2018 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport Review

Our tester's turbocharged 2.0-liter engine is eager and feels strong around town and at freeway speeds. There's no real hesitation, the throttle doesn't feel twitchy, and acceleration is delivered smoothly. But our as-tested 0-60 mph time of 8 seconds falls short of rivals' optional engines.

The brake pedal is soft, but there's enough resistance that it's relatively easy to judge braking force by feel. Hard braking can make the vehicle feel unsteady, but it manages to stop straight. In our testing, the Sport stopped from 60 mph in 129 feet, which is average for the segment.

Overall, the steering feels artificial and frequently requires small adjustments. The on-center feel is vague in Normal mode, and steering effort doesn't build naturally as you turn the wheel. Turning on Sport mode tightens the on-center feel somewhat but adds unnecessary heft.

The Santa Fe Sport's body roll is noticeable but better controlled than it is in some competitors. It understeers readily, which doesn't inspire a lot of confidence. The vehicle is very stable at freeway speeds, but larger bumps can cause an unsettling bounce.

The transmission keeps you low in the rev range in Normal mode. You often have to give it extra gas to get the acceleration you want for passing maneuvers or maintaining uphill speed. Thankfully, gear changes are quick and smooth, and Sport mode keeps the engine in the powerband.

The seats are on the firm side but are nicely shaped and offer useful adjustments, especially the four-way lumbar and headrests. Even on longer drives we didn't find ourselves fidgeting, though we wished the armrests were higher. The rear seats are comfortable and can recline a surprising amount.

The ride quality is better than that of many competitors, doing a good job of balancing comfort and control. The suspension is a little firm, though, and prone to pronounced bounce over bumps and humps, but it doesn't feel busy or harsh.

The Santa Fe Sport is quiet around town — surrounding traffic is mostly blocked out, and at low speeds the engine is muted. It's a mixed bag at freeway speeds — the levels of wind and road noise over bumps and rough surfaces are better than average, but the engine can sound drone-y.

Climate control and seat heating and cooling work well and quickly, but the button interface doesn't have the most logical layout. Full manual control beyond temperature and fan-speed requires looking at the infotainment screen. Leaving the system in automatic is easier, and it kept us comfortable.

The buttons are placed a bit haphazardly, so it takes a while to find exactly what you want if you're not familiar with the layout. The touchscreen system is quite easy to navigate, with some thoughtful choices that cut down on the number of steps needed to perform basic operations.

The square front door openings and low sills make entering and exiting easy. The rear doors aren't quite square, forcing you to lean forward a bit to get your head through. The rear doors are also a bit long, making entry and exit in narrow parking spaces more difficult.

The seating position places you high relative to the dash and armrests, yet the floor is close to the bottom of the seat. Tall drivers will sit with their legs extended and need to glance downward farther than is comfortable to see gauges and controls. It's a friendlier setup for shorter drivers.

There's plenty of room both front and back, with lots of head- and legroom for even tall rear passengers. There's a very low and flat hump on the floor between the rear seats, so the middle seat isn't awkward to use. The light-colored interior trim in our tester contributed to a feeling of openness.

The roof pillars are thick all around, and the top of the front windshield feels low. There are windows in the rear pillars, but they're located so high that they're nearly useless. Happily, the large side mirrors provide an excellent view, and the camera system helps at low speed.

The interior trim is chintzy-looking, with lots of hard plastics and a rubbery layer in places. The fake wood trim doesn't help, and the materials quality just didn't match the price of our tester. That said, there were no rattles or loose trim pieces, and everything felt durable and solid.

The center consoles offers a few useful cubbies, and all four door pockets will hold small water bottles. While less clever and extensive than what some competitors offer, there's quite a bit of space and plenty of options to keep small items from getting loose.

The 71.5 cubic feet of maximum storage falls short of class leaders but is still generous. The low floor makes loading and unloading easy, and there are sizable underfloor compartments. The rear seats don't fold perfectly flat, but they do have convenient releases in the trunk.

There's plenty of space for car seats, and the outboard LATCH locations are clearly marked, but the firm seat cushions can make them awkward to reach.

The nav system has a lot of features, including Google search. But the vehicle must be parked to use many of them, and not all can be accessed via voice control. The infotainment system is easy to use, but the audio system delivers poorer sound quality than we expect from an optional system.

There's full Android Auto and Apple CarPlay integration but only one USB port. There are several 12-volt outlets so you can charge more than one device if you have an adapter. Bluetooth pairing is straightforward and works well.

A complete suite of aids is available. Blind-spot and forward-collision warning systems aren't overly sensitive. Adaptive cruise works well, even in traffic, but going downhill it grabs the brakes intermittently to maintain speed. The side camera view is awkward for navigating close-by obstructions.

The voice controls are slow to respond and require specific phrasing in specific order to access their limited functionality. Asking for help displays only a partial list of possible commands. Its response is "Sorry, I didn't understand you" whether it misheard you or can't do what you're asking.

The Santa Fe Sport is sold in three trims. The base Sport is powered by a 2.4-liter four-cylinder (185 horsepower, 178 pound-feet of torque), while the 2.0T and 2.0T Ultimate are driven by a turbocharged 2.0-liter engine (240 hp, 260 lb-ft). A six-speed automatic transmission is standard across the board, and any model can be specified with front- or all-wheel drive.

Notable standard features for the base trim include 17-inch alloy wheels, rear privacy glass, air-conditioning, a rearview camera, a 40/20/40-split rear seat, Bluetooth connectivity, a 5-inch display screen, and a six-speaker sound system with a CD player and a USB port.

The new Value package bundles LED daytime running lights, foglights, heated mirrors, roof rails, keyless entry and ignition, dual-zone automatic climate control, a power driver seat with lumbar adjustment, heated front seats, a 7-inch display screen, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay functionality, Hyundai Blue Link services and satellite radio.

Selecting the Premium Equipment package adds those features, along with a hands-free power liftgate, a color driver information screen, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, leather upholstery, a power front passenger seat, slide and recline functionality for the rear seats, rear side window sunshades, and blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert.

The Tech package includes the contents of the Premium Equipment package along with a panoramic sunroof, a top-down parking camera system, rear parking sensors, driver-seat memory settings, a heated steering wheel, ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, an 8-inch touchscreen, navigation and a 12-speaker Infinity premium audio system.

Step up to the 2.0T and you get a more powerful turbocharged engine, 18-inch alloy wheels, dual exhaust tips and the contents of the Premium Equipment package.

There's one more package available if you want to go whole hog: the 2.0T Ultimate's Tech package. It adds adaptive headlights with automatic high-beam control, adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, and an electronic parking brake with auto hold.

Finally, the top-of-the-line 2.0T Ultimate adds 19-inch alloy wheels, xenon headlights, LED taillights and the contents of the Tech package.