2013 Hyundai Santa Fe: Car Seat Check

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Hyundai worked some magic with the 2013 redesign of its Santa Fe. This family-friendly crossover now comes with two rows in the 2013 Santa Fe Sport or three rows in the 2013 Santa Fe. In the Santa Fe Sport's Car Seat Check, we had to move the front passenger seat forward to accommodate a rear-facing infant seat, and the Latch anchors were difficult to use. While the Santa Fe can seat up to seven, our test model had second-row captain's chairs, bringing seating capacity to six. Did it outperform the Santa Fe Sport?

By Jennifer Newman | June 6, 2013 | Comments (0)

May's Fastest- and Slowest-Selling Cars

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From Land Rover's posh Range Rover to the redesigned Toyota RAV4, SUVs took 10 of the top 16 spots on May’s fastest-sellers list. Expectedly, redesigns ranked high on the list. The 2014 Subaru Forester is selling so fast Subaru dealers can't keep up inventory, and the Range Rover, Hyundai Santa Fe and Mercedes-Benz GL-Class — all redesigned — have repeat appearances among the fastest sellers.

The updated Mercedes E-Class demonstrates shoppers also respond well to a refresh as they do to a full redesign. And the new Lincoln MKZ Hybrid continues to sell, adding steam to the redesign's slow start. It worked well for Ford's struggling luxury brand: The MKZ had its best-ever May in the nameplate's more than seven years, Ford said Monday.

Then you have the old-timers. The 2013 Toyota RAV4 had its fifth month among the fastest-selling cars. The 2013 Ford Fusion, in hybrid or regular form, has made its seventh appearance in eight months. So did Audi's Q5 SUV, despite being in its fifth model year.

Cars in May averaged 56 days to sell. That's a little slower than April 2013's 51 days and a few ticks slower than May 2012's 50 days. Here are May's fastest and slowest sellers:

By Kelsey Mays | June 4, 2013 | Comments (2)

Most-Read Car Reviews of the Week

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Despite having the fewest week-to-week carryovers of any most-read reviews list in recent memory, this week saw the obstinate 2013 Toyota RAV4 refuse to budge from the top spot it has dominated since the start of the year. Not only that, but the RAV4 managed to double the number of page views it received. A surprising seven of the remaining nine reviews were not in the top 10 last week.

Check out what was popular this week:

1. 2013 Toyota RAV4
2. 2014 Mazda6
3. 2014 Subaru Forester
4. 2013 Ford Fusion
5. 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid
6. 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe
7. 2013 Toyota Avalon
8. 2013 Nissan Pathfinder
9. 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid
10. 2013 Nissan Altima
By Matt Schmitz | May 26, 2013 | Comments (0)

2013 Hyundai Santa Fe: First Drive

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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.

By Aaron Bragman | April 29, 2013 | Comments (2)

Most-Read Car Reviews of the Week

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Although there was no movement in this week's top two spots, the 2014 Subaru Forester substantially increased its lead after toppling longtime champ the 2013 Toyota RAV4 last week. The new Forester saw nearly double the RAV4's traffic in its second week atop our most-read reviews list. Meanwhile, the 2013 Buick Encore compact crossover — which Cars.com reviewer Kelsey Mays said stuffs a whole lot of refinement and features into a tiny package — debuted big at No. 3.

Check out what was popular this week:

1. 2014 Subaru Forester
2. 2013 Toyota RAV4
3. 2013 Buick Encore
4. 2013 Ford Fusion
5. 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe
6. 2013 Ford Escape
7. 2013 Honda Accord
8. 2014 Mazda CX-5
9. 2013 Toyota Avalon
10. 2013 Nissan Pathfinder
By Matt Schmitz | April 14, 2013 | Comments (1)

Most-Read Car Reviews of the Week

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It's like when Rocky made Ivan Drago bleed in "Rocky IV," proving the Soviet boxer was not a machine and could, indeed, be defeated. Although far from symbolizing the fall of Cold War-era communism, the 2013 Toyota RAV4's defeat after a three-month reign atop our most-read reviews list is, nonetheless, a glorious victory for our new champ, the 2014 Subaru Forester. Meanwhile, the 2013 Toyota Avalon returns to the top 10 this week at No. 9, and the 2013 Honda Civic debuts in the bottom spot.

Check out what was popular this week:

1. 2014 Subaru Forester
2. 2013 Toyota RAV4
3. 2013 Honda Accord

4. 2013 Ford Fusion
5. 2013 Ford Escape

6. 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe

7. 2014 Mazda CX-5
8. 2013 Nissan Pathfinder

9. 2013 Toyota Avalon
10. 2013 Honda Civic
By Matt Schmitz | April 7, 2013 | Comments (1)

March Sales: SUVs Gained, Cars Fell

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March was a decent month for the auto industry. New-car sales improved 3.4%, riding a trend that began in late 2012. Since last November, auto sales have reached annualized rates not seen since early 2008, according to Automotive News data. Still, car sales fell 1.2% as popular nameplates — the Nissan Altima, Ford Focus, Chevrolet Malibu and Hyundai Sonata — saw double-digit drops. In fact, sales for seven of the top 15 best-selling cars fell.

What propped up the industry in March? SUVs.

Light-duty trucks — a group that includes SUVs, pickups and minivans — gained 9%. If you drill it down to just SUVs, including car-based crossovers, sales grew a significant 11.2%. March opened with gas prices nearing a five-month high but colder temperatures than 2012's unseasonably warm March — dueling factors for SUV sales, it would seem. But a renewed consumer advance toward SUVs, especially small crossovers, drove overall gains.

By Kelsey Mays | April 5, 2013 | Comments (2)

Most-Read Car Reviews of the Week

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In Cars.com reviewer Kelsey Mays' critique of the 2014 Lexus IS 250, he says the new model's practical improvements are what make it stand out among competing sport sedans, but in a field where being fun to drive is the key concept, it stands little chance of leading the pack. The same goes for its chances on our list of most-read reviews, where the IS 250 — the lone newcomer to this week's list — finished sixth. Still at No. 1, where it has now spent a full three months, is the seemingly unstoppable 2013 Toyota RAV4 — though it's worth noting that the 2014 Subaru Forester came within about 400 page views this week, closer than any review in recent memory.

Check out what was popular this week:

1. 2013 Toyota RAV4
2. 2014 Subaru Forester
3. 2013 Honda Accord
4. 2013 Ford Fusion
5. 2013 Ford Escape
6. 2014 Lexus IS 250
7. 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe
8. 2014 Mazda CX-5
9. 2013 Nissan Pathfinder
10. 2013 Ford Explorer
By Matt Schmitz | March 30, 2013 | Comments (0)

Most-Read Car Reviews of the Week

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In Cars.com reviewer Mike Hanley's critique of the 2014 Chevrolet Impala, he describes the sedan’s triumphant return to a form worthy of its flagship status. That triumph was validated by the review rocketing straight up to No. 2 in its debut on our list of most-read reviews. It still wasn't enough to interrupt the 2013 Toyota RAV4's nearly three-month reign at No. 1.

Check out what was popular this week:

1. 2013 Toyota RAV4
2. 2014 Chevrolet Impala
3. 2014 Subaru Forester
4. 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe
5. 2013 Honda Accord
6. 2014 Mazda CX-5
7. 2013 Ford Fusion
8. 2013 Ford Escape
9. 2013 Nissan Pathfinder

10. 2013 Ford Explorer
By Matt Schmitz | March 24, 2013 | Comments (0)

Most-Read Car Reviews of the Week

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Now halfway through its third month atop our list of most-read car reviews, the 2013 Toyota RAV4 remained holed up at No. 1 this week with no other vehicle even coming close to smoking it out. The 2013 Ford Fusion, Ford Escape and Hyundai Santa Fe also stayed put at Nos. 5, 6 and 10, while all the other returning reviews shuffled around again.

Check out what was popular this week:

1. 2013 Toyota RAV4
2. 2014 Subaru Forester
3. 2013 Honda Accord
4. 2014 Mazda CX-5
5. 2013 Ford Fusion
6. 2013 Ford Escape
7. 2013 Nissan Pathfinder
8. 2013 Toyota Avalon
9. 2013 Ford Explorer
10. 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe
By Matt Schmitz | March 17, 2013 | Comments (2)

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