The redesign of the Santa Fe sport features a spirited 2.0 liter turbocharged powerplant and an elegant new shape.FAST FACTS* Model: Hyundai Santa Fe Sport* Exterior color: Cabo Bronze* Interior color: Black/Saddle* Engine: four-cylinder, 2.0-liter turbo* Horsepower: 264* Transmission: six-speed automatic* Fuel economy: 27 mpg highway, 23 mpg city* Dealer: Pye Hyundai (Dalton, Ga.)* Price (as tested): $35,295
In the latest USA Today/Cars.com comparison test of three-row-seat SUVs, the first-place winner was the 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Limited.
That’s not the final word on which vehicle is No. 1 in the segment — the market will ultimately sort that out — but it’s a good place to start if you’re shopping for a family hauler and put a premium on style, leading-edge technology and over-all bang for the buck.
This week we take a look at the smaller sibling of the seven-passenger Santa Fe, the five-seat Santa Fe Sport which is eight inches shorter, a few thousand dollars cheaper, gets better gas mileage and should be the Goldilocks’ choice — not too big, not too little — for most families of four or fewer.
Ben Upshaw, a sales associate at Pye Hyundai in Dalton, Ga., handed me the keys to a 2013 Santa Fe Sport with a powerful 2.0-liter turbo-charged engine. After a few minutes in the mid-size crossover, I see what all the fuss is about. It is made down the road in West Point, Ga., and our tester was just as sporty and taut as a BMW X5 costing thousands more.