2013 Hyundai Santa Fe: First Drive
Behold the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe — wait a minute, you say, didn't we already see a review on a Hyundai Santa Fe? Yes, you did, but that was the Santa Fe Sport, this one is just plain old Santa Fe. Despite the shorter name, this is actually the larger version of the same vehicle. While the Santa Fe Sport is a short wheelbase, five-passenger model that matches up well against vehicles like the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4, the larger six- and seven-passenger Santa Fe takes the fight to the bigger Ford Explorer, Toyota Highlander and Nissan Pathfinder while undercutting most of them in price.
Confused yet? It helps to think of the Santa Fe lineup like Hyundai does: one model with three trim levels. The Sport trim level is meant for pre-family couples; it's short, seats five, has fuel-efficient four-cylinder engines and is less expensive. The midlevel Santa Fe GLS is a seven-passenger family model; it's longer, only comes with V-6 engine and can tow 5,000 pounds. Top of the line is the Santa Fe Limited, which sounds like a 1950s passenger train but is actually a luxurious six-passenger version of the crossover with captain's chairs instead of a second-row bench, a leather interior, 19-inch wheels and other niceties.
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