more about this model Updated this year, the 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport remains an enticing choice for consumers shopping for a small crossover SUV. The attractively styled, five-passenger Sport offers a wide range of comfort, convenience and safety features. And like its larger three-row sibling, the Santa Fe, it comes with a 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty.
Exterior changes for 2017 include a sportier front end with a redesigned grille and headlights, and in back you'll find new taillights and dual exhaust tips. Inside, a larger 5-inch infotainment display is now standard, and a 7-inch screen with Android Auto smartphone app integration is available. The 2017 Santa Fe Sport also features new options for advanced driver safety aids, including forward collision warning with emergency automatic braking.
Power for the base Sport comes from a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 185 horsepower and 178 pound-feet of torque. Although performance with that powerplant is on par with much of the competition, drivers looking for more lively acceleration might want to consider the turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder that comes on the higher trim levels. It puts out 240 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque.
Both engines are mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. Front-wheel drive is standard, and all-wheel drive is available. Fuel economy is underwhelming, though. A front-wheel-drive Santa Fe Sport with the base 2.4-liter engine gets 24 mpg combined (21 city/27 highway), which is off the pace set by many rivals crossovers. Choosing all-wheel drive and the turbocharged engine drops the rating to 22 mpg combined (19 city/26 highway).
On the road, Hyundai's compact crossover is enjoyable to drive, though its suspension is tuned a bit more firmly than the norm, and that results in above-average jostling over rough pavement or washboard dirt roads. The Santa Fe Sport's interior is surprisingly roomy, though. Fit and finish is excellent, and high-quality materials, combined with comfortable front seats and an extra-roomy second row, add to the impression of a more expensive vehicle.
The base Santa Fe Sport come fairly well equipped right out of the box, but the more fully outfitted Sport 2.0T adds the turbocharged engine and considerably more comfort and convenience items, and the top-of-the-line Sport 2.0T Ultimate piles on a host of luxury and tech features. Key premium features you might want include heated leather seats, a 360-degree camera system, a premium 12-speaker sound system and a hands-free liftgate. Whatever your preference, though, let Edmunds help you find just the right 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport to meet your needs.
2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport Overview
Edmunds experts have compiled a robust series of ratings and reviews for the 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport and all model years in our database. Our rich content includes expert reviews and recommendations for the 2017 Santa Fe Sport featuring deep dives into trim levels and features, performance, mpg, safety, interior, and driving. Edmunds also offers expert ratings, road test and performance data, long-term road tests, first-drive reviews, video reviews and more.
Our Review Process
This review was written by a member of Edmunds' editorial team of expert car reviewers. Our team drives every car you can buy. We put the vehicles through rigorous testing, evaluating how they drive and comparing them in detail to their competitors.
We're also regular people like you, so we pay attention to all the different ways people use their cars every day. We want to know if there's enough room for our families and our weekend gear and whether or not our favorite drink fits in the cupholder. Our editors want to help you make the best decision on a car that fits your life.
Consumer ratings and reviews are also available for the 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport and all its trim types. Overall, Edmunds users rate the 2017 Santa Fe Sport 4.1 on a scale of 1 to 5 stars. Edmunds consumer reviews allow users to sift through aggregated consumer reviews to understand what other drivers are saying about any vehicle in our database. Detailed rating breakdowns (including performance, comfort, value, interior, exterior design, build quality, and reliability) are available as well to provide shoppers with a comprehensive understanding of why customers like the 2017 Santa Fe Sport.
Vehicle
4dr SUV AWD (2.4L 4cyl 6A)
Review
Let me start off by saying that we traded in my wife's 2016 Rav4 for the Santa Fe Sport. After owning the Rav4 ($28k) for over a year, it was obvious that we made a huge mistake buying that car, and the Santa Fe Sport proved it. The Rav4's seats were constricting and painful... and the ergonomics we poorly done to the point where even the passenger side seemed confined due to the location of the dash elements. Enter the 2017 Santa Fe Sport - From the initial test drive it was obvious Hyundai really has their act together. The interior is great, the ride is smooth, and the seats are built for real people (wife is 5'6", and I am 6'2"). Everything is laid out very well, and the driver speedo console is so informative with great, simple help menu when you hit the enter button for more info... but not to the point of being cumbersome. To take it one step further, the instruction manual is well written, with QR codes for further up-to-date info. All-in-all, very well done for the price point. We bought the base model AWD, and are very happy with it. We do wish, the rear seats slid without having to go to another package, but the storage behind them is fantastic. The USB location should be located higher so to not get bumped, and the radio should be able to be dimmed more (but can actually be turned off by hitting display), but those are small peanuts and decent trade-offs given some of the other tech integrations. I would definitely shop Hyundai again in the future.
See all consumer reviews and retings for the 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport
Edmunds Value
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The 2017 Hyundai Santa-fe-sport earned a 5-star overall safety rating from NHTSA and "GOOD" ratings from the IIHS in the following caregories: Side Impact Test, Roof Strength Test, Rear Crash Protection/Head Restraint, IIHS Small Overlap Front Test Results, Moderate Overlap Front Test Results, and a JD POWER overall quality rating of 3.0 out of 5. Among Edmunds' many tools and resources for finding your perfect car are detailed safety ratings and analysis from NHTSA, IIHS, and JD Power, including overall ratings, frontal barrier crash ratings, side impact tests and crash ratings, rollover test results, roof strength tests, rear crash protection and head restraint ratings, side barrier ratings, combined side barrier and pole ratings, and more.
Available Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2017 Submodel Types: SUV
Available Trims: Base, 2.0T Ultimate, 2.0T
Exterior Colors: Twilight Black, Mineral Gray, Frost White Pearl, Pearl White, Sparkling Silver, Marlin Blue, Serrano Red, Nightfall Blue, Canyon Copper, Platinum Graphite, Moonstone Silver, Cabo Bronze, Juniper Green, Sparkling Silver (Late Availability), Platinum Graphite (Late Availability)
Interior Colors: Gray cloth, Beige cloth, Black leather, Beige leather, Gray leather, Saddle leather
Popular Features: Alarm, Audio and cruise controls on steering wheel, Aux Audio Inputs, Bluetooth, Fold Flat Rear Seats, Rear Bench Seats, Stability Control, Tire Pressure Warning, Trip Computer, USB Inputs, Back-up camera, AWD/4WD, Power Driver Seat, Multi-Zone Climate Control, Heated seats, Blind Spot Monitoring, Leather Seats, Auto Climate Control, 3500lb Towing Capacity, Keyless Entry/Start, Power Liftgate/Trunk, Apple Carplay/Android Auto, Navigation, Cooled Seats, Sunroof/Moonroof, 360-degree camera, Parking sensors, Upgraded Headlights, Towing Hitch, Upgraded Stereo, Lane Departure Warning, Adaptive Cruise Control, Pre-collision safety system, Remote Start
Engine/Mechanics: 4 cylinders
Transmission: AUTOMATIC
Fuel Types: regular unleaded
Drivetrains: all wheel drive, front wheel drive
Edmunds attended a manufacturer-sponsored event, to which selected members of the press were invited, to facilitate this report.
