Last week I was in Deer Valley, Utah for the USA press launch of the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe SUV.
As you know, Hyundai has been on a major upswing with great products like the Sonata, Tucson, Veloster and Elantra.
And after driving the all new Santa Fe, I'm pretty confident that the roll will continue.
Full 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Photo Gallery
Take a look at the some of the key new features...
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 2013 SANTA FE LINEUP
• All-new crossover architecture developed for families that seek size, flexibility and functionality
• Third-generation crossover with two wheelbase strategy – two-row, five-passenger Santa Fe Sport and larger three-row, seven-passenger Santa Fe
• “Fluidic Sculpture” exterior design – dynamic and fluid design with bold surfaces and balanced lines
• Key development target – substantial weight reduction (-266 lbs.)
Accomplished with high application of high tensile steel – high tensile steel ratio of 37.7% (vs. 7.8% for outgoing model)
• Improved torsional stiffness by 15.7%
• All four-cylinder engine lineup for the Santa Fe Sport
Theta II 2.4-liter Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) engine
190 horsepower with improved fuel economy and acceleration
Highest highway fuel economy (33 mpg EPA estimated) of any CUV/SUV equipped with an automatic transmission
High-output Theta II 2.0-liter turbocharged GDI engine
264 horsepower with excellent fuel economy
EPA estimated highway fuel economy at 31 mpg (FWD A/T)
• Lambda II 3.3-liter GDI V6 engine with 290 horsepower powers LWB Santa Fe
• LWB Santa Fe is the only midsize CUV with a standard direct injection V6 engine
In-house six-speed automatic transmission
• 12-speaker Infinity Logic 7® surround sound audio system (550-watts)
• Hyundai’s first application of Active Cornering Control AWD for outstanding CUV driving dynamics
• Segment first Driver Selectable Steering Mode (DSSM)
• Seven standard airbags – includes driver’s knee airbag
• Panoramic sunroof
• Heated steering wheel
• Heated rear seats and manual rear side window sunshades
• Power driver seat with four-way lumbar control and front passenger seats
• Sliding and reclining second row seating with 40:20:40 folding seat back
• Standard Blue Link – safety, service and infotainment telematics system
• 4.3-inch touchscreen audio display with rearview camera
• Third generation navigation and audio multimedia systems with an available eight-inch touchscreen display
• 12-speaker Infinity Logic 7® surround sound audio system (550-watts)
The setting in the mountains in and around Salt Lake City was ideal to test out this new Santa Fe's capabilities.
We know you're busy, so we're going to make things easy and net out the strengths and weaknesses of this Hyundai.
Pros
• Excellent suspension and luxury feel inside the cabin. It's very quiet with no shakes, rattles or rolls.
• Especially smooth on near off road situations (dirt roads, unsmooth roads, uneven roads)
• Handsome exterior. Better than Toyota Rav4, Honda CR-V, Rogue, Edge and Equinox although they swear some of the vehicles mentioned are not competitors. The Ford Escape was magically missing from what they call their Compact SUV segment (although in MANY ways it looks alot like the new Escape in and out) but we definitely think people will be cross shopping the Escape in this mix.
• Best of breed warranty in the competitive segment. The others need to match it.
• Comfortable on long haul drives with very little fatigue.
• Extremely good value for the money which has become their hallmark.
• Excellent Infinity Sound System
• Good second row seat folding flexibility and adjustable forward and backward
• Far better than any competitive product from Toyota and Honda
Cons
• Good looking but not GREAT looking. We prefer the look of the new Ford Escape. Especially on the interior.
• Real world gas mileage is in the range of the others (I got 26 on my tests on mostly highway mountain runs) and no hybrid version planned. We think they should be doing better.
• Hyundai video screens, human interface and electronic displays still aren't where we think they should be. More Dell than Apple.
Verdict
The customer in this space looks for decent looks, decent fuel economy, great utility, stellar reliability and warranty at an aggressive price point. On all these markers Hyundai is at the top of the game or close to it and we think it will sell well.
Are we over the moon about it? No.
But part of it is that they spoiled us with amazing efforts on Sonata and Elantra. Over the last few years they've conditioned us to expect fantastic so when something hits that is just very good it's kind of a letdown. Like how people felt when they saw the iPhone 4 and were EXPECTING the iPhone 5.
But there is nothing wrong with a silver medal in the Olympics nor in the hot crossover segment.
The new Santa Fe is a very solid effort and will compete well.
Check out the great photos from our full gallery...
Full 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Photo Gallery
*Hyundai provided transportation and lodging in Deer Valley to facilitate this advance review.