2013 Hyundai Santa Fe

Standup: With a slow-selling Veracruz and no longer offering a minivan, Hyundai decided it was time to step up their family-friendly game.  And the result is the all-new 3-row, 2013 Santa Fe.

Not to be confused with the previously launched, 5-passenger Santa Fe Sport, the up to 7-passenger Santa Fe ostensibly replaces the Veracruz…but with a popular, Hyundai-family name that should help raise awareness among shoppers.

During my 1-day media introduction, I had the chance to get to know the Santa Fe as both a driver and a passenger…including the amply sized 3^rd row that instantly becomes one of the most user-friendly on the market.  I usually use the Mazda CX-9 as the benchmark for 3^rd-row effectiveness and the Santa Fe makes an equally agreeable impression by offering easy access, comfortable leg room and enough head and shoulder room to eschew the claustrophobia that I typically feel in similar seating configurations.  It also provides 3^rd-rowers their own climate controls and a feeling of open airiness afforded by the optional panoramic sunroof.

This top-trim Santa Fe Limited comes standard with 2^nd row captain’s chairs while the base GLS offers a bench seat.  Its extra 8.5” in length over the Sport opens up the cabin to more passenger and cargo room than top competitor, the Toyota Highlander.  And Hyundai’s cut of the interior dimensions seems to provide the perfect mix of comfort and space in an overall package that is large but manageable.  Even with the 3^rd row in use, several bags can still be transported.

Attractive, upscale-styling greet you from the outside, particularly in this Night Sky Pearl paint framed by these head-turning 19” Hyper Silver finish wheels.  The interior continues the rich feel with imaginative design, quality look and feel and abundance of luxury-level features…such as a heated steering wheel, heated 1^st and 2^nd row seats, sunshades for the rear windows, and a brilliant, new 3^rd gen navigation system with an 8” touchscreen uses a high-res display packed with features.  And Hyundai Blue Link, an OnStar-like service, is free for up to a year.

Standup:  My initial driving impressions of the new Santa Fe are that the V6 provides more than ample power, it has excellent highway manners and the cabin is very quiet.

The 3.3-liter’s V6 makes big power from small displacement with a higher specific output and better power-to-weight ratio than its key competitors; 290 horsepower and 252 pound feet of torque, all while providing 5,000 pounds of max towing and gas mileage of 18mpg city/24mpg…better than all but the Nissan Pathfinder which uses a CVT instead of the Santa Fe’s more pleasing 6-speed automatic.

Steering feel, my biggest complaint on the Sport, seemed more organic and pleasing here and retains the Sport’s unique selectable steering mode, ranging from Comfort to Sport.

My day was entirely spent with this range-topping Limited model fitted with the torque-vectoring all-wheel drive system.  MSRP with the tech package and a couple of other small options totals $39,005 while a base GLS starts at $29,195.  And like most of Hyundai’s recent new products, the Santa Fe seems poised for huge success.