You’ve seen a year’s worth of spy shots and teaser photos, some of which we fed you. But here’s the real thing live in the flesh. The 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe has been vastly improved over the previous (current?) model, and features a very stylish and aggressive exterior that surrounds perhaps the most luxurious interior found in the non-luxury midsize CUV segment – so luxurious, it looks like Hyundai lifted it right out of the new 2012 Azera. Even more noteworthy is the seating capacity. Remember a few weeks back when Hyundai CEO John Krafcik said that the company would soon play a larger role in the seven-passenger crossover segment? We do. And Hyundai has delivered – well, sort of. Point is, you can get the 2013 Santa Fe in either a five or seven passenger seating configuration, designated by trim level. The Santa Fe will offer seating for seven, while the Santa Fe Sport offers seating for five. Some of the most noteworthy comfort and convenience features in the 2013 Santa Fe include available heated front and rear seats, available heated steering wheel, panoramic sunroof, power seats for the driver and front passenger, and an available third-generation Hyundai navigation system with an eight-inch display.
Under the hood, the three-row Santa Fe will be powered by Hyundai’s new 3.3-liter direct-injection V6 with 290 horsepower (again, practically lifted right out of the Azera). But the fun doesn’t stop there. The five-passenger Santa Fe Sport can come equipped with either a base 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 190 horsepower or a more powerful 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that produces a hefty 264 horsepower. Perhaps even more impressive are the fuel economy numbers for the Santa Fe Sport – 2.4-liter equipped models will achieve an estimated 33 mpg on the highway, while the 2.0T will achieve an estimated 31 mpg on the highway when equipped with FWD and an automatic transmission. The Santa Fe Sport also has a maximum estimated towing capacity of 3,500 lbs.
Pricing and availability have not yet been announced, but our guess is that the Santa Fe Sport will start somewhere in the mid-$20k’s while a fully loaded Santa Fe AWD model will top out well below the $40k mark. We’ll bring you more information on the 2013 Santa Fe as it becomes available.
Source – Hyundai News
Image Credit – Hyundai News
