Her + His Car Reviews
2018 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2.0T ULT
There are two sides to everything, right? To keep our car reviews innovative and interesting, we provide an animated, insightful, and detailed POV's on the same car from - Her + His perspectives.
Her: Anne Fleming, Car Buying Advocate, women-drivers.com
His: Don Hammonds, Writer, AutomobileJournal.com
| HER | HIS |
|---|---|
| Price | |
| $39,875 | $39,875 |
| Performance | |
| Hyundai has amped up the 2018 Santa Fe Model. The powertrain technology consists of a 2.0 L turbo Gasoline Direct Injection 4-Cylinder engine with 240 horsepower @6,000 rpm and 260 lb-ft Torque. This mid-sized SUV is responsive and smooth shifting with a 6 speed Automatic Transmission and SHIFTRONIC©. Active Connecting AWD with AWD Lock and Drive Mode Select for gripping and customized driving. Reactive and smooth braking with this powerful beast. | The Santa Fe Sport is powered by a 2.0T 2.0 liter turbocharged, direct injection four cylinder putting out 240 horsepower. It certainly has enough power for the road, and it sounds it too, with a nice exhaust note as well. |
| Fuel Economy | |
| 21 combined miles/24 highway miles and 19 city miles. | The Santa Fe Sport is rated at 21 miles per gallon combined city highway, 19 city, 24 highway. But our Santa Fe Sport consistently did three to four miles per gallon better than that, so we think the estimates being used by the company are a bit on the low side; we did even better. The Santa Fe Sport uses 4.8 gallons of gasoline to go 100 miles, and annual fuel costs are $1,700 based on 15,000 miles of driving every year, on $2.40 a gallon gasoline. |
| The Vehicle | |
| This is a pretty fantastic vehicle. Sturdy, wide, and athletic, the 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport Ultimate is just that - ultimate. It's stacked with features, comfort, room and styling. This model is larger than the CR-V and RAV4. Its plus is its roominess and versatility in the seating when the sliding second row seats, also recline. Like those two competitors, the seats fold to optimize space in the rear. The second row seat heat. With the Third row in the Santa Fe, this vehicle holds 6 or 7 passengers depending on their size. Ground clearance is 7.3" as the vehicle is supported by 19" alloy wheels. Cargo room behind the front seats is 80 cubic feet. Hyundai reports that there is more interior space in this model than the Toyota Highlander, Dodge Durango and Mazda CX-9; that is a pretty impressive claim. Ventilated seats not only heat up, but cool down on warmer days. The Hands-free Liftgate with AutoOpen, cranks open automatically when the proximity key is within 3 ft., making this a very friendly feature for drivers and users alike. |
The Santa Fe Sport is the two seat row version of Hyundai's strong selling crossovers, and yet, it offers a lot of value and style compared to other two row crossovers. It's a bit larger than say, the Toyota RAV4 or Ford Escape, so there's a bit more room inside. And in some ways, it's also more luxurious inside, too, though we think that some of the trim and pieces are not quite up to the class standards. It's a good looking, comfortable, value-packed crossover---and that's why it is such a strong seller for Hyundai. |
| Safety | |
| Airbags Galore. LED Daytime Running Lights and Tail Lights. Auto Leveling Highlights. Windshield Wiper Auto DeIcer. Heated Side Mirrors. Automatic Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection. Lane Departure Warning. Dynamic Bending Hold. High Beam Assist. | Vehicle Stability Management System with traction control, front side impact, side curtain and drivers knee airbag; tire pressure monitoring system, blind spot detection system are among the standard safety features. |
| Technology | |
| Multi-View Camera - very nice! 8" Navigation w Android Auto and Apple Car Play. Hands Free Lift gate with Auto Open. Manual Rear Shades. 40/20/40 Split Folding Rear Seats, Recline, too. Integrated Memory system for Driver's Seats and Mirrors. Sirius XM - 90-day trial. AM/FM/HD/ CD/MP3 with Infinity Premium Audio with Quantum Logic Surround Sound. Blue link Connected Service. Blue Link Remote Start for 3 Years. Blue Link Multimedia Map. Smart Cruise Control with Stop/Start. Power Panoramic Sunroof. Roof Rails. Tinted Rear Windows. |
For the Ultimate model we tested, standard features include, air conditioning and full power assist systems of course, along with hands free smart lift gate with AutoOpen and premium door sills; leather wrapped steering wheel, alloy wheels, privacy glass; fog lights, heated dual power side mirrors, premium gloss-black lower front fascia, power sunroof, RR parking sensors, premium lower door trim; heated and ventilated front seats, heated steering wheel and heated rear seats; 40/20/40 split fondling rear seats with slide and recline function; integrated memory system for front seat and side mirrors, navigation, electroluminescent dash gauge cluster; Blue Link Remote Start, Blue Link Multimedia map system and other features. |
| Aesthetics & Styling | |
| Hyundai's design is spot on. The exterior design elements blend together in a sharp all around effort, from the bumpers, tailgates, the amped-up grille and the angular headlights. The rear is squared and shaped evenly and attractively. The interior is clean, good lines, and spacious. A good sized console separates the adapt sized front seats, which allows for putting goodies or for the occasional resting of an arm, when stretching is required. Materials used have a sophisticated tone. We note that the paddle shifters have been eliminated - it seems most of the class sees these as no longer viable or used - and generally a waste of money and are allocating the cost in features elsewhere. | With its classy black alloy wheels, black paint, dual sunroof, and sharp two tone black and gray interior, our Santa Fe Sport was a sight to behold. It really looks contemporary, sleek, sexy and altogether competitive with other designers. Inside, we found the front seats to be a bit uncomfortable and needing some more support, and we thought that the materials, especially the awful wood trim around the air conditioning vents, to be a bit of a letdown. |
| Warranty | |
| Americas Best Warranty: 5 Year/60,000 Mile New Vehicle Limited Warranty. 10 Year/100,000 Mile Powertrain Limited Warranty. 5 Year/Unlimited Miles. 24-Hour Roadside Assistance. | Five year/60,000-mile new vehicle warranty; 10 years/100,000-mile powertrain warranty, five year/limited roadside assistance program. |
