Filed under: Crossover, Hyundai, First Drives



Winning Formula Comes Full Circle







The launch of the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe is a bigger deal than you might think. It's not just the third-generation of the automaker's most popular crossover - it officially marks the end of what will forever be known as Old Hyundai. Every single product in the company's stable is either brand new or significantly refreshed, and the well-liked Tucson that kicked off this whole product renaissance is officially the oldest vehicle sitting inside your local Hyundai dealer. (Well, unless they have some of the now-dead Veracruz CUVs still sitting out back.)



What was once a quiet little caterpillar has indeed become one hell of a butterfly.



But that's not the only reason why the 2013 Santa Fe launch is a big deal. Hyundai has an opportunity to capture some midsize crossover buyers it hasn't won over in the past few years. Elsewhere in the Korea, Inc. empire, Kia is currently kicking major butt in this segment, having sold over 130,000 Sorento crossovers in 2011 compared to the Santa Fe's 74,391.



So there's a lot riding on this final stage of Hyundai's metamorphosis, not the least of which is continuing the brand's impressive streak of sales expansion. Does this 2013 Santa Fe have what it takes to climb to the top of the midsize crossover class, officially sealing Hyundai's place as a player in nearly all of the most often-shopped segments (minus trucks, of course)? We headed to Park City, Utah to find out.Continue reading 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport



2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 28 Aug 2012 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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I hate these binocular gauges that comes on all these Hyundais nowadays...

 

Soulless, fat, run-of-the-mill, soccer mom, shopping trolley, pedestrian econobox. What the hell is a crossover anyway? How is this groundbreaking or interesting in its design at all? Holy sh*t I want to set fire to my brain just thinking about how dull and bland these ridiculous bloody cars are.



Oh LORD, I just read that it's called the santa fe SPORT



Why



Why do they do this

 

 

at least they finally got rid of the ugly handle on the back hatch! I hated that thing! It looked so out of place.



People who buy these SUV's want exactly what you see. A minivan that isn't a minivan. Why drastically change something that sells??

 

Looks like a competitor for the Ford Edge and Nissan Murano.



They weren't shy that they were going to go after a "Luxury Crossover" - maybe this is a step?

 

I rented 2 Nissan Altimas for the whole summer. The volume buttons from this new Santa Fe are exactly the same. I remember hating the Nissan switches (all of them infact) compared to the Hyundai push buttons. Now it doesn't really matter what brand you're driving, they're all the same.



I just wish Hyundai did something really cool, better, and different like in the 1990's instead of incorporating other brands' solutions. Copying seems to be working nonetheless.



FTW









As David mentioned, it's easier to copy than waste expenses.

 

I like it