2013 Hyundai Santa Fe: What's It Like to Live With?
Read the latest updates in our long-term road test of the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe as our editors live with this car for a year.
What do you want to know about?
- Introduction
- First Impressions
- Third Row Seats
- The Test-Gear Test
- Seats Six
- Quiet Ride
- Hauls Camaro Seats
- Big Bear Lake Learnings
- Fuel Economy Update for July
- Selected for Oregon Road Trip
- Navigation System Goof
- Panoramic Sunroof Test
- Uncomfortable Ride With Passengers
- Off-Road Navigation
- 5,000 Miles
- Consumes Luggage
- Climbing and Descending a Very Steep and Slippery Grade
- Transmission Doesn't Mind a Few Revs
- A Minivan Alternative
- Easy-To-Use Touchscreen And Controls
- Fuel Economy Update For August
- Big Side Mirrors Provide an Expansive View
- A Crossover I'd Consider Buying
- Headlight Adjustment Needed
- Hauls 6.5-Foot Mirror
- Go To Recent Destination? Thanks, But I'd Rather Not
- Third-Row Seating Means Limited Cargo Space
- Even The Best Navigation Systems Freeze
- Fuel Economy Update For September
- Hauls Six Adults To Dodger Stadium
- Real-World Brake Test
- Driver's Seating Position
- Third-Row Ventilation Controls
- Onboard Computer
- Cabin Smell
- Sticky Doorsill
- Fuel Economy Update for October
- Easy Entry Through Overlapping Doors
- Airport Parking Oil Change
- No Problem With First 10K Miles
- Sticky Doorsill No More
- Glovebox Button
- Making the Most of the Cargo Space
- Fuel Economy Update for November
- I Think We're a Hyundai Family
- Getting the Christmas Tree
- Hidden Trailer Hitch
- Hauling Big Snow Tires
- Goodbye, Welcome Sound
- Fuel Economy Update for December
- Infinity Audio System Review
- How To Adjust the Headlights
- Outlets, Outlets Everywhere
- Pretty Effortless for Commuting
- Overlapping Doors at Curbside
- Fuel Economy Update for January
- Cargo Area AC Outlet
- Heated Steering Wheel
- Fuel Economy Update for February
- Poor Ride Quality
- Style, Space and Power? Check, Check and Check
- 15,000-mile Service
- Loose Rearview Mirror
- My Brother-in-Law Bought One
- I Like It
- Air Conditioning Recall Service
- Joshua Tree Camping Trip Part 1
- Joshua Tree Camping Trip Part 2
- Joshua Tree Camping Trip Part 3
- Fuel Economy Update for April
- Great for When the Grandparents Visit
- Bright and Crisp Looking Rearview Camera
- An Ideal Family Hauler
- We've Cleared 20,000 Miles
- Blue Link
- Riding With Lawyers
- Could Use More Range
- Cargo Space for Guitars
- Fuel Economy Update for May
- Road Trip to Laughlin
- Video Tour of Console Storage
- Feels Tight and Rattle Free After 12 Months
- Wrap-Up
Introduction
These days, if it doesn't have three rows, it might as well be a sports car. The scales started to tip sometime in the late '90s and the slide has been continuous; more seats are more better. While modern families have realized the benefits of more seats, they've at the same time turned their backs on the minivans and full-size SUVs that led them to this discovery.
The solution to this problem is the full-size, three-row crossover, and shoppers in this market have a lot to choose from. Buick and Chevy have stellar examples of this breed. Nissan is finally taking it seriously and Mazda, Mitsubishi and Toyota play the game, too. So, everybody has one.
And now, with the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe, Hyundai has an all-new entry that brings its own unique style, feature-rich package, V6 power and low price to a segment already loaded with winners. Can Hyundai impress with its largest vehicle? We added one to our long-term test fleet to find out.
What We Got
Taking a page out of Mitsubishi's playbook, the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe lineup consists of two models, the Santa Fe Sport and the Santa Fe. The Santa Fe Sport is a smaller, five-seat crossover, while the larger Santa Fe adds a third row of seats in back.
As you'd expect, there is a price premium for the extra size and seats. The base 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport checks in at $24,700 while the Santa Fe starts at $28,350. Part of this price increase is due to the engine. While the Sport gets one of two available four-cylinder engines, the bigger Santa Fe comes with a 3.3-liter, 290-horsepower V6 hooked up to a six-speed automatic transmission. Depending on trim, this powers either the front wheels or all four.
For our test vehicle, we chose a 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Limited AWD. The Limited edition replaces the second-row bench with a pair of captain's chairs and adds a power tailgate, dual-zone climate control, leather seating, heated second-row seats and a powered passenger seat.
On top of this, we opted for the $2,900 Technology package. This option adds a panoramic sunroof, a 12-speaker Infinity stereo with HD radio, heated steering wheel, rear side window shades and a navigation system with 8-inch touchscreen. This system utilizes Hyundai's new BlueLink infotainment suite that rivals Cadillac's CUE, Ford's Sync and Kia's nearly identical Uvo system found in our Long-Term Kia Forte.
Further options include the $135 carpeted floor mats and the $50 cargo net. Add it all up and factor in the $885 destination fee and this 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe costs $38,790.
Why We Got It
Large six- and seven-passenger crossover vehicles are all the rage now and as such, there's some stiff competition. In our First Drive of the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe, we wrote, "Like every other Hyundai in the lineup, it stacks up more than adequately in terms of features for the money. That's typically a winning combination in this segment, provided consumers forget the Veracruz and embrace the new, bigger Santa Fe."
And while we were quick to forget the Veracruz, we're not going to give the rest of the Santa Fe a free pass. Can Hyundai's new people hauler keep pace with today's three-row crossovers? Can it lead? We're also excited to spend 20,000 miles with the much-hyped BlueLink media suite. We've yet to find one of these systems that meets our expectations, so Hyundai's got as good a shot as anyone right now.
We've got 12 months and 20,000 miles with our new 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe to answer all of these questions and more. Follow along on our Long-Term Road Test page for updates on this and the rest of our long-term fleet.
Best MPG: 23
Worst MPG: 15.1
Average MPG over 1,223 miles: 18.9
The manufacturer provided Edmunds this vehicle for the purposes of evaluation.
On most weekends, my 2011 Nissan Leaf SL keeps me tethered to my electric charger. But when I heard the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe was available, and I would be one of the first drivers, I began thinking of all the places I wanted to explore. I drove down to San Diego and then visited a few new areas in Los Angeles racking up about 280 miles of driving. I even took advantage of the cavernous cargo area and hauled home an Eames chair and ottoman. Here are a few impressions of this impressive mid-sized SUV.
The Hyundai Santa Fe is a highly refined, well-built SUV that was a real pleasure to take on a road trip. The higher view of the road and the exceptionally comfortable and widely adjustable front seats were a real bonus, as was the four-way adjustable lumbar support. I experimented with using the different steering settings (sport, normal and comfort) but didn't feel a huge difference. The 3.3-liter, 290-horsepower V6 delivers plenty of power and has a nice snarl when you punch it. The six-speed transmission downshifts easily, even at speeds up to 80 mph, and always puts you in the power band.
This baby is loaded with features and has a luxury feel overall. The busy center console could use better organization and my first reaction to the nav system was less than enthusiastic. The graphics were plain and I kept finding myself hunting for commonly used features such as cancelling the route before reaching the destination.
Once we bought the Eames chair I had to fold down all the rear seats to fit it in. Pull straps make it easy to drop the third-row seats and the head rests fold down automatically. The center-row seats fold into place easily allowing more than enough carrying capacity for our purchase.
Overall, this SUV was impressive. And, with an average of about 20 mpg, it seemed adequately fuel efficient for a relatively large vehicle.
It's all too common to take a glance at the third row seats, shrug and say, "Well, it's just for kids." We didn't have any kids handy, so we decided to try out the Santa Fe's third row seat ourselves. My wife and I both slid between the second row captain's chairs and plopped down in the rear seats. We felt a little silly sitting in the back of a parked vehicle. But we did our best to evaluate what it would be like to sit there for kids, or even adults.
Our knees angled up, but not uncomfortably. The head room was sufficient even though the rear window was very close to the backs of our heads. For short hops this sitting position would be acceptable. For longer trips there were two things that would bother both kids and adults.
If you try to relax and spread out, your elbow lands squarely in a hard plastic cup holder and a storage tray. This would be very uncomfortable. Also, the rear windows narrow to the point where it's hard to see anything while sitting back there. This would make anyone claustrophobic on longer trips.
I'm a fan of third row seats since I like the idea of carrying as many people as possible in one car. The Santa Fe offers a useable third row seat for kids and even, in a pinch, modestly proportioned adults.
See that photo? That's one of our more pathetic Edmunds packing jobs, the test gear just thrown randomly into our latest long-termer, the new three-row 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Limited AWD.
Chief Road Test Editor, Chris Walton, who isn't the least bit neurotic about test-gear loading, would've had a fit if he'd seen the haphazard mess before I pressed the power hatch button.
But Engineering Editor Jay Kavanagh had said to me, as we were sweltering after a day of testing in the Fontana heat, "Hey Monty, how about we just throw this crap in here any which way?"
You see, when you've got an SUV with as much cargo room behind the second row of seats as the Santa Fe, you don't have to be particular about making things overly neat. It's all going to fit no matter how you stack it.
In summation, this new 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe is huge.
Our long-term 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe has captain's chairs for its second row. So, despite being a large SUV/crossover thingy, it only seats six instead of seven.
If you are going out somewhere with five adults, someone gets relegated to the third row, which Phil Reed already reviewed here.
Captain's chairs in the second row are rather nice when you only have two back-seat passengers. Each rider gets his own personal space. But in a vehicle of this size, is it practical?
What would you rather have? Second row captain's chairs that seat two or a second-row bench that can hold three across and consequently a total of seven passengers.
Our long-term 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe offers a nicely insulated cabin that keeps most road and wind noise from interfering with your conversations/music/podcasts/singing or whatever you do in your car for entertainment.
You know how you don't always noticed things when they are not annoying. I usually keep the windows up and let the climate control system envelope me while I'm driving. I was stuck in a nasty construction-induced traffic jam when I rolled down the window to briefly give directions to the person in the car next to me. That's when I noticed how noisy it was outside and how serene my ride was.
As traffic freed up and I moved along at a good clip, the quiet remained. No wind noise bouncing over the side mirrors, no bumpy road noise, no growling engine noise. It was peaceful.
How quiet is your ride?
Hauling two re-stuffed 1969 Camaro bucket seats isn't as easy as it looks. Car seats are big. Bigger than you'd think. They're also kind of cumbersome and difficult to handle.
Our long-term 2013 Santa Fe didn't even flinch. Once I folded Hyundai's third-row seat, the two black vinyl thrones fit perfectly in the crossover's cargo bay.
If you're curious, I'm restoring a 1969 Camaro to Baldwin-Motion specs. My father and I are building a replica of the Camaro he bought new in 1969. We're just getting starting so there are surely more Camaro parts in the Santa Fe's future.
I wonder if a big-block Chevy fits back there.
The drive to Big Bear Lake from Oldham HQ isn't very far. It's about 120 miles, split evenly between L.A.'s freeway system and the two-lane mountain pass that is California State Routes 330 and 18.
Still, I learned a lot about the Hyundai Santa Fe during that late night drive.
1) The Santa Fe handles a family of four, its luggage and its 60-lb. Golden easily.
2) The rear seat heaters are to my daughters' liking.
3) Paddle shifters. At this price it should have paddle shifters.
4) Big V6 has plenty of power, even at 7,000-ft. elevation.
5) Driver's seat and seating position are right on. Very comfortable.
6) Navigation system is easy to program.
7) Bluetooth is easy to pair.
8) Big V6 drinks regular gas instead of more expensive premium.
9) The third row could not be easier to fold or flip up.
10) I love the way it looks.
It's early days for our new 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe long-term test vehicle. After all, the first time we poured any gas into it was July 2nd. This is its first fuel economy update.
So far it has been pretty popular. After some four weeks I'm staring at an odometer that reads 2,496 miles. And we're already seeing a good spread of high and low MPG readings.
Our observed average of 18.4 mpg trails a bit behind its 20-mpg Combined rating, but it's way too early to read much into that. This month included break-in miles and a trip to the track to run the numbers. The months to come should settle into a more normal routine.
Worst Fill MPG: 15.1
Best Fill MPG: 23.0
Average Lifetime MPG: 18.4 (5.4 gallons per 100 miles)
EPA MPG Rating: 20 Combined (18 City / 24 Highway)
Best Range: 314.0 miles
Current Odometer: 2,496
It's time for my family to head north to Oregon to see my folks. A few of our long-term cars were in the running, but in the end out new 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe won out.
For one, the third row is nice for going into town (25 miles each way) for dinner. The six of us can ride in the same car.
And it's got tons of cargo storage for our luggage. We could probably make do with the Passat's decent-sized trunk, but it would be tight.
Also, there are dirt fire roads near my dad's place, and sometimes we'll cruise around in the backcountry. The extra approach angle of an SUV, even if it is a crossover, could come in handy. We probably won't get into places where we'll need the all-wheel-drive system, but you never know.
Our twice-annual trip to the Oregon coast has a history of exposing navigation system flaws. Past systems have habitually sent us to either of two locked gates that led to dirt roads that crossed private property. None seemed to know of the correct route's existence even though it's been the only legal way to my folks' place for several decades.
The situation seemed to fix itself in new cars a couple of years ago when the correct route suddenly began appearing and the false shortcuts vanished. Google Maps and apps have consistently done the right thing in these parts for the last three or four years.
So, it was a bit of a surprise when our all-new 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe plotted a course that included a road I was pretty sure wouldn't go through. But we followed along anyway to see if some new route had opened up. If so, we'd have ourselves a shortcut that would save us a dozen miles.
No such luck. As expected, Whalehead Rd. (sic) is yet another private dirt road that doesn't actually connect. Though I must say it represents an entirely new and different bad route I haven't seen from any previous navigation system.
This isn't the result of a recent road status change. The Whaleshead RV resort and the private dirt road that goes through the place to private homes beyond have existed in their current forms for a couple of decades.
To my way of thinking this is a deal-breaker. The only place a navigation system has much worth to me is in the rural fringe areas that aren't covered by detailed paper maps, where my smartphone loses 3G and can't connect to Google Maps, where road signs are few and places to stop for directions are limited. If a navigation system isn't trustworthy out here I don't want it.
On the plus side, the Santa Fe's navi system did find and reroute us onto the correct roads once we left Whaleshead Rd behind and headed north on highway 101 once more.
You might say our 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe has a humungous glass sunroof. So much so that if Seinfeld were still on they might write a whole episode around The Big Sunroof.
The Panoramic Sunroof, as it is officially known, is available only on the Santa Fe Limited where it comes as part of the $2,900 Technology Package, which also includes navigation, an Infinity 12-speaker stereo, a heated steering wheel and rear side-window sunshades.
Here on the Oregon coast we have the perfect conditions for a performance test.
Step 1: Park atop the Gold Beach jetty, south shore by the airport. Step 2: Open the electric-powered sunshade fully, but leave the glass panel shut. Step 3: Sprinkle a liberal coating of bread chunks across the surface of the roof. Step 4: Climb inside and wait.
It's important at this point to keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle with the windows and doors shut.
Just make sure you bring lots of bread.
It goes fast, and the test subjects get feisty if it runs out too soon.
It's also helpful to have a quarter carwash nearby. If you're wondering why, the reason will become clear as your sunroof's glass panel ceases to be.
The complaints started within the first 50 miles of home and I've been hearing them (and echoing them) all the way to Oregon and back. Our 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe has a habit of bobbing on its rear suspension and hammering at our backsides over swales and waves in the highway. It's bottoming out over pavement features it should absorb, and we're not even full.
This is hard for me to say because I probably know the guys who tuned the suspension. But there simply isn't enough rear suspension "bump" travel, the rear coil springs are too soft and the polyurethane bump stops come in too late and too abruptly. The as-loaded bump-stop photo above was taken with my weight out of the car, too.
Our Santa Fe is the long-wheelbase 3-row 6-passenger version, the one that should have some carrying capacity. But on this trip it's doing far worse than our long-term 2012 Honda CR-V on the same northern California and southern Oregon roads. And the CR-V also excelled when I drove it at speed over much larger swales and deeper dips on uneven dirt roads in Nevada with heavier passengers on board, to boot.
The Honda CR-V was comparatively unfazed when fully loaded, even with an added burden of a rooftop cargo box, but here in the partially-loaded Santa Fe I find myself yelling "bump!" so my passengers can brace themselves. They've replied with a chorus of "Ow!" on more than one occasion.
The combined weight of the four of us weighs LESS than any three of the four adults that were on board during the Honda excursion in Nevada. The luggage load was about the same in both cases, even though the Santa Fe looks less tightly packed because it offers more space.
According to the door plate our 3-row Santa Fe Limited AWD has a GVWR of 5,622 pounds. Its rated curb weight is 4,068 pounds. But options (especially that panoramic sunroof, methinks) bring its actual as-measured curb weight up to 4,297 pounds. That leaves us a 1,325-pound surplus for payload.
I won't tell you what the wife and kids weigh individually, but I can say the four of us weigh 577 pounds with shoes and jackets on. I'm good for 225 of that. And I weighed each piece of luggage: 155 pounds total, evenly distributed atop the stowed third-row seat.
Our bottom-line burden comes to 732 pounds. Compared to 1,325 pounds of payload that means we're using just 55% of the available capacity. Theoretically, this means there's more than enough left over to absorb the 500 pounds of tongue weight that would come along with the 5,000-pound trailer the Santa Fe is rated to tow, should we choose to connect one.
We don't have a hitch or a trailer, but the point is this: We're not full. Not even.
But the Santa Fe doesn't seem to know that. Its rear suspension is treating us like we're on the ragged edge, even though we have two empty third-row seats and a pair of skinny teenage girls in the middle row.
What would help? It'd try firmer rear springs, maybe progressive-rate ones. Taller bump stops that came in earlier (and more gently) might pair nicely with those.
But I wouldn't touch the damping; it's pretty good. Besides, cranking down on the shocks without dealing with the springs wouldn't solve the problem. Our Santa Fe Limited rides decently when it's not running out of rear travel, with one aboard and no luggage, for example.
As for me, I won't be signing this one out for multiple road trips like I found myself doing with the 2012 Honda CR-V. It's one and done for me.
Too bad. I admire the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe in so many other ways.
Our Hyundai Santa Fe's navigation system got under my skin in the first part of my Oregon vacation because it tried to route me on dirt roads across private land with locked gates and "Keep Out" signs.
But the dirt roads weren't the problem because I had designs on a little back country off-road travel while I was up there. A few days later dad and I found ourselves heading out on some Forest Service fire and logging roads to visit Snow Camp lookout and Game Lake near the Kalmiopsis Wilderness in southern Oregon.
The dirt road wasn't hard to follow at first, but soon enough unmarked spurs and branches went off in numerous directions. The rule of thumb in such cases is to stay on the biggest one, but there was a time or two where that was a coin toss.
This is where the Santa Fe's navigation system was a real help. It had the area's major national forest roads in its database, with the main ones labeled with their forest service designations. We felt comfortable pressing on into unfamiliar territory because the moving map could always guide us back out the way we came.
I'm usually good at using landmarks instead, but heavy morning fog and dense trees made that a bit tough. For its part the Google Maps app on my smartphone was worthless out here in the land of "No Service."
After a couple of hours we rolled up to the fork in the road we were expecting. A much narrower track went on up to Snow Camp Lookout while the main "road" continued on to Game Lake. We decided to take the side road up to the lookout first.
A huge fire pretty much destroyed the Kalmiopsis Wilderness about 6 years back, and its western march took out the lookout building. Our road ended about 0.4 miles from the lookout site itself.
The forest hasn't recovered much but tire lookout station is back up and running. The U.S. Forest Service rents it out as a remote vacation cabin of sorts when fire danger is low, and the locked gate suggested they either had tenants or their were active lookouts on duty.
I suspect it was the latter. The fog we had lower down the mountain was replaced up here by a thick blanket of smoke from distant unrelated fires burning deeper in the interior of the state. It gave the old burn we were driving through the creepy feel of an active hot zone, even though it wasn't. After a good look around we trundled back down the track to the main spur and headed on to Game Lake.
The road went on for another 15 miles, but we knew from what the map was telling us that this stretch dead-ends near the lake.
In the end we never saw any water. The track to the lake itself turned into a hiking trail and dad wasn't up for a walk. So we turned around the way we had come and headed back toward pavement, 35 miles away.
But that didn't matter. For us it was a perfect day. We both like poking around on unfamiliar back roads just to see what the nearby backcountry is like. And the navigation system in the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe was able to pinpoint our location and let us get on with it like no paper map ever could.
We were somewhere around Cabazon, in the middle of the desert, when our 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe turned over 5,000 miles. With just under two months in the long-term fleet, our six-passenger SUV won't have any problem accruing 20,000 miles in a year. Granted, editor and chief vehicle disciplinarian Dan Edmunds put on most of those miles during an Oregon road trip, but that's likely the beginning of the Santa Fe's service as an interstate adventurer.
I sampled about 300 miles last weekend. I liked the Santa Fe more after this recent seat time than when I first drove it at a Hyundai event a few months ago. During those events, you're lucky to get 100 miles behind the wheel while taking mental snapshots, speaking with engineers and digesting a spreadsheet of specs. But a good handful of long drives and around-town daily uses create a better picture.
At night, for example, the Santa Fe's headlight beams are anemically short, especially on a dark road. The transmission responds slowly when the engine requests more power. When the gearbox does kick down, the engine turns out a raspy wail. The overall ride, as editor Dan has noted, can be harsh over the road's imperfections.
But then, the Santa Fe gives you a lot for the money. Most automakers hate the "V" word, but the Santa Fe loads up the value. Ventilated seats would've been nice during my desert drive, but the heated seats will prove more useful when the mornings turn chilly around here.
I think the multimedia touchscreen is one of the better interfaces out there, manipulating a pretty intuitive menu structure through simple icon-based recognition. I find the Santa Fe one of the least distracting units to work with when it comes to placing a call or searching a smartphone music library.
And finally, the Santa Fe appears to have presence. A gentleman waiting for his BMW 7 Series at the car wash watched the Santa Fe as I drove in. Out in the waiting area, he asked if it was the new Honda. The answer surprised him. Said he thought it was maybe a new Ford at first until he couldn't find a blue oval.
That our Santa Fe could carry six passengers and other models up to seven intrigued him even more, as he was considering off-loading an old Tahoe for something that could carry his immediate family, sometimes the nephews or in-laws (the latter "very occasionally," he added for emphasis), while still offering cargo space for the toys a family collects along the way.
Curious because of the 7 Series, I asked if he'd considered an X5 or Audi Q7. He just sort of dismissed the notion with an "eh" and a wave of the hand, but didn't elaborate. Interpret that how you will, but it was clear the Santa Fe made at least enough of an impression, one of surprise no less, that I'm guessing 7 Series Man will at least check the Hyundai Web site before sending off that Tahoe.
OK, so the fact that the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe swallows suitcases and large boxes isn't particularly noteworthy. Check the stat sheet: there's 41 cubic feet behind the second-row seats. That was enough to handle airport shuttle services for two passengers (plus driver), three large suitcases, a few smaller bags, and a box of stuff that, frankly, should never have been allowed through customs.
A couple of downsides: that additional weight only served to highlight the Santa Fe's upset over bumpier road rash. Pretty sure we hit the bumpstops over one particular uneven freeway surface enough that everyone let out one of those seasick groans in unison.
The additional mass also didn't help the slow-thinking transmission any, but adjusting your driving style (i.e. slowing down) keeps the Santa Fe in the sweet spot of its pulling duties.
Highlighting the cargo ability of a six/seven-passenger SUV like the Santa Fe may be obvious, like calling a Ferrari "sensual." But when you lay out for a large family SUV, isn't this usually the point?
Regular followers of our long-term update pages may remember past stories of the Wall of Death, a particularly steep climb near my dad's place on the Oregon coast. It leads up to the top of "The Dog," a nearby summit that provides a spectacular 360-degree view of the coastline and the inland countryside behind this initial ridge of coastal mountains.
The place names are my father's own personal joke. You'd have to know his sense of humor to understand that the climb up this abandoned caterpillar track is not really a Jackass stunt of Steve-O proportions. It is, however, steep and covered with leaf litter and ball bearing-sized pebbles that make it quite hard to walk down without landing on your keester more than once.
Two-wheel drive is no good here. All four wheels need to participate. Good thing our 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe is the all-wheel-drive model.
The Dog is so named because, well, it looks like one.
The cat-track from dad's garage to the picnic table atop The Dog is slightly less than a half-mile long. Over that distance it climbs 403 feet, which gives it an average gradient of 17 percent.
But there are some flat and even short downhill sections along the way, so the uphill parts are steeper than the average gradient to make the math work out. The Wall of Death represents a hundred yards or so of 40-percent gradient, maybe more.
The all-wheel-drive system in our 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe includes a 4WD lock button. It locks the center differential and forces a 50/50 front-rear torque split for a bit more traction on loose surfaces like this.
Even with that I felt the need to make a run at the Wall to comfortably get past the steepest part. And the Santa Fe's manual shift mode turned out to be handy insurance against an unwanted upshift when I lifted slightly to negotiate an awkwardly placed bend at the bottom of the hill.
Plenty of V6 power and good traction saw us to the top without much drama. We found ourselves parked and tramping around in the grassy meadow at the summit in no time.
But the million-dollar view had fallen on hard times. It was slightly overcast, and a thick blanket of out-of-season fog obscured the ocean 1,940 feet below.
Still, even on a bad day The Dog is spectacular. And we could still hear the surf crashing onto unseen rocks below. I love it up here.
Then the dinner bell rang.
Our AWD Santa Fe has another button that engages hill descent control. So of course I tried it on the way down.
I selected first gear, engaged the HDC button and kept my foot off the brake pedal as we started to descend. The system began manipulating the brakes independently as needed, each one making ABS activation grunting noises in turn.
Things were going great until I intervened and brought the Santa Fe to a stop so I could get out and take pictures. I promptly slipped and fell on the leaf-covered steep slope, nearly throttling my camera. When we set off again the car picked up a tad more speed than I would have liked before HDC cut back in to reign in the proceedings once more.
Make no mistake: the Hyundai Santa Fe is a crossover that will never ever see the midway campground on the Rubicon Trail unless dropped in by helicopter. But its 4WD lock button and hill descent control does distinguish it from many other crossovers out there. It's a soft-roader, but there's a wee bit of a hard edge to it.
Unlike my semi-esteemed Edmunds colleague, Dan Frio, I haven't found the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe's 3.3-liter V6 to be overly raspy. In fact, I think it's pretty smooth and its 290 horsepower does a decent job of moving this heavy rig down the road.
And there's an aspect of the six-speed automatic transmission that I recently noticed is a refreshing change from the norm.
If you give the throttle any amount of poke beyond a dainty dab as you take off from a stoplight, it winds the engine out to around 4,000-4,500 rpm for the 1-2 shift. Most automatics these days are so concerned with fuel mileage that they immediately start short-shifting, and then you're left with little access to power, or the need for an abrupt kick-down.
The automatic in this Hyundai uses shift points closer to what I would do if I were moving a lever through the gates myself.
A lot of American families desire the versatility of a minivan but not the stigma that typically comes along it. A common solution for some people is a three-row crossover SUV.
Ah, but which one? Well, the new 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe could be an appealing choice.
In terms of outright size, the Santa Fe is on the smaller end of the scale for this class of vehicle. Using Edmunds comparison tool, I loaded up the Santa Fe and compared it to the Chevrolet Traverse, Ford Flex and Nissan Pathfinder. Here's another set with it against the Dodge Durango, Honda Pilot and Toyota Highlander. The Santa Fe is shorter in overall length than most, and its shorter height brings out a wagon-like vibe that's reminiscent of the Flex.
But the Santa Fe is still big enough that you can seat normal-sized adults in all three rows without issue (though, obviously, with decreasing levels of comfort as you move back). The second-row seats also slide up to allow easier access to the third-row. Then there's the strong V6, upscale interior and good outward visibility.
A minivan will always reign supreme for ease of hauling people and cargo, but the Santa Fe is one alternative that I can see families enjoying.
It seems like we're often grumbling about the various touchscreen interfaces found in the newest long-term test cars. Well, I'm happy to report that, in contrast, the interface in our 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe actually works quite well.
First of all, Hyundai didn't try to do anything fancy with it. You won't find haptic feedback or configurable home screens here. There's just a crisp-looking 8-inch touchscreen and a collection of buttons for the audio, phone/nav and climate systems.
The main menu buttons are nice (they make it easy to switch audio sources or, say, bring up the navigation map) and the big volume and fan speed knobs fall readily to your hand without having to take your eyes off the road. Plus, the touchscreen responds quickly to your finger touches.
In a way, it reminds me of the setup Nissan has been using the past few years that features a touchscreen, menu buttons and a directional control knob. The overlapping redundancy is great.
In comparison to Nissan's design, the Santa Fe does lack the directional control knob. Having one would make radio station tuning, iPod song/artist searching and map panning easier. But overall I think Santa Fe owners are going to be pleased with this system.
We added about 3,200 miles to our 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Limited during August. Much of that mileage came from Dan Edmunds' family road trip from California to Oregon.
For the month, we averaged 20.9 mpg. That's pretty much right on with the EPA's 20 mpg estimate for combined driving. We also saw our best range from a tank so far: 424 miles.
Maybe we should have hoped for better mpg given that this past month did include a lot of highway miles. But so far we're still matching EPA combined average in regards to lifetime fuel economy, as we're right at 20 mpg.
Worst Fill MPG: 15.1
Best Fill MPG: 25.0
Average Lifetime MPG: 20
EPA MPG Rating: 20 Combined (18 City/24 Highway)
Best Range: 424 miles
Current Odometer: 5,972 miles
One of the design aspects I like about our 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe is the large size of the side mirrors. (Yeah, I know, insert your "bigger is better" joke here.) It seems like many automakers go with smaller mirrors these days (whether for wind resistance or styling). But the Santa Fe's are larger than the norm, and that in turn gives you a wider and more detailed view of what's behind you.
These mirrors are perhaps worthwhile for another reason, as well: Hyundai doesn't offer the Santa Fe with a blind-spot monitoring system. Now, in general, I believe that properly positioning the mirrors (on just about any car) eliminates the need for such a system. But given that many other large three-row crossovers offer blind-spot monitoring, the Santa Fe's big mirrors are certainly worthwhile.
If I were shopping for a new three-row family hauler, the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe is one I'd consider.
I like just about everything about it. For starters, the Santa Fe's size is right for me. It's just big enough for kids and road trips but not so big that it's overly cumbersome for daily errands and tight parking lots. The V6 is strong and handling is secure enough. I'm also impressed by our Limited model's classy interior design, easy-to-use electronics interface. Plus, I think it's a pretty handsome rig overall.
There's a lot of great stuff to choose from in this segment (the Ford Flex, GMC Acadia, Nissan Pathfinder, Mazda CX-9 and Toyota Highlander all come to mind) but the new Hyundai is quite competitive in my mind.
I don't do much night driving anymore, especially during daylight savings. So when I took our 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe out after dark, at first I wasn't sure if the headlights were the issue, or if it was my middle-aged eyes.
But after a mile of driving into darkness, I confirmed that the Santa Fe's headlights need to be adjusted. They're definitely pointing too far down, and not out. Great illumination to the sides, but forward light was limited to just a few feet in front of the SUV.
Recently, I bought a new mirror for the new old house I'm renovating. The mirror is not very wide (just under 31 inches), but it's quite long (just over 77 inches), so it would have been too long to fit in something like our Chevy Silverado. Good thing I had our long-term 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe and its 80-cubic-foot cargo capacity at my disposal.
I figured the mirror would fit easily with the Santa Fe's second- and third-row seats folded down. This was true, but with a caveat. One of the front seats had to come pretty far forward on its track to accommodate the mirror's length (and still close the liftgate securely), and since I was driving, this duty fell to my spouse in the front passenger seat. Once the mirror was loaded, we reclined the seat to improve his comfort, but his knees were still pretty close to the glovebox.
It was a bearable situation for our 20-mile trip, though. And realistically, a typical Santa Fe owner would only be hauling long items of furniture on an occasional basis. Overall, the Hyundai's utility in this situation was commendable, and it's easy to see why crossover SUVs are so well liked, whether you're using them to haul kids or not.
I've found our long-term 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe shockingly enjoyable to drive. On the whole, I think it drives better than any other car in the Hyundai lineup. But I was annoyed by the navigation system, which prompted me to let it direct us to one of our last four destinations (including one redacted location) at every startup.
I can see how this would be a handy feature on a long road trip, where you're likely to be using the nav system's guidance almost constantly. But around greater Los Angeles, the prompt, which supersedes whatever other interaction you may be having with the touchscreen (save for the rear-view camera display) for about 5 seconds, it's a bit excessive.
Fortunately, my better half had the presence of mind to look for a way to turn this feature off.
Turns out this feature is a setting that you can find by hitting the Setup button below the main screen and then choosing navigation. You'll then need to scroll down within the Main navigation menu using the down-arrow button and then click "Off" for "Display Previous Destinations upon Startup." Undoubtedly, a little RTM would have led me down a similar path.
When it comes to mid-size crossovers and SUVs, an optional third row of seats is crucial to success. Anyone with more than two kids wants the extra row, so now we have vehicles like the Santa Fe which offer both two- and three-row versions.
As nice as it is to have that third row, I don't think most people realize how much it cuts into cargo space. With the rearmost seats up, there's not much room for anything else. Most of the time this isn't a problem, you either need the extra seats or you fold them down for more cargo.
But if you're on a family vacation and plan to use the whole third row, you'll need to invest in a roof top carrier for the rest of your luggage. Either that, or leave one person at home so you can fold down half of the third row to reclaim some extra cargo space.
I really like using the navigation system in our 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe. As Brent Romans has written, there's nothing groundbreaking about this touchscreen interface, but its menus are straightforward and its processing times are quick.
However, I've already had the system freeze up on me on two occasions over the last month.
The funny thing is I didn't even notice the system had seized up initially, because you see this start screen every time you start up. But when the touchscreen is truly frozen, it doesn't matter how many times you press "Agree": It won't wake up.
Unlike MyFord Touch, Hyundai's system won't reboot itself while you're driving (so far as I can tell anyway). You have to wait until the next time you stop to shut off the engine and reboot the system. On the plus side, thanks to the external audio buttons, you can still listen to the radio and change stations as you normally would while the nav functions are unavailable.
We drove the Santa Fe 2,236 miles since its last fill up at the end of August (on the 26th). Its lifetime average of 19.8 mpg is .4 mpg better than we did in September (19.4 mpg). The EPA estimates the Santa Fe's combined fuel economy at 20 mpg.
Our best and worst tanks of 25.0 mpg and 15.1 mpg remained unchanged in September as did our best range of 424 miles.
Worst Fill MPG: 15.1
Best Fill MPG: 25.0
Average Lifetime MPG: 19.8
EPA MPG Rating: 20 Combined (18 City/24 Highway)
Best Range: 424 miles
Current Odometer: 8,079 miles
Three-row seating is a major reason you might want to buy a generously sized crossover like our long-term 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe. On the last Friday in September, I maxed out the Santa Fe's passenger capacity, as six adults climbed aboard for a trip to Game 1 of the Dodgers-Rockies series. It was the last regular-season series of the year and my first time seeing Kershaw pitch in person. I was tapping my foot with impatience waiting for our entire crew to assemble.
Loading up the Santa Fe was no problem at all once everyone arrived. Access to the third row is good when you slide the second-row captain's chairs in our Limited model forward. There's also plenty of legroom in the third row, even when the second-row passengers scoot their seats back on the adjustable tracks.
The couple in the third row even went so far to report that they were "comfortable." That's relative, of course, because although they had room for their knees and feet, the rearmost bench is mounted low, so adults don't really get any thigh support. We were only going 20 miles round trip, though, so it was tolerable.
I've told a positive story of our six-passenger Hyundai Santa's people-carrying abilities, but as Dan Edmunds noted during his trip to Oregon, there is a decline in ride comfort when you have more than two people on board. My drive was much shorter than Dan's, but there's no question that our crossover lost some of its customary compliance and grace with six on-board. This was especially noticeable over cracked pavement.
I noticed much the same effect later in the weekend when I loaded the Santa Fe up with a bunch of cargo (I maxed out its available space, yes, but was still under the payload limit). Once it was emptied of its load, the Hyundai did a better job of absorbing bumps and ruts.
Based on this experience, I'm still a fan of our Hyundai Santa Fe, but I probably wouldn't buy one of my own (at least not this 2013 model), because the main appeal of this vehicle (for me) is its ability to haul four or more passengers and lots of gear.
However, of the six people in the Dodger Stadium carpool, the one individual who was most interested in the Santa Fe didn't actually have kids. Upon hearing that our long-termer stickered around $38,970, he became even more enthusiastic.
"I'd like to buy one just like this," he said, "same equipment, color and everything. I like big cars." It bears mention that he rode shotgun for the entire trip, though.
The Nissan Versa in front of me on the exit ramp stopped short, and I stood on the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe's brake pedal.
"Yes!" I thought as the SUV immediately responded to my abrupt request to save its front end.
Occasions like this compel me to look up our instrumented testing results as soon as I'm able. I like to know right away, while the experience is fresh in my mind, how the vehicle performed on the test track.
Our rating section says our long-term Santa Fe hauled down from 60-0 mph in 125 feet, which only earned it a "B" or Average rating from our test group.
But for its performance on the Cloverfield Avenue exit ramp this morning, I give it a solid "A."
I'm a big fan of our long-term 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe, but every time I take the wheel I'm surprised at how long it takes me to get truly comfortable in the driver's seat.
There's no shortage of adjustment options, mind you, with a standard tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel and height-adjustable seat. But still, I find I'm either pressing the accelerator with my big toe, or sitting too close to the wheel.
Eventually, I settle into a happy medium somehow, but not without a long series of small adjustments.
They're simple, but our 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe has ventilation controls in its third row. Mode, fan speed and temperature can be adjusted all the way in the back. Nice.
I've had our 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe in my possession for approximately 48 hours, which means a couple of round trips to the office, and a few other minor errands. The onboard computer was cleared when I took the Santa Fe, so the current calculations are all mine.
So far I've driven nearly 150 miles over six hours with an average speed of only 25 mph.
Sometimes, you just don't want to know.
Cabin stink seems to be contagious. Last week Managing Editor Donna DeRosa noted that our long-term 2013 Cadillac ATS was blowing stinky air, and now our 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe smells a little offensive.
Although unlike the ATS, the Santa Fe's smell doesn't seem to be coming from the air vents, but from the general area of the cabin. I've already searched all the cubbies and under the seats, and haven't found any suspicious items.
What do you do to help freshen up your car's interior?
One of the doors on our 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe has gotten oddly sticky. Every time I open the door, it sounds like the door's lower rubber trim is peeling away from the doorsill.
There's no visual sign of damage, just a soft noise that sounds like you're pulling off a strip of tape.
We drove our long-term 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe SUV 1,805 miles since its last fill up at the end of September. Its lifetime average has increased to 20 mpg, or 0.2 mpg better than we achieved in October.
The EPA estimates the Santa Fe's combined fuel economy at 20 mpg.
Our best and worst tanks of 25.0 mpg and 15.1 mpg remained unchanged in October as did our best range of 424 miles.
Worst Fill MPG: 15.1
Best Fill MPG: 25.0
Average Lifetime MPG: 20.0
EPA MPG Rating: 20 Combined (18 City/24 Highway)
Best Range: 424 miles
Current Odometer: 9,884 miles
I'm not aware of an agreed-upon term for the door design employed by the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe. And even if there was one I think some explanation would still be necessary.
You could call them any number of things: overlapping doors, rockerless doors, narrow-sill doors. These terms all apply, but what do they mean?
Most doors are cut into the body. By that I mean the opening doesn't go all the way to the bottom. There's a visible cut-line with a rocker panel just below. The doors open to reveal a full-width sill.
The Santa Fe doesn't have any of that. It's got rockerless narrow-sill overlapping doors that offer many practical advantages.
For one, they look better. The lack of a cut line eliminates another unsightly seam even though this isn't as easy to appreciate in this case due to the presence of gray cladding.
Second, the hidden sill is narrower by the thickness of the lower door, which makes it easier to get in, especially if you're not as flexible as you once were.
But the biggest advantage is this design's elimination of what I call "Minnesota winter job interview syndrome", which is closely related to the "Oregon off-road pant-leg effect" that I studied this summer.
In both cases the overlapping door is the primary depository of encrusted slush, silt or mud. Open the door and that junk swings away with it to reveal a clean and dry sill that won't transfer much (if any) crud onto your dress pants or blue jeans when you clamber in or out.
Hyundai's Santa Fe is by no means the only vehicle with this feature. Our Ford Flex had it, the Toyota Venza has it and there are other examples. Overlapping doors are far from universal, but the design is gaining ground.
If the idea appeals to you, it's easy to spot even if there isn't yet a catchy, self-explanatory name for it. Simply examine the cutline or, better yet, open the door.
The maintenance required light was on when I drove our 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe home from the office. How long had that been the case? No idea. I was rotating into the car from something else.
The oil needed to be changed as soon as I could manage it, but I was heading out of town the next morning. I was flying to Amsterdam, in fact, to sample the new 2014 BMW i3 electric car. I'd be gone four days.
This was a job for Wally Park, the LAX airport parking service I like to use because they have these suspended foam pads between the parking spaces to prevent door dings. And if you leave the key with the valet they offer while-you're-away services like detailing, windshield repairs...and oil changes.
Sold.
The cost? $44.96 and zero time out of my schedule.
We blew past the 10K mark in our 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe recently. Seems like we got it just yesterday. Actually, it's been four months, but that's still a pretty quick run to 10,000 miles.
Dan's trip to Oregon helped, but the fact that this Santa Fe does a great job of swallowing cargo and people makes it a staff favorite. The quiet ride and endless amenities help, too. Nothing has kept the Santa Fe out of rotation either, not even an oil change. We expect one should be coming up soon. Either that or the engine is going to fall out of it.
A couple of weeks ago I noted that our 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe's passenger side door was sticky. I looked at the sill in the dimly lit parking garage, and didn't notice anything amiss.
Well, a bright-light inspection later confirmed that the stickiness had nothing to do with the door itself, but "someone" had dribbled an unknown substance onto the doorsill, which somehow ran up the side of the door to make a serious "seal" between the sill and the rubber trim.
After a good, hard scrubbing, the mess, and noise, went away.
As far as issues with cars/trucks go, this is a minor one. But every time I try to open the glovebox in our long-term 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Limited AWD to grab the fuel log, I press what looks to be the "open" button, the one with the key slot, but nothing happens.
That's because I need to press that bigger button to the left.
Clearly I need to drive this Santa Fe more so I stop pressing the wrong button.
Not too long ago I noted that our 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe may be a sizable crossover, but with the third-row seats up it doesn't leave much space for cargo.
I found out just how much recently when it came time to haul four passengers and their related suitcases for an out-of-town trip. With only four aboard I had the leeway to fold one of the third-row seats. That opened up a good chunk of space for some of the bulkier items. After that I was able to squeeze in three carry-on size suitcases in various states of fullness, although one sat on top which partially obstructed the rearward view.
So we had a total of five people and their luggage in a relatively comfortable layout. It helped that the third-row occupant was only 13, as most adults would have been a bit claustrophobic. Not bad, but I would think twice before going for the captain chairs in the second row that come on the Limited model.
Our long-term 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe continues to rack up the miles. We've driven it over 11,000 miles since it joined our fleet in June, including an additional 1,100 in November. And the crossover's fuel economy continues to impress.
The EPA estimates the Santa Fe's combined fuel economy at 20 mpg. So far we are averaging 19.5 over 11,000 miles of driving. However, load up this six-passenger vehicle with people and things and drive it around in city traffic and it gets real thirsty real fast. Recently we did just that and averaged just 14.1 mpg over a 190 miles worth of driving.
Worst Fill MPG: 14.1
Best Fill MPG: 25.0
Average Lifetime MPG: 19.5
EPA MPG Rating: 20 Combined (18 City/24 Highway)
Best Range: 424.5 miles
Current Odometer: 11,032 miles
Being a Hyundai family is not something we planned, but it's quickly going in that direction.
Back in 2009 when Hyundai introduced its Genesis sedan, my mother-in-law was looking for a change from the Mercedes R-Class she had been driving for a few years. The lease was up on the Benz and while she appreciated its seating for seven and big cargo volume she was ready to switch back to a traditional sedan. Before the Mercedes, her list of vehicles included a Camry, an Avalon and an Audi Cabriolet. All leased and all returned in 36 months.
I suggested the new Genesis, which had impressed me. She leased one, a loaded silver V6, and fell so madly for it she purchased it at the end of the lease and continues to drive it today. In fact, it is in the photo behind the closed garage door.
And then there's the case of the Santa Fe Sport, which is clearly visible parked in the driveway. It's about six months old and belongs to my sister-in-law and her husband. With the birth of their first child, they decided a midsize SUV was in order to replace her beloved but aging BMW 3 Series. I suggested the newly introduced and impressive Santa Fe Sport, which I had just test-driven.
They got the 2.0T engine and they love it.
This family Hyundai trend didn't even occur to me until this past Thanksgiving day, which is when I took the picture. Without thinking about it I chose our long-term 2013 Santa Fe to cart my clan and the sweet potatoes to grandmas. I like our big white six-passenger Santa Fe so much, one may replace my wife's GMC Acadia when that lease it up in about a year.
That would make three. A Hyundai family indeed.
We motivated this year and went tree shopping just a few days after Thanksgiving.
That's an 11-ft. Something Fur being roped to the top of our long-term Hyundai Santa Fe. And while our Silverado Pickup truck may have been a better choice for this task, the big white Hyundai easily got the job done, with no damage to its sunroof, paint or antenna to report.
And the more I use it, the more smitten I am with this crossover. It's one of my favorites.
Happy Holidays.
Our particular 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Limited isn't equipped with a trailer hitch, an option we could have had for just $350 more. But it wouldn't look any different even if we had checked that box because the rear bumper comes standard with an integrated hitch cover.
Towing is a real possibility with the Santa Fe Limited because the 3.3-liter V6 is officially rated to pull 5,000 pounds. The short-wheelbase Santa Fe Sport and its 2.0-liter Turbo is good up to 3,500 pounds.
I haven't spent much time in the Sport, but my experience with the rear suspension of the long-wheelbase Limited makes it hard for me to recommend going as far as 5,000 pounds. Still, there are plenty of lighter towing jobs out there. And a receiver-style trailer hitch makes a handy place to hang a bike rack.
When needed, the hitch is easily revealed by reaching under and pinching the small levers placed on either side. It takes seconds.
Not only does the installed cover look good when the hitch isn't in use, it eliminates one of the most unappealing aspects of installing a hitch in cars that lack this feature: Slicing a notch in the bumper cover so it can peek out. Josh and I had to do this when installing a hitch on our 2014 Mazda CX-5, and it was the most time-consuming and nerve-wracking aspect because any mistake we made was going to show.
Nice going, Hyundai.
A set of snow tires isn't the sort of cargo one usually hauls to and fro, but I recently bought some for our 2013 Tesla Model S from Tirerack.com. Nobody was particularly fond of the idea of them stinking up the office until I got around to having them installed, so I loaded the humungous 245/35R21 Pirellis into our 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe for the 8-mile trip to our photo studio for temporary storage.
Each one is nearly 28 inches tall and 10 inches wide, and they came banded in pairs. I was able to fit the two stacks inside, but they wouldn't fit side by side. I had to fold down one of the rear buckets of our long-wheelbase Limited so I could scoot one stack forward. Seating capacity dropped to three as a result.
The same three-passenger capacity would have resulted if our Santa Fe had the rear bench seat because it would have been necessary to fold the "60" part of the 60/40 rear seat to achieve the same result.
And seating capacity would have dropped to two if this had been a short-wheelbase Santa Fe Sport because both halves of the rear seat would have to go down to accommodate our new Pirellis in that case.
This is the only way to roll in our long-term 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe: Welcome Sound, unchecked.
Is there anyone that actually wants to hear an unrelentingly cheesy, synthesized jingle every time they start their car?
Since the last fuel economy update in November, our long-term 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe has logged 1,643 miles. In those miles, one of the more notable events was as a Christmas tree hauler. Otherwise, it's been tackling the usual commute and people transport duties without any hassles.
In terms of fuel economy, the Santa Fe has nothing all that new to report. The key data points remain unchanged, and that's a good thing as our 19.5 mpg average is right up there with the EPA-estimated 20 mpg combined rating.
Worst Fill MPG: 14.1
Best Fill MPG: 25.0
Average Lifetime MPG: 19.5
EPA MPG Rating: 20 Combined (18 City/24 Highway)
Best Range: 424.5
Current Odometer: 12,675
The optional Technology Package on our long-term 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe includes a heated steering wheel, rear side window sunshades, a panoramic sunroof and a navigation system with an 8-inch touchscreen. Also part of that package is the upgraded 12-speaker, 550-watt Infinity audio system. So how does this system sound?
To my ears, the speakers are clear at full volume, and there's no significant distortion of the sound quality. Simple adjustments to bass, mids and treble are easy to find and fiddle with when you need them. Some tracks seem a bit flat at first, but after a few tweaks and re-centering the sound, the music becomes much sharper.
In short, the Santa Fe's Infinity system is a great stereo. Along with the other equipment in the Technology Package, I'd say it's worth the price.
Kelly wasn't exaggerating, the headlights in our long-term 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe seem to be horribly mis-aimed. They throw a puddle of illumination in front of the nose that extends only fifteen feet, I'd say. I drove our Santa Fe at night recently and had to use the high beams to see road signs. They're bad.
Because I had another long stretch of night driving ahead of me, I figured I'd see about re-aiming them myself. Easy, right? The owner's manual (above) suggests this is a job for a professional. But, really, how hard can it be?
Turns out these headlights require a fancy service tool to turn their little adjuster wheels. There was no way I could do it with bare hands and no tools. Dang. Another blind drive.
The 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe has a lot of outlets. There are these two: a standard 115-volt AC outlet and a 12-volt DC outlet in the cargo area. But that's not all.
There are also these two 12-volt jobs in the front seat area and there's another 12-volter in the middle row. We can't say this Hyundai is lacking for power sources.
I don't often seek out our long-term 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe, because it has more space and seating capacity than I can regularly use. Recently, though, I spent an evening and a morning with our six-passenger Limited model. It was an unremarkable but pleasant experience.
The Santa Fe's strong V6 engine accounts for much of the pleasantness.
In most large crossovers and minivans, decisive maneuvers in expressway traffic are accompanied by at least a minor amount of drama: You wait for the transmission to downshift once or twice, and then you listen to the engine build up the requisite gusto to execute a passing maneuver.
But in the Santa Fe, I'm scarcely aware of this happening around me. Its direct-injected 3.3-liter V6 generates plenty of torque to satisfy my passing requests and general leadfootedness, and the transmission is quick to drop down a gear when needed. And this all goes down pretty quietly.
I also like the steering in our Hyundai Santa Fe. Not because it feels sporty, of course, but because it's precise and quick enough that you can guide the big crossover around turns and into parking spots with minimal effort.
Good visibility also helps out in these situations. I find our Santa Fe much easier to deal with in tight spots than our long-term 2012 Ford Explorer. And I think this has more to do with the Hyundai's better sightlines than any size difference (although the Ford was a few inches wider).
In the past we've stated the benefits of the rockerless, narrow-sill overlapping doors on our 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe. Their many advantages include: always-clean sills that won't transfer winter slush or spring mud onto your pant leg upon entry or exit; easier entry for those who aren't as flexible as they once were because they can stand a couple inches closer to the seat; and just plain good looks.
There is a downside, and it can crop up when taking on passengers at the curb. If the curb is very high the passenger door may make outright contact as it swings open. This isn't exclusive to this door design, but there can be no doubt these bottom edges are lower. There's a greater chance of curbside interference.
The mild damage shown above came from a lesser version of this scenario in which the curb itself is low enough to clear but not the lawn behind, which is oftentimes mounded higher. High-crowned roads don't help because they add in a dose of vehicle lean that tips the opening door toward the waiting grass.
You know you're in the zone if the door skims across the top of the blades as it's opened by a passenger standing outside waiting to get in. Once they sit down the car will sink a bit from their added weight (but don't tell them that, especially if the passenger is a spouse or significant other), and that displacement will be magnified at the open door's lower corner because it's 2 or 3 feet farther out.
The difference can be enough for it to dig in. Pull it closed at this point and it's like petting a dog's fur back-to-front. In our case someone tugged through the resistance at some point and unknowingly caused one of the clips to pop loose.
I don't think it happened here at my place because my curb isn't terribly tall and my road has no more than the usual amount of crown. Then again, my lawn was recently mowed and I'm only working with an inch or so of clearance with no one aboard.
Wherever and whenever it happened, nothing was damaged and the clip popped back in place with no more than a little mild persuasion. And I suppose it's nice that a sacrificial plastic trim piece took the heat instead of the door metal itself.
I'm still a big fan of this type of door, but curbside passenger loading is a potential Achilles heel for those that will do a lot of that in similar circumstances.
In the month of January we drove about 1,832 miles in our long-term 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe. It didn't go on any road trips, but it saw its share of highway time.
In that time, we refueled seven times with 87-octane gasoline and averaged about 19 mpg, just a tick under the combined EPA estimates. This is pretty consistent with our lifetime average of 19.4 mpg.
Worst Fill MPG: 14.1 mpg
Best Fill MPG: 25 mpg
Average Lifetime MPG: 19.4 mpg
EPA MPG Rating: 20 Combined (18 City/24 Highway)
Best Range: 424.5 miles
Current Odometer: 14,754 miles
So last night it was my turn to cook. I'm a fan of sugar meat so I made pulled pork for sandwiches. Took the slow cooker to the dinner spot knowing full well that the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe has an AC outlet in its cargo area. Figured I could use that combo to warm dinner before it was time to eat.
No such luck.
Turns out, the outlet is rated at 150 watts and the slow cooker draws 240. Not even close. I should have known better. I'm yet to find any useful electronic device with power demands low enough to be functional when plugged into these low-power outlets. Even small car vacuums don't make the cut.
Ever take a pair of jeans out of the wash and discover a five-dollar bill in the pocket you forgot about? That's how I felt when I discovered the button in our long-term 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe you see above.
You see, that's the button for its heated steering wheel. And during a cold snap (hey, it happens, even in CA), there's nothing quite like the comfort of a heated steering wheel. It's one of those features I never thought I'd care about until I experienced it a while back in another long-termer.
I'd even argue that a heated steering wheel is a safety feature in cold weather. Gloves are almost universally slippery and reduce tactility, while bare hands on a cold wheel means you use as few fingertips as possible. See what I mean?
For February, we added close to 1,350 miles to our long term-term 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe. Most were highway miles, but no long road trips.
We refueled seven times with 87-octane gasoline. Over the 1,350 miles, we averaged close to 19.5 miles per gallon. This is a bit better than our average of 19.4, and just a bit under the EPA's 20 combined mileage estimate.
Worst Fill MPG: 14.1 MPG
Best Fill MPG: 25.0 MPG
Average Lifetime MPG: 19.4 MPG
EPA MPG Rating: 20 Combined (18 City/24 Highway)
Best Range: 424.5 miles
Current Odometer: 15,814 miles
I hadn't driven our long-term 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe until somewhat recently, when I took it on a trip from Los Angeles to Sonoma and back.
Now, Dan Edmunds took it on a road trip with the family last year and heard (and felt) some complaints about the crossover's ride quality.
When Dan drove it, he had backseat occupants and a family-sized load in the cargo area. On my trip the Santa Fe got an even easier problem statement: two fairly svelte adults up front and the only rear passenger was a 48-pound dog. The third row was empty, and the cargo area had bags weighing no more than 100 pounds all up. Would this lighter load help the ride? And is Dan's derriere hyper-sensitive? Or would his observations be backed up with a different editor at the helm?
Nope, nope, and an empathic yes. The Santa Fe's ride quality was head-scratchingly poor during my trip, even with such a light load. I don't want to find out how much worse the Santa Fe would ride were it stuffed with a full load of adult passengers and gear.
As it is, the Santa Fe's ride quality is wallowy, crashy and underdamped, likely undersprung, and it has too little travel especially in the rear. What this means is that the ride has seriously exaggerated ride motions and a lack of body control. Large dips in the pavement send the rear suspension ricocheting off its bump stops. It's not soft-sprung comfortable, it's nauseating. This big wagon rides like something that never should have left the proving ground.
The morning after my arrival in Sonoma, I noticed the tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) light was illuminated. There had been a cold snap in California that weekend, and it was now much chillier than when the pressures had been originally set in L.A. Thus, the tire pressures had dropped below the TPMS threshold. Aha, I thought, the underinflated tires must be why the ride was so terrible on the way up here.
But once I re-set the tire pressures (they were low by 4-5 psi), the only difference to the ride quality was that now there was impact harshness to go along with the same wallowy, underdamped nonsense. Hyundai really needs to make another pass at the suspension calibration on this vehicle.
Large three-row crossovers exist to meet a need: Families need affordable space, and for whatever reason, it's still not totally culturally acceptable to get that in a minivan. So you have vehicles like our 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe, which even in Limited trim with all-wheel drive and the Technology package, still comes in comfortably under $40,000.
Although I don't disagree with my colleagues' assessments of our Santa Fe's ride quality, I think this crossover has enough other redeeming traits that you could potentially get past this issue. At least I think I could. I'll give you three reasons.
One, just look at it. It's attractive in my estimation. I could look at the Santa Fe's mug every single day and feel satisfied that I'm adding to the property value of my late 1950s tract house. Then again, maybe I'm a poor judge of aesthetics. I could park a Nissan Quest in the driveway and still feel right as rain.
Two, there's useful space inside this thing. True, our Hyundai Santa Fe is only a six-seater because of the captain's chairs in its second row, but that's easily remedied by getting a different configuration. I don't have kids yet, but whenever I drive around in the Santa Fe with my husband or friends, there's a nice sense of separation between us. Shoulder room and legroom feel ample, certainly in the first two rows. Plus, when you're driving something this large, impromptu purchases of household items can just happen. You don't need to strategize. The stuff always fits.
Three, I really like the combination of this 3.3-liter V6 engine and six-speed automatic transmission. When I need to accelerate with authority in cutthroat traffic, I never have a problem. And the engine delivers the power in a pretty smooth, unobtrusive manner. We're not doing stellar in the fuel economy department, as our current 19.4 mpg lifetime average is shy of the vehicle's 20 mpg EPA combined rating. I suppose there's reason to be slightly disappointed with that given that the engine is direct-injected and paired with a transmission that has six forward gears. But after driving minivans and big, light-duty crossovers around Los Angeles for more than a decade, I really don't expect much more than 19 or 20 mpg out of them. That's just what they do in these conditions...with these drivers.
We had a handful of items requiring attention by the time our 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe requested its 15,000-mile service. Despite finding three dealerships within 10 miles of our office, we traveled 40 miles to Cerritos Hyundai, as it was the most convenient locale at the time. This visit introduced us to a service center first...
It was easy enough to schedule the appointment. A phone call Tuesday afternoon landed us a spot Wednesday morning. Then at 8:00 p.m. Tuesday my phone buzzed with a text message, "(1/2) Mike, your 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe is scheduled for service on Tue, March 18, 2014 @ 09:30 a.m. Thank You Text STOP for NO text. – Serv(2/2)ice Dept – Cerritos Ford."
This was the first time I'd seen this approach, and I liked it. I forgave the grammatical missteps, that it came through as two separate texts and that I never asked for this type of correspondence from the dealer. Two minutes later the honeymoon ended. Another pair of texts arrived, this time from a different number, but repeating the same message. It also felt a bit odd the next morning when, just steps from the advisor's office, I received a text from him, "Thank you for bringing in your car. Use this # to call/text me directly." That said, when I later texted him a question he was very quick to respond. His final text at 1:00 p.m. told us the Santa Fe was ready for pick up. I'd say there is some merit to this text-based system, but it isn't perfect.
So what about the service? Our concerns included some routine items: oil and filter change, new cabin air filter and tire rotation. Two outstanding service bulletins were on our list as well. One involved an inspection of the overhead sunglass holder (TSB-13-01-023) and the other replaced the air conditioning blower module (TSB-13-01-032). The overhead console checked out fine, but the blower module had to be special-ordered. Also ordered during this visit was a replacement trim piece for the front passenger door.
We'll return to the dealer for the blower module and trim repairs. The question now is: Will they call or text us when parts arrive?
Total Cost: $145.19
Days out of Service: None
The rearview mirror on our 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe is loose. Not sure how long it's been like this, but when you grab the mirror to make an adjustment, it rocks back and forth slightly in your hand, without actually changing the adjustment.
Even though it's got this extra bit of play in it that shouldn't be there, it's still sturdy enough that it never vibrates while you're driving.
But it does make it feel kinda cheap.
This is not a photo of our long-term 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe. Nope. It's a pic of my sister-in-law's new car.
Back in December I wrote about my growing list of family members that now own Hyundais. Well, the list just got longer.
My wife's brother and his wife, who just had their second child, test-drove our long-term Santa Fe during a recent visit to Southern California. They loved it so much that as soon as they returned to San Jose, they traded their aging BMW X3 for a Santa Fe identical to ours, same color, trim and options.
After eight weeks of living with the Hyundai they feel like they've made the right choice.
I like our long-term 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe.
I look at a car as a shopper would, and that probably comes from spending so much time on car lots with car shoppers over the past decade. I think car shoppers look for ease of use, space, gas mileage, ride quality, and the like. In my opinion, the Hyundai does well on the normal stuff normal folks are looking for. And it looks pretty good.
Recently, I drove the 2013 Santa Fe to Las Vegas in the rain, and other than the navigation system freezing once, the vehicle performed just fine. I've driven the family around in it, and moved some furniture in the thing. I was even able to carry a nightstand in the Santa Fe with five adults, and nobody was cramped.
It has good space, and has proved to be an effective family hauler. Pretty good gas mileage and lots of places to store stuff.
Plus, it's got that cool sunroof, and a great stereo. Lots of headroom and heated seats are a plus.
Bluetooth audio? Check. Back-up camera? Check. Power tailgate, looks good, comfy seats, good warranty, easy to use/figure out? Check.
So why isn't everybody as excited about the Santa Fe as I am?
I drove over a speed bump a little too quickly last weekend. I wasn't speeding, and there was no load in the car, just me. That's when I understood.
This was the first time I noticed the suspension in the Santa Fe. Yeah, that wasn't the most comfortable bounce. A bit jarring, and caught me by surprise. Almost felt as if there were no shocks in the rear.
The suspension in the Santa Fe could be better. A lot better, as Jay and Dan already detailed.
I still like the Santa Fe.
But from now on I will encourage people test-driving cars to look for speed bumps, too.
We recently serviced our 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe for its 15,000-mile routine items. At that visit Cerritos Hyundai special-ordered parts to complete an air-conditioning blower motor campaign and to replace a front-door trim piece. A few days after our visit, the parts arrived. And the other day we scheduled an appointment for their installation...
This was an easy one. We called Monday to schedule a Wednesday morning time slot. An advisor greeted us once we pulled up. Paperwork was processed quickly and we were on our way with an estimated completion of a couple of hours. Before the two hour window closed, our phone rang. The car was ready for pick up. All work was completed under warranty.
Based on our experience, we would use this dealership again in the future.
Cost: None
Days out of service: None
I recently planned a weekend trip to Joshua Tree National Park with some friends and the long-term 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe. From the start, the Santa Fe was at the top of my list. It gobbles up cargo and it has the added benefit of all-wheel drive for any dirt roads we might come across. Last spring I went with this same group of friends to Yosemite in our long-term 2013 Ford Focus ST, but this year instead of renting a house, we were camping. A sporty hatchback wouldn't cut it.
We definitely overpacked (just the way I like it) and since there's no roof rack on the Santa Fe, we stuffed everything in the back. If you fold down the second and third row seats, the Santa Fe has a maximum of 80 cubic feet of cargo space, but with three people we had to leave at least one of the second row seats in place. Tents, sleeping bags, and supplies took up most of the space but I could still see over the stack of cargo through the rearview mirror and nothing would impale us in case of a panic stop. There were about 1,000 pounds of cargo (including passengers) in the Santa Fe and even on long uphill grades the 3.3-liter, 290-horsepower V6 had plenty of passing power.
There are about 170 miles between Los Angeles and Joshua Tree and they flew by without any complaints. The staff at Edmunds has criticized this Santa Fe for poor ride quality, but there wasn't a peep from my passengers. My buddy Greg noted how comfortable the seats were around mile 10, which was about the same time his girlfriend Robin nodded off in the back seat. I agree with Engineering Editor Jason Kavanagh when he says the Santa Fe has "exaggerated ride motions and a lack of body control" but my non-auto-journalist friends didn't seem to notice.
Camp sites in Joshua Tree are on a first-come, first-served basis and when we arrived at the park, availability wasn't looking great. We rolled the windows down and crept along slowly searching for a campsite. Every three minutes, we parked, left the car running, checked the date on occupied sites, and moved on.
Eventually, we found the last available campsite in the park (yes, it really was the last one) and backed the Santa Fe into its temporary home. I was ready to spend ten minutes at the camp site complaining about the suspension, but it just didn't feel necessary. While the ride was a bit bumpy at times, it didn't seem intrusive. Stay tuned for more impressions of the Santa Fe throughout the rest of the camping trip.
Inside Joshua Tree National Park, the long-term 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe spent considerable time being used for food storage and shade. On day two we were joined by two friends in a second car but to make things easier throughout the trip, I folded up two of the Santa Fe's seats and welcomed them to ride in back. Exploring and carrying five people in the Santa Fe was easy, even with the sixth seat folded down to make room for lunch.
I was a bit worried about the Santa Fe's uncomfortable ride with passengers before we arrived, but inside the park, those concerns were unnecessary. We drove to and from a few cool rock formations and even bounced around on a few dirt roads which were easy work for the Santa Fe. The roads inside Joshua Tree are nearly perfect and the passengers had no complaints. If we had to drive several hundred miles on corrugated metal, things would be different, but inside in the park, we were all happy and comfortable.
For a weekend trip to the desert, the Santa Fe was pretty ideal. The air-conditioning worked overtime when we returned from hikes during the hot sunny days and the heated seats kept us toasty during the cold desert nights. At one point, we ran out of s'mores at the campfire, and decided that the Santa Fe looked pretty cool under the starry desert sky. Normally, I wouldn't spend time away from the campfire to set up my tripod and play lighting games with a family-carrying SUV, but I like the look of the Santa Fe. Looks might not be a concern for some car shoppers, but the Santa Fe's aesthetics are an added benefit for those who do care.
Our last morning in Joshua Tree National Park was mostly spent packing up. We made a trip to the local grocery store for supplies during our long weekend of camping, so we had some extra items in the back of our 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe on the return trip. Even with the additional cargo, there was plenty of room left for three passengers, and since packing up went so quickly, we had extra time to explore the park on the way home.
Driving out of the park was almost as fun as the exploring we did over the weekend. Pinto Basin Road snakes through the park to the southern exit, and we took that road on our way home. To my surprise, the Santa Fe was well-suited to this kind of driving. It has good steering, and while it's wasn't exactly like taking a sporty hatchback over Glacier Point, it had a lightweight and stable feel through corners. I enjoyed the big crossover through the bends, even with three passengers and several hundred pounds of gear in the back.
Over the course of this trip, we covered about five hundred miles with the all-wheel-drive Santa Fe averaging 22.5 miles per gallon. Of those miles, 350 or so were highway miles. The other 150 miles were in and around the park. Considering the Santa Fe was either full of passengers or cargo most of the time, our earned mileage bettered the EPA estimate of 20 mpg for combined driving.
It was a relaxing weekend under the desert sky, but I was happy to be home. We unloaded the Santa Fe, swapped gear back into Greg's CR-V, and I took a hot shower for the first time in days. Before passing out on the couch, I recorded my thoughts on the Hyundai Santa Fe: It was easy to drive, lively (for a big SUV) and relaxing. The seats were extremely comfortable over long distances, the excellent stereo system indexed my music quickly, and there was plenty of space for our ludicrous amount of stuff.
A few months ago, Greg enlisted my help before purchasing his first grown-up vehicle, the previously mentioned CR-V. He needed something that got decent mileage and had enough space for his camping gear, so I recommended the Honda. If Greg ends up with a few more family members or some dogs over the next few years, I'd have no problem making the Hyundai Santa Fe my next recommendation.
April was a fairly busy month for our 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe as we added about 1,600 miles. In addition to our usual driving, Travis Langness used our Santa Fe for a Joshua Tree camping trip. For the month, we averaged 20.5 mpg.
That effectively matches the EPA's combined driving estimate of 20 mpg. Lifetime, we're hovering just a tad below at 19.5 mpg. Considering we're quickly approaching 20,000 miles for our Santa Fe, I think we've effectively determined the EPA's numbers for this vehicle are pretty accurate.
Worst Fill MPG: 14.1
Best Fill MPG: 25.0
Average Lifetime MPG: 19.5
EPA MPG Rating: 20 Combined (18 City/24 Highway)
Best Range: 424 miles
Current Odometer: 19,741 miles
The third-row seat of our 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe goes unused most of the time. Even those of us on staff who have children don't have huge families. But there are occasions when the Santa Fe's third row comes in handy. It happened to Erin a while back for a Dodgers game. And this past weekend I needed to drive my two young children plus my in-laws to the location of my son's birthday party.
Our long-term Santa Fe is the six-passenger version. In theory, I wouldn't have needed a third row if we had the seven-passenger version. But the two second-row captain chairs are more comfortable to sit on than squishing three across on a bench seat. Plus, the open space between them works well as a walkway to the third-row seat.
For the trip to and from the birthday party, I had my son's safety seat on one of the captain's chairs and my older daughter back on the third row with a booster seat. My in-laws then sat on the front passenger seat and the other captain's chair. I also kept the other half of the 50/50-split third-row seat folded down, and this allowed me to take a big box full of birthday party accessories.
The kids and the in-laws were comfortable and happy. That means I was happy.
Not all rearview cameras are created equal. Whether due to a small display screen, a low-resolution camera, poor low-light sensitivity or lawyer-friendly text warnings that cover up a good chunk of what you want to be looking at, some car's rearview cameras are pretty mediocre.
As an example of how it can be done right, however, is the rearview camera in our 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe.
I like everything about this camera and find it very useful for seeing what's behind me when I'm backing up in the Santa Fe. The 8-inch touchscreen display is bright and has crisp graphics. The camera is also of high resolution and has a wide field of view. This means it's easy to identify cars or objects that might be in my path. The "Warning! Check for surroundings for safety" text on the top of the display is unobtrusive.
As a caveat, though, my comments only apply to Santa Fe models with the optional navigation system and 8-inch screen. I haven't driven a Santa Fe with the smaller, base touchscreen 4.3-inch display.
The more I drive our 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe the more I like it. And while there are plenty of choices for a three-row crossover SUV these days, the Santa Fe would certainly be right in the mix of models I'd consider heavily.
Much of this comes down to the Santa Fe's all-around goodness. Here are the five highpoints for me:
1) The seating is roomy and comfortable for passengers, and there's enough luggage space for most daily, family-oriented tasks. Yet the Santa Fe doesn't feel bulky or unwieldy when you're driving it.
2) The V6 engine is suitably strong, and the transmission shifts are nicely matched to the engine's power.
3) I really do like the way it looks. This might be a practical, family-oriented vehicle, but it doesn't look it. It's sleek and handsome.
4) The interior is solidly built, and there's a good amount of storage available. The touchscreen interface also works well.
5) Value. Our test vehicle is loaded up, but you can still get a well-equipped 2014 Santa Fe GLS with the Premium Package for somewhere in the low $30,000 range. That seems pretty agreeable to me.
We started covering our 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe back in July of 2013. Ten months later while driving along Interstate 5 about 100 miles north of Los Angeles, I watched our Santa Fe's odometer pass 20,000 miles. Looking back at our past updates on this car, I'd say those miles have been pretty trouble-free.
We've had our Santa Fe serviced two times so far. The most recent included an air conditioning recall and installing a new front door trim piece. That's it. Factor in the Santa Fe's long warranty coverage and this could be a family hauler that gives you reassuring peace of mind.
We're nearly through a year with our long-term 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe and we've just realized we missed an important aspect of this car's functionality: Blue Link.
Overall, we've been happy with the infotainment system in the Santa Fe. It's easy to use and looks sharp. But much like Jerry's dad with the tip calculator, Blue Link can do a whole lot more...
Blue Link is broken up into three packages. The first, Assurance, is free for the first year of ownership and has automatic collision notification, SOS emergency assistance, a monthly vehicle health report, maintenance alerts with automatic problem alerts and a recall advisor.
Stepping up to the Remote Package costs $99 per year and includes remote door lock/unlock, vehicle start, horns and lights; car finder (for parking lots); stolen vehicle recovery (Hyundai says they've recovered 180 stolen vehicles so far for a 100% success rate); stolen vehicle slow down and immobilization (for use by law enforcement); curfew and boundary alert; and a speed alert. Good luck, teens trying to sneak out to have fun.
The final package is also $99/year (on top of the mandatory Remote Package) and is the guidance package. It includes turn-by-turn navigation, Google-powered destination search and POI Web search.
We got everything.
We've only got a couple of months left with the Santa Fe, so expect a blitz of Blue Link posts as we dig in to see how these features really work.
After 11 months and 21,000 miles I'm still enamored with our long-term 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe. Although there is one thing about this six-passenger crossover that drives me bananas.
Every time you start the Santa Fe's engine you get this disclaimer screen. Every time. And to move along with your day you have to press "Agree." Every time.
Damn lawyers. Every time.
I'd like our long-term 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe to have more range. It's there on paper. With its 18.8-gallon gas tank and an EPA fuel economy rating of 18 city and 24 hwy, the Santa Fe could go 338.4 miles around town and 470 miles on the interstate if you run her dry.
But in the real world the numbers are much different.
Our own Dan Edmunds did squeeze 424.5 miles out of our Santa Fe once (on 16.994 gallons of 87), but it was a fluke. Never again, before or after Dan's magical run, has the Santa Fe managed over 400 miles on a tank. In fact, its next best range performance is 361.4 miles and, in my experience, 300 miles is a big number for the Santa Fe.
This is partially due to the conservative manner in which the Hyundai's trip computer starts sounding the alarm bells. When it's telling the driver to stop for fuel or else, the Santa Fe usually drinks about 16.2 gallons. Certainly you wouldn't want to push it much further, but there's still 2.5 gallons sloshing around in the tank.
Regardless, in mixed driving the Santa Fe has a practical range of only 300 miles. As a consumer I'd like it to have more.
I bought a guitar and I blame our long-term 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe.
Okay, it was partially my fault. I wandered into Guitar Center, which was my first mistake. I know nothing about guitars, and I know even less about playing guitar. Fact is I'm tone deaf and my musical talent is limited to finger tapping on the steering wheel at red lights. After 44 years a man knows his limitations, and I have a better chance of playing shortstop for the New York Yankees than I have playing the intro to "Hot For Teacher."
But cool is cool, and guitars are cool. And I've always wanted one.
Until now I've resisted the urge. But Guitar Center is guitar Disneyland and just standing there amongst all the Gibson Les Pauls and Fender Strats I knew today was the day. Regardless of my wife's continuous eye rolling, today was the day.
Then the salesman walked over. "Interested in a guitar?"
I came clean immediately. "Just looking," I said. "I know nothing about guitars, can't play at all, but I kinda want one."
"Good for you," he said like a skilled salesman. "We have just the thing." And he walked me over to a box with big white letters on it: STOP DREAMING. START PLAYING. Inside the box was everything I would need to get this out of my system: an entry-level Fender guitar, an amp and an instructional DVD. Even a pick. $200.
I stood there begging myself to come up with a reason not to buy it. But all my usual excuses weren't working this time. My age. No time to play. No talent. Wife isn't into it. Kinda expensive.
In a last ditch effort to save myself I thought, "Big box. Might not fit in the car."
And then I realized I had driven there in our long-term Hyundai Santa Fe. Cargo space was not an issue. I was out of excuses.
"I'll take it."
Five days later I'm crudely plucking a one string version of "Smoke on the Water."
Next up, a surf board.
In the month of May, we drove more than 1,500 miles in our long term-term 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe. Most were highway miles, including a 600-mile road trip.
During this time, we averaged 18.0 miles per gallon using 87-octane fuel. May's mileage is below our lifetime average of 19.4 mpg, and well under the EPA's combined estimate of 20 mpg.
Worst Fill MPG: 14.1
Best Fill MPG: 25.0
Average Lifetime MPG: 19.4
EPA MPG Rating: 20 Combined (18 City/24 Highway)
Best Range: 424.5 miles
Current Odometer: 21,917 miles
Last weekend, my family and I took a road trip to Laughlin, Nevada. I picked our long-term 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe for the trip, and thought this would be a great chance to get some unbiased opinions about the Santa Fe from non-car-biz people.
The five of us stuffed the Santa Fe with enough luggage for three days, along with a couple of water coolers. Sacrificing one of the rear seats gave us enough space to make it work. The trip was roughly 600 miles, and according to the on-board info display, our average speed was 42 miles per hour. This equates to about 14 hours of driving, plenty of time to get some impressions.
Before we set off, I asked everybody to look for things they did and didn't like about the SUV, and share them with me at the end of the trip.
My impressions:
Piling into the Santa Fe it became obvious (to me at least) that this wouldn't be the best SUV for a family of six to take a long trip.
Although the five of us were able to get our luggage on board without too much fuss, we had to give up a seat to do it. My sister and her husband have four kids. I can't imagine the six of them and their stuff making an overnight trip in the Santa Fe because there simply isn't enough room behind the rear seat to carry six people's stuff. At least not the way we pack.
Hoping to avoid Friday night Los Angeles to Las Vegas traffic, we didn't leave until well after sundown. With the first leg of the trek beginning at night, I had a great excuse to open that mammoth moonroof and star gaze. (Of course I pulled over to do this). I can imagine the Santa Fe being a great vehicle for passengers who like to look at the sky on a clear night. Some campsites in California require you sleep in a car because of mountain lions, and I think the Santa Fe would be a great choice for that type of outing.
My passengers' thoughts:
MJ - Likes: Middle row allows for easy access to third-row seats without having to move seats. Dashboard controls are clearly labeled, organized well, and not cluttered. He also liked the rear sunshades. Dislikes: Rear sunshades are super loud when windows are rolled down. He wasn't a big fan of the way the car handled some of the dips in the road. "I'm bouncing around back here," he said after a particularly bad patch of road (MJ sat in the last row most of the trip.)
LP - Likes: Dropping down the rear seat for storage was very easy, and the navigation system anticipated upcoming traffic and offered options to avoid traffic when possible. Dislikes: Passenger seat had no height adjustment, and she felt like she was sitting low. Also, mentioned that a blind spot indicator would have been a nice addition to the side mirrors.
EP - Likes: Rear sunshades, navigation system. Dislikes: Rear A/C ventilation (not enough air flow). Asked me to say that on the whole, he liked the SUV.
AP: Likes: The extra features like the moonroof, and power tailgate. The power tailgate is helpful when you're lugging an ice chest through a hot Nevada parking lot. Opening the rear hatch remotely and having it ready to accept your load is a welcome extra in 105-degree weather. An extra benefit of opening that tailgate before you arrive is that it releases some of that super-heated air. Dislikes: "Bouncy" feeling in the rear of the SUV, not enough USB hook-ups.
As we were leaving the hotel to start our trip home, I pulled the Hyundai Santa Fe into the shade of the loading area. A guy sitting nearby said to me, "You're from California? I bet that Toyota you're driving saved you some gas didn't it?" When I told him it was a Hyundai, he looked at me and said, "Sure looks good for a Hyundai!"
All told, these last days with the Santa Fe have done little to change my initial judgment of the car. If anything, they have reinforced what I already thought: I like it. It bounces a bit, but I like it. Apparently, the family does too.
We've had our long-term 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe for more than 22,000 miles now, and we've shared quite a lot of info, opinion and photography with you. I thought you might like a change of pace, so I made you a little video of the storage compartments in the center console. Click through to watch the video and see where you can stash your small stuff in the Hyundai Santa Fe.
I like the little storage cubby that's forward of the gear selector. It has two 12-volt charging points (great if both the driver and the front passenger need to charge an electronic device at the same time, very thoughtful), plus an auxiliary jack and a USB port hiding behind a tiny door. That area's side access is handy for routing cords away from the main cubby opening.
The cupholders and larger covered bin are fairly standard, but I do like the small tray between those two areas. In the video, you see that the Santa Fe's key fits nicely in that little spot, though if you owned this car, you'd likely keep the key in your pocket, purse or bag. Overall, you'll find useful storage spots in this seven-passenger SUV.
After more than 22,000 miles, our 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe still feels solid. A year-old car should feel tight, but usually by this time most vehicles start to develop small rattles and a general looseness to their suspensions.
After various errands around town over a weekend, I didn't notice much of either. The interior still looks and feels well screwed together. The panel gaps are straight and there are no rattles over bumps.
I'm actually more impressed by the fact that the suspension is still tight. It's not as obvious because the Santa Fe is naturally tuned on the soft side, but it's still precise in the way it soaks up potholes and dampens road ruts. If this was my own vehicle I would feel pretty good about the way it has held up.
Wrap-Up
What We Got
We had a few choices to make when ordering our 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Limited AWD.
First, we had to decide which version to get. The Santa Fe Sport is a five-passenger model, while the standard Santa Fe is larger and features standard third-row seating. Since we wanted maximum utility we opted for the larger, three-row Santa Fe.
It comes standard with a 290-horsepower 3.3-liter V6 mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. There are two levels of trim: the base GLS and the upper-level Limited. We went with the Limited and a few stand-alone options. The MSRP was $34,850 to start.
Stand-alone options included the Technology package ($2,900) which adds a panoramic sunroof, 12-speaker Infinity audio system, heated steering wheel, rear side window shades and navigation with Blue Link infotaintment. Carpeted floor mats ($135) and a cargo net ($50) rounded out the options. All told, the MSRP on our Santa Fe Limited AWD was $38,790.
"Its direct-injected 3.3-liter V6 generates plenty of torque to satisfy my passing requests and general lead-footedness, and the transmission is quick to drop down a gear when needed. I also like the steering in our Hyundai Santa Fe. Not because it feels sporty, of course, but because it's precise and quick enough that you can guide the big crossover around turns and into parking spots with minimal effort." — Erin Riches
"The Santa Fe is a crossover that will never ever see the midway campground on the Rubicon Trail unless dropped in by helicopter. But its 4WD lock button and hill descent control does distinguish it from many other crossovers out there. It's a soft-roader, but there's a wee bit of a hard edge to it." — Dan Edmunds
"I really like the combination of this 3.3-liter V6 engine and six-speed automatic transmission. When I need to accelerate with authority in cutthroat traffic, I never have a problem. And the engine delivers the power in a pretty smooth, unobtrusive manner." — Donna DeRosa
"Over the course of this trip, we covered about 500 miles, with the all-wheel-drive Santa Fe averaging 22.5 miles per gallon. Of those miles, 350 or so were highway miles. The other 150 miles were in and around the park. Considering the Santa Fe was either full of passengers or cargo most of the time, our earned mileage bettered the EPA estimate of 20 mpg for combined driving." — Travis Langness
"I'd like our long-term Santa Fe to have more range. It's there on paper. With its 18.8-gallon gas tank and an EPA fuel economy rating of 18 city and 24 highway, the Santa Fe could go 338.4 miles around town and 470 miles on the interstate if you run her dry. But in the real world the numbers are much different." — Scott Oldham
"Our Santa Fe has a habit of bobbing on its rear suspension and hammering at our backsides over swales and waves in the highway. It's bottoming out over pavement features it should absorb, and we're not even full." — Dan Edmunds
"I was a bit worried about the Santa Fe's uncomfortable ride with passengers before we arrived, but inside the park, those concerns were unnecessary. We drove to and from a few cool rock formations and even bounced around on a few dirt roads, which were easy work for the Santa Fe. The roads inside Joshua Tree are nearly perfect and the passengers had no complaints. If we had to drive several hundred miles on corrugated metal, things would be different, but inside in the park, we were all happy and comfortable." — Travis Langness
"Access to the third row is good when you slide the second-row captain's chairs in our Limited model forward. There's also plenty of legroom in the third row, even when the second-row passengers scoot their seats back on the adjustable tracks." — Erin Riches
"They're simple, but our 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe has ventilation controls in its third row. Mode, fan speed and temperature can be adjusted all the way in the back. Nice." — Josh Jacquot
"Hauling two re-stuffed 1969 Camaro bucket seats isn't as easy as it looks. Car seats are big. Bigger than you'd think. They're also kind of cumbersome and difficult to handle. Our long-term 2013 Santa Fe didn't even flinch." — Scott Oldham
"As nice as it is to have that third row, I don't think most people realize how much it cuts into cargo space. With the rearmost seats up, there's not much room for anything else. Most of the time this isn't a problem, as you either need the extra seats or you fold them down for more cargo." — Ed Hellwig
"OK, so the fact that the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe swallows suitcases and large boxes isn't particularly noteworthy. Check the stat sheet: There are 41 cubic feet behind the second-row seats. That was enough to handle airport shuttle services for two passengers (plus driver), three large suitcases, a few smaller bags and a box of stuff that, frankly, should never have been allowed through customs." — Dan Frio
"Our long-term 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe offers a nicely insulated cabin that keeps most road and wind noise from interfering with your conversations/music/podcasts/singing or whatever you do in your car for entertainment. I was stuck in a nasty construction-induced traffic jam when I rolled down the window to briefly give directions to the person in the car next to me. That's when I noticed how noisy it was outside and how serene the ride was. As traffic freed up and I moved along at a good clip, the quiet remained. No wind noise bouncing over the side mirrors, no bumpy road noise, no growling engine noise. It was peaceful." — Donna DeRosa
"I like everything about this (rearview) camera and find it very useful for seeing what's behind me when I'm backing up in the Santa Fe. The 8-inch touchscreen display is bright and has crisp graphics. The camera is also of high resolution and has a wide field of view. This means it's easy to identify cars or objects that might be in my path. The "Warning! Check surroundings for safety" text on the top of the display is unobtrusive. As a caveat, though, my comments only apply to Santa Fe models with the optional navigation system and 8-inch screen. I haven't driven a Santa Fe with the smaller, base touchscreen 4.3-inch display." — Brent Romans
"Back country off-road travel. This is where the Santa Fe's navigation system was a real help. It had the area's major national forest roads in its database, with the main ones labeled with their forest service designations. We felt comfortable pressing on into unfamiliar territory because the moving map could always guide us back out the way we came." — Dan Edmunds
"I think the multimedia touchscreen is one of the better interfaces out there, manipulating a pretty intuitive menu structure through simple icon-based recognition. I find the Santa Fe one of the least distracting units to work with when it comes to placing a call or searching a smartphone music library." — Dan Frio
"Also part of that package is the upgraded 12-speaker, 550-watt Infinity audio system. So how does this system sound? To my ears, the speakers are clear at full volume, and there's no significant distortion of the sound quality. Simple adjustments to bass, mids and treble are easy to find and fiddle with when you need them. Some tracks seem a bit flat at first, but after a few tweaks and recentering the sound, the music becomes much sharper. In short, the Santa Fe's Infinity system is a great stereo. Along with the other equipment in the Technology package, I'd say it's worth the price." — Travis Langness
"So what about the (15,000-mile) service? Our concerns included some routine items: oil and filter change, new cabin air filter and tire rotation. Two outstanding service bulletins were on our list as well. One involved an inspection of the overhead sunglasses holder (TSB-13-01-023) and the other replaced the air-conditioning blower module (TSB-13-01-032). The overhead console checked out fine, but the blower module had to be special-ordered. Also ordered during this visit was a replacement trim piece for the front passenger door." — Mike Schmidt
"After more than 22,000 miles, our 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe still feels solid. A year-old car should feel tight, but usually by this time most vehicles start to develop small rattles and a general looseness to their suspensions. After various errands around town over a weekend, I didn't notice much of either. The interior still looks and feels well screwed together. The panel gaps are straight and there are no rattles over bumps. — Ed Hellwig
"In the past we've stated the benefits of the rockerless, narrow-sill overlapping doors on our 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe. Their many advantages include: always-clean sills that won't transfer winter slush or spring mud onto your pant leg upon entry or exit; easier entry for those who aren't as flexible as they once were, because they can stand a couple inches closer to the seat; and just plain good looks." — Dan Edmunds
"Big V6 has plenty of power, even at 7,000-foot elevation.... Driver seat and seating position are right on. Very comfortable... Big V6 drinks regular gas instead of more expensive premium.... The third row could not be easier to fold or flip up.... I love the way it looks. " — Scott Oldham
Maintenance & Repairs
Regular Maintenance:
Our Santa Fe requested routine service at 7,500-mile intervals. The 7,500 and 22,500 were of the minor service variety, namely oil changes and tire rotations. There was a bit more involvement at the 15,000-mile visit. At this stop we also addressed an open recall for the air-conditioning blower motor and an exterior trim piece that popped loose. Both were repaired at a later date, as they required special order parts.
Service Campaigns:
The A/C blower motor TSB noted above was the only recall affecting our Santa Fe.
Fuel Economy and Resale Value
Observed Fuel Economy:
EPA estimates for the Santa Fe were 20 mpg combined (18 city/24 highway). Over the course of the past year we averaged 19 mpg. Our best single tank returned a hair shy of 26 mpg and covered 425 miles. But it was the only tank to break the 400-mile mark.
Resale and Depreciation:
Our moderately equipped Santa Fe Limited AWD had an MSRP of $38,790. After 22,441 miles, Edmunds' TMV® Calculator valued the Hyundai at $29,678 based on a private-party sale. This equated to a respectable 23 percent depreciation.
Summing Up
Pros: Solid power from standard V6; quick-shifting transmission; strong, easy-to-modulate brakes; user-friendly navigation system; sizable cargo capacity; quiet on the highway.
Cons: Choppy ride quality when fully loaded; could use more range; overall mileage was slightly less than advertised; not much cargo room with all seats in place.
Bottom Line: This is a sharp-looking, reliable SUV with a strong V6, ample passenger room and every creature comfort you could want. Other than its firm ride when fully loaded, we found few reasons not to consider the Santa Fe when shopping in this category.
| Total Body Repair Costs: | None |
| Total Routine Maintenance Costs: | $235.11 (over 12 months) |
| Additional Maintenance Costs: | None |
| Warranty Repairs: | Replace A/C blower motor, replace exterior front door trim piece. |
| Non-Warranty Repairs: | None |
| Scheduled Dealer Visits: | 3 |
| Unscheduled Dealer Visits: | 1 to install special-order A/C blower motor |
| Days Out of Service: | None |
| Breakdowns Stranding Driver: | None |
| Best Fuel Economy: | 25.7 mpg |
| Worst Fuel Economy: | 14.1 mpg |
| Average Fuel Economy: | 19.4 mpg |
| True Market Value at service end: | $29,678 (private-party sale) |
| Depreciation: | $9,112 (23% of original MSRP) |
| Final Odometer Reading: | 22,441 miles |
The manufacturer provided Edmunds this vehicle for the purposes of evaluation.