be the FWD Premium model. It offers a great amount of content at a reasonable price. Besides, many of the Santa Fe’s nice attractions come as standard anyways. You get a comfortable, spacious cabin, reclining and folding rear seats, and a huge cargo area, benefits, all of which will be appreciated by those looking for a family-friendly crossover.

I’d also be satisfied with the standard 2.4L 4-cylinder engine and front-wheel drive arrangement. The 2.4 offers adequate power and decent fuel economy for a fair-sized crossover, plus it’ll save you a lot of money over the more powerful, 2.0T engine, in the higher trims. The 2.0T not only has a higher entry price, but, thanks to its more complicated turbocharged engine, will cost you more in gas, maintenance, and repair costs down the road. I’d also forgo the unnecessary all-wheel drive for the same reasons. I wouldn’t take my family crossover on any off-roading expeditions that would necessitate AWD, and I’m willing to bet that most Santa Fe owners wouldn’t either. Get four winter tires for when you need them and you’ll do just fine.

Though the Santa Fe is a great crossover, it does have a few areas which I feel could be improved upon. I appreciated its overly-light steering in parking lots and nowhere else. And selecting the available “sport” mode didn’t do much to improve things. Also, the handling/ride quality balance, in my mind, felt a tad unpolished. There was a fair amount of body lean through quick corners which suggests a softly sprung suspension, and thus, a cushy ride, yet the worst crumbling pavement out there was still able to unsettle the cabin.

Though Hyundai still has some work to do in chassis balance and refinement, the issues are quite minor, and would likely be overlooked by most shoppers. The new Santa Fe has the goods to take on the best that the segment has to offer, and is unquestionably worth taking a look at if you’re looking for a small crossover, a stylish midsized crossover, or anything in between.