When companies get it right, they usually get it very right. There's no kind of OK, or they did some things alright; when we auto journalists like something, we tend to really like it. Such is the case for me and the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe 2.4L.
Before I go on gushing about this SUV (because I'm warning you now: I will gush), let's get some numbers out of the way. But don't worry, they're very, very good numbers indeed. My tester has a starting price of $30,299 (at time of writing, a $1,100 price adjustment from Hyundai Canada was being offered). Because the Santa Fe already comes so well-equipped, what few “extras” my tester had (cargo cover and mud guard kit) means the starting price is almost too good to be true, especially when you consider what you're getting for it (I'll get to that soon).
It became glaringly apparent how good the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe 2.4L truly was when it sat parked beside an SUV nearly twice its price, with fewer features.
It's got the look
While not as futuristic or cutting edge as the Kia Sportage's look, the Hyundai Santa Fe still manages to pull off a modern, contemporary design that's eye-catching for all the right reasons. Large, angular headlights sweep back along the sporty, ridged hood, complimenting the sculpted shoulder line that traces back to the rear that manages to look just as “fast” as the front. The taillights mimic the headlight's strong glare, and the rear appears to be jacked up a bit, as if the Santa Fe is coiled up and ready to spring forward.
I love the uber big front grille and oversized foglight openings. Sitting atop 17” alloy wheels, with roof-rack side rails and a rear spoiler (all part of the Premium trim level), the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe 2.4L looks dressed to kill the competition.
Inside, that killer instinct continues. While not as decked out as our long-term tester (a 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2.0T SE), the interior of my Santa Fe 2.4L Premium was equipped with more than enough to keep me, and my family, satisfied for the week. The mere fact that this $30k vehicle featured heated seats all round and a heated steering wheel (something the exorbitantly priced SUV could not match), was enough to make me fall in love with the interior space, especially when temperatures dropped to the -25 Celsius range.
While I'm often a bit disappointed in the size of Hyundai's centre stack screens, they are at least attached to functional, easy-to-use systems that make living with them a breeze. I may not have had navigation, but Satellite radio and Bluetooth kept me entertained and in touch with the world at the touch of a steering-wheel-mounted button (one for each, of course).
Cloth covered seats were comfortable, front and back. And installing a baby seat in the rear of the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe 2.4L Premium was, perhaps, one of the easiest installs I've done in quite some time. And with large door openings (the windows of which feature integrated sun shades, a bonus for moms everywhere), ingress and egress is easy for all, even for lifting a 13-month-old into his seat.
Safe, secure and entertaining
Driving the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe 2.4L is a joy. There's really no other word I can think to describe it so well. There's nothing unpleasant about it. Nothing jarring or negative. It's just... joyful. Equipped with a 2.4L Theta II GDI 4-cylinder engine, this Hyundai pushes out 190 horsepower at 6,300 rpm and 181 lb-ft of torque at 4,250 rpm. That's plenty to get this 1,711 kg family-hauler moving at a quick pace, if desired. Coupled with the 6-speed automatic and Hyundai's SHIFTRONIC manual shift mode, piloting the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe 2.4L can be quite entertaining, if you ask it to be.
And that's the beauty of this engine; it's well-behaved and perfectly adapted for everday living and city dwelling (or highway hauling) when it needs to be, but ask it to have a little fun and it rips off the conservative garb and lets loose. Granted, it's no Cayenne GTS (trust me), but it can still let its hair down, which is more than I can say for some.
Steering is precise in the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe 2.4L and it handles like a much smaller vehicle. The AWD system is well-sorted and kept my family and I safely planted on some treacherous country roads in complete white-out conditions as we passed multiple vehicles in the ditch (I'm talking zero visibility; I could see, maybe, a foot in front of the Santa Fe's stylish nose). It properly gripped the road despite severely strong winds, and kept its course even over wayward snowdrifts and ice chunks.
Good visibility in the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe 2.4L, both out the front and rear, also kept confidence high as I drove in less-than-desirable conditions. I truly felt safe in the Santa Fe and was very glad to be driving it on such a horrible stretch of road and in those conditions.
It's actually real
Sometimes things seem much too good to be true. Thankfully, the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe 2.4L is not. It's affordable and loaded with features that aren't even standard on luxury SUVs way above its price point. Good on gas with a good amount of pep, good looks and a feel-good demeanor, perhaps it's too good to not be true...
Before I go on gushing about this SUV (because I'm warning you now: I will gush), let's get some numbers out of the way. But don't worry, they're very, very good numbers indeed. My tester has a starting price of $30,299 (at time of writing, a $1,100 price adjustment from Hyundai Canada was being offered). Because the Santa Fe already comes so well-equipped, what few “extras” my tester had (cargo cover and mud guard kit) means the starting price is almost too good to be true, especially when you consider what you're getting for it (I'll get to that soon).
It became glaringly apparent how good the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe 2.4L truly was when it sat parked beside an SUV nearly twice its price, with fewer features.
It's got the look
While not as futuristic or cutting edge as the Kia Sportage's look, the Hyundai Santa Fe still manages to pull off a modern, contemporary design that's eye-catching for all the right reasons. Large, angular headlights sweep back along the sporty, ridged hood, complimenting the sculpted shoulder line that traces back to the rear that manages to look just as “fast” as the front. The taillights mimic the headlight's strong glare, and the rear appears to be jacked up a bit, as if the Santa Fe is coiled up and ready to spring forward.
I love the uber big front grille and oversized foglight openings. Sitting atop 17” alloy wheels, with roof-rack side rails and a rear spoiler (all part of the Premium trim level), the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe 2.4L looks dressed to kill the competition.
Inside, that killer instinct continues. While not as decked out as our long-term tester (a 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2.0T SE), the interior of my Santa Fe 2.4L Premium was equipped with more than enough to keep me, and my family, satisfied for the week. The mere fact that this $30k vehicle featured heated seats all round and a heated steering wheel (something the exorbitantly priced SUV could not match), was enough to make me fall in love with the interior space, especially when temperatures dropped to the -25 Celsius range.
While I'm often a bit disappointed in the size of Hyundai's centre stack screens, they are at least attached to functional, easy-to-use systems that make living with them a breeze. I may not have had navigation, but Satellite radio and Bluetooth kept me entertained and in touch with the world at the touch of a steering-wheel-mounted button (one for each, of course).
Cloth covered seats were comfortable, front and back. And installing a baby seat in the rear of the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe 2.4L Premium was, perhaps, one of the easiest installs I've done in quite some time. And with large door openings (the windows of which feature integrated sun shades, a bonus for moms everywhere), ingress and egress is easy for all, even for lifting a 13-month-old into his seat.
Safe, secure and entertaining
Driving the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe 2.4L is a joy. There's really no other word I can think to describe it so well. There's nothing unpleasant about it. Nothing jarring or negative. It's just... joyful. Equipped with a 2.4L Theta II GDI 4-cylinder engine, this Hyundai pushes out 190 horsepower at 6,300 rpm and 181 lb-ft of torque at 4,250 rpm. That's plenty to get this 1,711 kg family-hauler moving at a quick pace, if desired. Coupled with the 6-speed automatic and Hyundai's SHIFTRONIC manual shift mode, piloting the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe 2.4L can be quite entertaining, if you ask it to be.
And that's the beauty of this engine; it's well-behaved and perfectly adapted for everday living and city dwelling (or highway hauling) when it needs to be, but ask it to have a little fun and it rips off the conservative garb and lets loose. Granted, it's no Cayenne GTS (trust me), but it can still let its hair down, which is more than I can say for some.
Steering is precise in the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe 2.4L and it handles like a much smaller vehicle. The AWD system is well-sorted and kept my family and I safely planted on some treacherous country roads in complete white-out conditions as we passed multiple vehicles in the ditch (I'm talking zero visibility; I could see, maybe, a foot in front of the Santa Fe's stylish nose). It properly gripped the road despite severely strong winds, and kept its course even over wayward snowdrifts and ice chunks.
Good visibility in the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe 2.4L, both out the front and rear, also kept confidence high as I drove in less-than-desirable conditions. I truly felt safe in the Santa Fe and was very glad to be driving it on such a horrible stretch of road and in those conditions.
It's actually real
Sometimes things seem much too good to be true. Thankfully, the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe 2.4L is not. It's affordable and loaded with features that aren't even standard on luxury SUVs way above its price point. Good on gas with a good amount of pep, good looks and a feel-good demeanor, perhaps it's too good to not be true...
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