Hyundai Doubles Down with Santa Fe in New York

[Hyundai NEWS]

Taking a cue from the place where it was first introduced—the city so nice that they named it twice—the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe will be available in two stunningly designed new models. As shown at the recent New York International Auto Show, Hyundai will offer both a nimble, five-passenger Santa Fe Sport and roomier long-wheelbase (LWB) Santa Fe with standard—and spacious—three-row seating.
Both will show off the latest application of Hyundai’s “Fluidic Sculpture” design language, now relying on more streamlined shapes and an imposing, aggressive grille appearance that sets a fresh new tone for the company’s crossovers. It’s a look that carries over to the vehicles’ cabins, too, where flowing lines and a highly functional environment awaits owners. But in addition to features like YES Essentials seat fabric that’s specifically developed to resist stains and odors (on models with cloth seats), there are also plenty of standard and available upscale touches like a panoramic sunroof, heated seats and a heated steering wheel, the Hyundai BlueLink connectivity and infotainment system, and four different audio systems, including a 550-watt, 12-speaker setup from Infinity mated to the automaker’s third-generation navigation system with an eight-inch touchscreen.
But while both the Santa Fe Sport and the LWB Santa Fe also share surprisingly enjoyable driving dynamics and impressive fuel-economy ratings, they use different powertrains to get the job done. The Santa Fe Sport kicks things off with Hyundai’s peppy 2.4-liter I4 engine with gasoline direct injection (GDI), expected to deliver 190 hp, 181 lb.-ft. of torque and an EPA line of 23 mpg city/33 mpg highway/26 mpg combined. That’s more horsepower and torque than rivals like the 2012 Toyota RAV4 or Chevy Equinox, yet the Santa Fe Sport also delivers the highest highway mileage rating of any automatically transmissioned crossover in the U.S. And it’s also available with a hi-po turbocharged GDI engine that extricates 264 horses from its four-cylinder engine while still delivering an expected EPA line of 23/31/25.
Moving up to the LWB Santa Fe, drivers get the benefit of the segment’s only standard GDI V6. That 3.3-liter powerplant makes a serious 290 hp, yet is projected to return 31 mpg highway. Owners also get an additional 38.6 cubic feet of passenger volume (as compared to the Santa Fe Sport) and bonus features like an available power rear liftgate, while still maintaining more second-row legroom than the Chevrolet Traverse full-size crossover.
All engines are mated to Hyundai’s proprietary six-speed automatic transmission, and can power both front- and all-wheel-drive models—the latter of which further benefits from Torque Vectoring Cornering Control and Driver Selectable Steering Mode. The Santa Fe is the first non-luxury crossover in the U.S. to provide these technologies, gaining a significant advantage in driving dynamics.
Look for more information about the 2013 Santa Fe Sport and Santa Fe LWB closer to their on-sale dates, with the former slated to debut this summer and the latter expected in dealerships early next year.